Serifos travel guide

Travel and tourist information about Serifos island

Serifos with 70 km² surface is one of the large islands of the Cyclades . The island has 1200 inhabitants and lies about 70 nautical miles from Piraeus. The port of Serifos Livadi is located at the east coast of the island. According to mythology Serifos was the island where Perseus beheaded Medusa.Serifos belongs to the group of the western Cyclades islands. Chora the main village at the top of the hill over Livadi offers to the visitor a wonderful image with its white washed traditional houses. Livadi is the main port of Serifos with a nice sandy beach. Serifos has a very interesting past. The island was rich in minerals, from antiquity until modern times Serifos has had a mining industry. For this reason ,Serifos has been the goal of many conquerors. Traces of the mining industry operated until 1964 can be found particularly at the half abandoned mining industry villages mega Livadi and Koutalas in the southwest of the island.

Nowadays Serifos is one of the most peaceful islands of the Cyclades unlike the busy towns  of other cycladic island like Mykonos, the Chora of Serifos is a very romantic and calm place. Serifos is a perfect location for family and individual travellers.On Serifos you can find good taverns restaurants and tourist services like, supermarkets, Bank, Gas station etc. at the port of Livadi.On all sides the island has many beautiful sand beaches.Particularly beautiful are the three sand bays of Vaja, Ganema and Koutalas.In the north lies Platis Gialos and other sandy bays underneath the beautiful small villages of Panajia, Galani and Kentarchos .The beach of Psili Ammos east of Chora with its flat sand beach is a nice place for swimming. In the port of Livadi there are car and scooter rentals. There are regular bus connections between the port and Chora, as well as partly with the southwest and the the north of the island.Among the beaches, the most beautiful is Livadi, shaded by tamarisk trees and Psili Amos with white sand. Agios Giannis its another nice beach with coves and clear waters between Livadi and Psili and Amos. Finally, several sandy bays are in the western part near Megalo Livadi. It is worthwhile to visit the beach of Koutalas and enjoy sunset views from the bay of Kalo Ambeli considered by many to be one of the most beautiful sunsets around the Aegean Sea.

The first inhabitants of Serifos was Aeolians from Thessaly, and later arrived on the island Ionian colonists from Athens. Iron and copper mines were in Serifos from the antiquity and metallurgical activities dating from the Cycladic era . The only surviving ancient buildings are marble towers most famous the one in Aspropyrgos, dating to the Late Classical period.
The history of the island during the Middle Ages Serifos is similar to that of the other Cyclades. At the time, founded the Duchy of the Aegean and received it in Italian noble families, the Gizis, who ruled as the Duke of the Aegean, Serifos often fell victim to pirate attacks, culminating in the invasion of Barbarossa in 1537. In 1566 all the Cyclades fell into the Ottoman Empire, where they remained until the Revolution of 1821.

In Serifos you will find the Archangelos Monastery, which is a fortress and monastery dating back to 1572 . It is built with high exterior walls (about 10 meters high) with loopholes. In the past, was rich and had relics and occupied properties in the neighbouring islands. For this reason it was often subject to raids by pirates.
Ferry connections

Ferries ,Hydrofoils and speed boats operating from the Port of Piraeus to Serifos all year. Piraeus port authorities: tel (0030) 210-4226001/4593150. Port authorities of Serifos (Livadi): tel (0030) 22810-51470 (0030) 22810-51470