Life is all about contrast and Folegandros is the perfect island to visit after Santorini. While Santorini was filled with tourists and shops around every corner (but don’t miss my travel guides on how to make it the best trip), Folegandros is the perfect place to unwind and relax. It’s only a 50 minute ferry ride away and is a Greek Island you should definitely add to your travel list! Here is a complete Folegandros travel guide on where to stay, eat, shop, and play!
Where to Stay
There are 3 main areas on Folegandros with hotels and accommodation: Karavostasis (the port area), Chora (the “downtown”), or Ano Meria. Most of the hotels on the island are family run and have less than 20 rooms. So if you are going during the summer season, make sure to book as soon as you know your travel dates!
1) Karavostasis
Pick this area if you want easy access to and from your ferries, walking distance to several decent beaches (here are the best Folegandros beaches) or ocean views from your hotel. There are 5 restaurants to choose from and 1 mini mart. There are no shops. If you don’t have a car, the bus comes once every 30 minutes – 1 hour and goes to Chora.
It’s a really pretty area with a small bay and lots of white washed buildings. This was the view from the terrace of our hotel! It’s very serene and looks straight out of a post card!
Hotel Recommendations:
$$$ Anemi – Tripadvisor
$$ Vrahos – Tripadvisor
$ Vardia Bay Studios – Booking.com
2) Chora
Pick this area if you want to wander around the town, have many restaurant options and a view of the Panagia church. We ended up coming to Chora almost every night and even once during the day too. All the action on the island is here! There are no beaches within walking distance though so you’ll have to take a bus to Agali or Karavostasis.
Here is a view of Chora from the trail up the Church of Panagia! It is very Santorini esque as it’s perched on the edge of a cliff.
Hotel Recommendations:
$$$ Anememilos – Tripadvisor
$$ Aeri – Tripadvisor
$ Meltemi – Booking.com
3) Ano Meria
Pick this area if you are planning on renting a car the entire time and are looking for seclusion. I wouldn’t recommend this area as it’s very sprawled out and far away from everything else to do on Folegandros. Here is where the bus stop for Ano Meria will drop you off. As you can see, the buildings are sprawled over a large area and it’s quite hot to walk around in the sun.
Hotel Recommendations:
$$ Lemon Tree Houses – Tripadvisor
Where I Stayed on Folegandros – Vrahos Boutique Hotel
We decided to stay at Vrahos Boutique Hotel because of the modern rooms and the low rates. I also wanted to stay in Karavostasis because this was going to be our only ocean view during our trip! Generally, I enjoyed my stay but there were a few small things I wish were different.
For one, we didn’t have a black out blind so it was hard to sleep in after 7am every day. Also, our room was very outdated compared to the photos online. It was still comfortable and clean though so that was nice! They provided free transfers to and from the port even though it’s only about a 5 minute walk away. Pictured above is the delicious breakfast buffet that is 12 euros per person.
What to Do in Folegandros
You should definitely take your time to relax and chill in Folegandros. There are no crowds our tour buses so do everything on your own schedule.
Here are some of the top things you must do during your trip to Folegandros!
- Watch the sunset from Panagia Church
- Wander around Chora and browse stunning boutiques
- Eat at Blue Cuisine
- Enjoy a day at one of the beaches
- Rent a car and drive around Folegandros
- Relax!
One thing to note is that most restaurants and shops are closed between 2pm and 6pm. It is really hot during that time so most people would be resting indoors. We found that To Zimarki is one restaurant that is open starting at 2pm (this saved us when we were in Chora when everything else was closed!)
Sunset views from the trail up Panagia
Enjoying lunch at Agali Beach
Map of Chora as Google Maps is not always accurate
We rented a car for a day to explore all parts of the island!
Best Beaches in Folegandros
The best thing about beaches in Folegandros is that they’re raw and waiting to be discovered. I wrote a whole separate article ranking the best beaches in Folegandros! So here is a quick recap.
Beaches at the Port: There are a total of 6 beaches in the Port area all within about a 15 minute walk of each other. Only Chochilidia has tavernas while the other 5 are small coves. My favorite one is Livadi as it’s the largest and the most sandy!
Agali: The best beach in Folegandros would have to be Agali! This area is beautiful with white washed hotels on one side and rock cliffs on the other. There are no beach chairs but a few spots offering shade if you go in the morning up until about 1pm. After getting some sun, make sure to visit Pasithea after for some delicious seafood!
Beaches only accessible by boat or hiking: Folegandros has many hiking trails and these will often lead to secluded beaches. If you are in the hunt for secluded beaches, I’d recommend just waking up early and any of the beaches will be privately yours. Boat tours to Katergo Beach is 10 Euros from the port while a 5 hour boat tour visiting 4 different beaches is 40 Euros.
Where to Eat and Drink in Folegandros
Most of the food choices are centered in Chora with a few options in Karavostasis. Hotel restaurants are surprisingly good and we had a wonderful dinner at Vraho’s Vergara restaurant. The best high end dining was at Blue Cuisine.
Fresh grilled shrimps at Pasithea
For authentic taverna style food, don’t miss To Groupi in Chora, Pasithea in Agali, and Sinsidasi in Ano Meria. We ate at all of these places after looking for the highest rated restaurants on Google Maps! I liked all three of them although I found Sinsidasi a bit expensive for breakfast!
Grilled squid from Vergara, Naxos sausage & vegetables from To Groupi
We really wanted to visit Under the Palm Tree but it was closed when we drove by! We had too many gyros in Santorini but if you’re looking for the best gyro, make sure to check out Mama’s. Luckily there are no tourist traps with exorbitant prices so feel free to stumble in on a restaurant that calls your name!
In terms of drinks, I’d highly recommend watching one night of sunset with drinks at Anemomilos. The drinks are a bit more expensive (at 10 euros each) but the views are gorgeous! Beez has the highest rated cocktails on the island but I found the receipes a bit sweet for my liking. They are innovative and comes in fun glasses though!
Espresso Freddo at Sinadisi
Costs – 3 Day Trip on Folegandros
Here is what it costed us to stay in Folegandros for 3 nights.
Ferry from Santorini: 95 Euro for 2 people
Hotel: 375 Euros
Activities: None. We didn’t take any boat tours.
Transportation: 40 Euro for car rental and gas, 8 Euro for busses. Free transfers from Port to Hotel
Breakfast: 66 Euros (we ate breakfast buffet at our hotel twice and it was 12 euro each person)
Lunch: 64 Euros (To Zimaraki, Pasithea)
Dinner: 122 Euros (Vergara, Blue Cuisine, To Groupi)
Drinks: 53 Euros (Anemomilos, Beez)
Total: 822 Euros
I hope this Folegandros travel guide is helpful! Please feel free to leave any questions you have and I’ll try my best to answer it!