TNTraveler

Help! Our son needs to leave Paros at the end of our trip on Sat, June 2 to Sifnos to go to a wedding. I read there are only 2 ferry’s a week and not on Sat! Is this true even in the summer? Any other way to get there?

brotherleelove2004

Last June 3, which was a Saturday, there was one ferry, operated by Hellenic Seaways, between Paros and Sifnos. It departed at 13:20 and arrived at 21:15. It's too soon to know what ferries will be offered next June but you will be able to see them here: www.gtp.gr once the schedules are released, probably sometime in April. If there is no ferry on June 2, 2018 and your son needs a same-day solution the only other possible option would be a flight from Paros to Milos via Athens, and then a ferry different from the Hellenic Seaways ferry already mentioned to take him the rest of the way to Sifnos. Of course this would all depend on the flight arrival on Milos allowing for the time it would take to get from the Milos airport to the ferry port in time for that ferry, _IF_ one even exists. If this is not a realistic possiblity he'll have to catch the Hellenic Seaways ferry that leaves Paros for Sifnos a day or two earlier than originally planned.

TNTraveler

Oh dear. This doesn’t sound good.

Heimdall

For two islands so close together (you can easily see Sifnos from Paros) it would seem there would be good ferry connections, but sadly that's not the case. Sifnos is on the western Cyclades ferry route, while Paros is on the central route. The ferry Artemis is contracted by the Greek government to do the connection three days per week, year-round, on Wed, Sat, & Sun.

There will be no problem getting to Sifnos via Santorini, but it may require one overnight on Santorini to make the connection. There are several daily ferries between Santorini and Sifnos, but this year the last one left Santorini at 13:30 (1:30pm). There are also several daily ferries between Paros and Santorini, but it is unlikely any will arrive in time for that 13:30 connection. You son may have to arrive at Sifnos on Friday to be there in time for a Saturday wedding.

TNTraveler

What about flying back to Athens on the early flight? Does anyone know if that would get him there early enough to catch the ferry to Sifnos from there? Or, are there private boats that you can hire to take you to Islands? If so, are they horribly expensive?
I really hate for him to leave a day early because that’s the night of our 40th anniversary celebration dinner. Goodness i thought I was doing good by picking Paros because it’s close. Looks like I should have picked Milos.

Heimdall

A flight from Paros to Athens and a ferry from Piraeus to Sifnos is a possibility, but still a long shot. The early flight from Paros back to Athens arrives ATH at 7:40 am, too late to get to Piraeus for the morning ferries to Sifnos, which leave between 7:00 and 7:30 am.

On the first Saturday of June this year there were three ferries leaving Piraeus for Sifnos in the afternoon, any of which your son could catch after the early morning flight from Paros. If the wedding is in the evening there is a chance of him making it in time, but the earliest of the three arrived at 6:00 pm.

As for private boats, that is another possibility, but a boat large enough to sail on open seas would indeed be expensive, bearing in mind you would have to pay the crew to get back to Paros. If the winds are strong that day, the boat may not even be able to leave the port, even when larger ships are still running. You could check around to see what is available, but it's not something I would rely on. If your budget is high enough you could look at chartering a helicopter.

Maybe it's not too late to change your plans and go to Milos instead of Paros. There was a morning ferry from Milos to Sifnos on the first Saturday of June this year, which would get your son there on time. Even if you've already booked your flights to Paros, it may be possible to change the tickets. Aegean Airlines/Olympic Air usually allows this when you pay a small charge: https://www.olympicair.com/en/Info/T...d_Reservations

A couple of points to consider:

Ferry schedules are broadly the same from year to year, but there are changes, so you need to check the schedules again next spring to be sure. Sometimes ferries are even sold over winter. Sea Jets Consortium sometimes changes its timetables after they have been published, so you have to confirm just before starting your trip with that company.

Nearly all the ferries in the Cyclades run along designated routes from Piraeus or Rafina on the mainland. Departure times from each island depend upon where on the route the island is located.

Good luck on finding a satisfactory solution!

Heimdall

The information I have given you above is from personal experience and by consulting the timetables of https://en.aegeanair.com and http://www.openseas.gr/openseas/en/ . With opeseas.gr you can usually dial back the calendar to see what was running on the corresponding days of the week last summer.

Heimdall

Your dilemma has me thinking of a way to help. Going back to brotherleelove's suggestion of connecting flights to Milos via Athens, that might be the best idea yet. It will work if Olympic Air and Sea Jets ferry timetables don't change next year:

Paros > Athens: Olympic Air OA61 07:00 - 07:40
Athens > Milos Olympic Air OA20 08:35 - 09:15
Milos > Sifnos Sea Jets Superjet 10:50 - 11:30

A 55 min layover between flights should work with carry-on only and boarding passes printed in advance. Book both flights on the same ticket and they may transfer checked luggage for you. The Olympic Air flights are already on the schedule for 2 Jun 2018. The Sea Jets ferry sailing was on Sat 3 Jun 2017, and may not be the same next year.

Weadles

I think you should take Heimdall's earlier suggestion and consider vacationing on Sifnos instead of Paros. It might simplify everything for you, since your son must be at a wedding on a certain day.

I say this because we've sometimes had planes or ferries delayed due to weather or mechanical issues, going back and forth from the islands. Just this summer, we were delayed nearly 3 hours on the 7 AM plane from Paros to Athens. Luckily for us, it didn't matter, since we intended to overnight in Athens, but fliers who were connecting to ongoing flights were not happy.

My feeling is why risk it, if you can work out a vacation in Sifnos? I've never been, but have heard many wonderful reports about the island!

travelerjan

Sifnos IMHO is the MOST beautiful of the cycladic islands (and I'm saying this as Fodor's biggest Naxos fan)... and early June is the perfect time to visit! You can stay up in the hill villages --- Artemonas, Appollonia and Ano Petali are actually a trio of villages linked by flagstone paths ... and sit on a balcony or patio looking down a valley & out to a silver sea. Across the valley, lines of white "cube" dwellings crown hilltops like necklaces of pearls. In the mornings on the hillside, locals water their veggie gardens before heading off to work. A rooster crows. Like a wafted feather, peace descends.

A network of flagstone pathways makes SIfnos THE mecca of hikers and walkers (until after WW II, Sifnos had almost no roads). An easy 40-minute walk, from those villages leads down the valley to the pristine 16th C village of Chora, overhanging the sea, with views at every turn. For swims, no car is needed ... an excellent bus system zooms you down to lovely golden sand beaches - Platy Gialos, Vathy, Faros. There are cafes and tavernas on the beaches ... or as the sun goes down, back up in the hilltowns, chic clubs and lively cafes along the lanes of Appollonia beckon, with cuisine & music. If I sound like a travel brochure forgive me; I can't help it, just thinking of Sifnos makes me break into poetry.

There are daily fast-ferries from Piraeus to SIfnos ... then if you wanted to move on, those isles of the Western Cyclades are ideal for "hopping" -- daily ferries, just an hour to the next one. Serifos 1 hr north of Sifnos, is smaller, with a divine beach (Livadakia) with only 2 small lodgings on it, walkable from the port. So serene, 2 days can feel like a week away. An hour south of Sifnos, Milos has 22 (!) beaches -- does require a car, the bus schedule is Sparse ... And has the Milos Bonus, daily sails around the rim of the island-- amazing volcanic formations.

Heimdall

Okay, I'll have to agree with Weadles and travelerjan that you should stay on Sifnos, since your son has to be there for a wedding anyway. I've never stayed on Sifnos myself (almost did once, but changed plans to spend more time on Antiparos). Who was it, Nikoletta, who used to write about Sifnos on Fodor's?

Truth is, there are many beautiful islands in the Cyclades, and you will return home just as happy had you stayed on Paros, Naxos, or Amorgos instead, so you may as well make it simple. If you are still determined to fly to an island, Milos does have an airport, and it would be easy for your son to get to Sifnos from there on the day of the wedding.

Sifnos doesn't have an airport, so you will have to take a ferry there from Piraeus. If a conventional ferry is scheduled that day, it will be well worth the extra time it takes to get there. Otherwise, avoid Superjet and SeaJet 2 and take one of the larger highspeed ferries, e.g. Champion Jet or Speedrunner.

After all this I don't remember if you plan to visit other islands or just one, but Sifnos is well connected with Milos and Folegrandros, and with Santorini too.

TNTraveler

Travelerjan, your beautiful words could almost convince me to stay on Sifnos except I really can’t because it would be a bit awkward running into the bride and her family. My son and the bride dated for years and almost got married. She is a lovely girl and my son and her have managed to remain friends but I think having all 12 of us there bumping into all her and her family would be a bit uncomfortable.
So it sounds like our options are...
A- send him on the early flight back into Athens sat morn to catch the 8:35 flight to Milos and the 10:50 ferry to Sifnos
B- have him leave on Friday and stay in Santorini for the night and take a morning ferry from there to Sifnos. ( do we know for sure there is a ferry from there on saturdays?)
C-Stay on Milos instead of Paros if I can get all 12 tickets changed.
Thanks.. all run by the choices with him. You all have been so much help.

travelerjan

TN, that aspect is the kind of thing that would have saved us all from spinning different scenarios.. if you'd just said "there are some personal reasons involved that mitigate against our family being in same place as wedding party." Comes under heading of Relevant Factors to Touch On when asking for suggestions. We appreciate your sensitivity to the situation, and in similar circumstances, I'd hope I'd do the same thing. Maybe you can see Sifnos another time.

brotherleelove2004

"do we know for sure there is a ferry from there on saturdays?"

Not for sure until next spring. Timetable changes implemented from year to year might not show up until then.

Heimdall

Anything regarding ferries for next summer is merely speculation at this point. We can make an educated guess by assuming the ferry schedules for 2018 will be the same as for 2017, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

I am particularly sceptical about Sea Jets Consortium timetables, which is the ferry company your son would rely on to get him from Milos to Sifnos. For sure there will be ferries from Milos to Sifnos that day, but whether there will be one to get him to the wedding on time is another story. Same goes for ferries from Santorini to Sifnos.

If you can’t stay on Sifnos, Milos would be a good alternative. It’s a heck of a lot easier to transfer between islands on the western Cyclades ferry route where there are daily ferries than to move from an island that has only 2 or 3 connections per week.

Weadles

TN,

What I've learned the hard way in Greece is that often things don't go as planned, so to minimize your son's inability to get to the wedding on time, try to stay on Milos if you can. You'd be surprised - or not- at how often connections are missed, or almost missed. I wouldn't want to chance it if I was going to a wedding.

TNTraveler

Travelerjan, thanks for your understanding. Your beautiful description of Sifnos does make me hope to indeed visit it in the future.