Sifnos, Greece

There are at least 150 Greek islands not listed in the RS Greece book, which shouldn't be considered a guidebook but rather a simplified selection of some touristy islands.

I've been going to Sifnos since the 90s. If you want to experience a still authentic Greek island, untouched by mass tourism, it's not too late.

https://www.roomsinsifnos.com/

You'll need to take a ferry, thankfully, there's no airport in Sifnos.

We enjoyed visiting Sifnos. We liked this island as we did Naxos and Crete.
We could not wait to leave Santorini, crowded, over touristed.

Sifnos is one of my favourite islands. Laid back charm, beautiful beaches, stunning scenery, pretty inland and coastal villages, good prices, great tavernas and cafes, decent bus service, wonderful people etc. etc.
https://sifnos.gr/en/sifnos/

Thinking of visiting Sifnos in early to mid October. Is the island dead for tourism by then or is it worth visiting at that time? How about Naxos/Paros?

Strange as it may seem but there is life outside of RS guide book.

You should definitely take advantage of the opportunity to go to Sifnos during the first half of October. Unless you're planning on partying every night surrounded by crowds of tourists, which isn't really why people visit Sifnos anyway. We've been there in May, June, September, and even early November, and it has always suited us perfectly.

Thanks @JoLui. I am not a partying type, so Sifnos will suit me perfectly. Do you happen to know if the bus service connecting main towns on the Island (the port, the capital, Kastro etc) is decent in October, especially for day trips? Or is renting a car is the way to go? If so, any recommendations for car rental companies?

Is it worth it to go to the gastronomy festival in September? We'll be in Greece during that time, but trying to figure out if it's worth fighting for space there!

Pam, regarding the bus system on Sifnos, you can refer to this map that shows the routes (PDF file). The main hub is located in Artemonas, the village right next to the capital, Apollonia:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y4DSyC3SuoxkY1ifOOZK878KjvZ0hGwI/view?usp=sharing

Since the schedule shown in the PDF is for June, here is the schedule for the first week of October. These are from 2024, but they barely change from year to year:

https://sifnaiko-fos.gr/%cf%83%ce%b9%cf%86%ce%bd%ce%bf%cf%83-sifnos-%ce%b4%cf%81%ce%bf%ce%bc%ce%bf%ce%bb%cf%8c%ce%b3%ce%b9%ce%b1-%ce%bb%ce%b5%cf%89%cf%86%ce%bf%cf%81%ce%b5%ce%af%cf%89%ce%bd-bus-timetable-up-to-6-1/

And for the second week of October:

https://sifnaiko-fos.gr/%cf%83%ce%b9%cf%86%ce%bd%ce%bf%cf%83-sifnos-%ce%b4%cf%81%ce%bf%ce%bc%ce%bf%ce%bb%cf%8c%ce%b3%ce%b9%ce%b1-%ce%bb%ce%b5%cf%89%cf%86%ce%bf%cf%81%ce%b5%ce%af%cf%89%ce%bd-bus-timetable-up-to-13/

We only took the bus on Sifnos once or twice a long time ago. Because we don't want to be forced to plan our activities around bus schedules, we always rent a car or scooters no matter which island we visit. We prefer having the freedom to go wherever we want, whenever we want, even late at night.

It’s completely up to you, but I highly recommend doing the same, especially since the bus schedules in October are going to be pretty limited.

2 local rental companies among others

Suntrail: https://suntrail.gr/en/index.html

Aperent: https://aperent.gr/

Note: You don't need to pay anything in advance. You just book it online and pay when you pick up the car on Sifnos.

You can also rent e-bikes, which could be fun (we've never tried them, though):

https://sifnosbikexperience.com/

Thank you again @JoLui. Extremely helpful! I will start researching a visit Sifnos in October. I am guessing parking wouldn't be much of an issue here in October, unlike, say, Santorini?

Pam

Parking in Sifnos is a non-issue; you can completely cross it off your list of worries. Kastro is a village accessible only on foot (or by donkey), and there is a free parking lot right at the entrance. Everywhere else, there are patches of land acting as makeshift parking areas, or you can simply park on the side of the road—just do what the locals do