Experience Serifos
Serifos, with its beautiful Chora, its wild beauty and stunning landscapes, its dazzling beaches and its long history, has its own special Cycladic air. It has the unparalleled ability to charm the visitor, to speak directly to his senses and steal his heart forever…
Chora
The jewel of Serifos is its capital, the picturesque Chora, which fascinates with its traditional Cycladic architecture. Built amphitheatrically on a rocky hill, overlooking Livadi and its bay, it wins the traveler at first sight. The small, white houses that wrap around the top of the hill create a particularly charming image. At the top of the hill is the Kastro (Castle), with the church of Christ and the chapel of Agia Sofia, from where the view of the Aegean Sea and the surrounding islands is breathtaking.
Chora consists of two neighborhoods, Pano Chora and Kato Chora, which are connected by stairs. In Pano Piazza, the picturesque square in the heart of Pano Chora, is the beautiful Town Hall. The small shops around the Town Hall building with their colorful chairs create an impressive mosaic of colors and form an integral part of the nightlife of the island.
History & Tradition
Serifos is a place where myth meets history. A long history, lost in the depths of centuries. It is believed that it was the island of the terrible Cyclops, who lived in its caves, which can be visited even today. Another myth has it being the island where the newborn Perseus found refuge with his mother Danae, the island where the great mythical hero who killed Medusa was raised and brought up.
The iron ores and mines of Serifos have played a key role in the history of the island, from the ancient times to the 20th century. Thanks to them, since the 6th century BC, ancient Serifos had its own coinage, depicting the Serifos animal, the frog. In the early 20th century, impoverishment and poor working conditions led the miners to a bloody uprising that resulted in the introduction of the 8-hour working day. The old mines, the ore loading ladder and rusty wagons remain in Mega Livadi and are now an integral part of the landscape and the island’s modern history.
The Christian tradition and Byzantine history of Serifos is reflected in its numerous churches. More than 116 churches and chapels are scattered all over the island, in settlements, mountain tops and secluded beaches, waiting for the visitor to discover them. The most distinguished are the monastery of Taxiarchis, with its solemn mass of the Resurrection, and the Church of Panagia Skopiani, with the great festival of August 15.
The Beaches
Serifos is the island of the Cyclades with the highest number of beaches:
72 Beaches with golden sand, fine pebbles or rocky shores, with crystal clear, deep blue waters.
Many of these are accessible by road, while most are reached by footpaths or by sea.
Psili Ammos, Agios Sostis, Ganema and Vagia are just a few of the beaches of the island, that every visitor should enjoy.
The Wild Landscape
The granite and iron-burnt land of Serifos is the wildest of the Cyclades.
However, despite its stern land and imposing rocky landscapes, the way the blue Aegean Sea embraces it has blessed it with some of its most beautiful beaches. Serifos has an extensive network of paths and hiking trails. Paths with bright colors of iron ore and stone, scented with thyme, oregano and capers, leading to enchanting bays with clear blue waters or to remote chapels.
This land though, with its wild beauty and the rich scents, produces high quality honey and wine, which every visitor should taste.