Sifnos · The south coast · Πλατύς Γιαλός
Platis Gialos, the long beach
Platis Gialos, the wide shore, is a long curve of soft sand on the south coast, about 8 km from Apollonia. The water is shallow and calm, which makes it the family beach of Sifnos, and the tavernas and small hotels along the back of the sand keep it lively from morning until late. Several potters have their workshops here, and you can watch them at the wheel. On the hill above stands the white monastery of Panagia tou Vounou, and inland rises Aspros Pyrgos, the White Tower, the best known of the island's ancient round towers.
The longest sand on the island, watched over by a white tower and a thousand-year-old chapel
The story of Platis Gialos
Off the mouth of the bay lies the uninhabited islet of Kitriani, and on it the chapel of Panagia Kypriani, from the 10th or 11th century, the oldest church on Sifnos.
Panagia tou Vounou, the Virgin of the Mountain, was built in 1813 on the hill to the north-east, and its terrace looks over the whole bay to Kitriani. The walk up is short, and the view is the reason to make it.
Aspros Pyrgos, north-east of the village, is one of the 77 round towers the ancient islanders built across Sifnos to guard their mines and fields and to signal to one another. It is the one most people see, standing above the road to the south coast.
At the end of the beach, Hotel Platys Gialos began around 1960 as one of the state Xenia hotels, designed by the architect Aris Konstantinidis.
Where to stay
Where you'll wake up in Platis Gialos
Platis Gialos
Step from your room straight onto the longest beach on the island
Hotel Platys Gialos · Beach hotel · €€€
Platis Gialos · The south coast
Platis Gialos · The south coast
Where to eat
Tables we love in Platis Gialos
Platis Gialos · The south coast
Platis Gialos · The south coast
Good to know
Before you go to Platis Gialos
Getting there
Platis Gialos is about 8 km south of Apollonia, with a regular bus in summer.
When to go
June and September, when the sea is warm and the sand has room. In August, come early or late.
More of Sifnos
Villages you'll want to see next
Apollonia & the hill villages
Apollonia
Three white hills that ran together into a capital, with the Steno for a main street
Apollonia & the hill villages
Artemonas
Mansions, windmills and old churches on the hill above the capital
Kastro & the east coast
Kastro
A medieval village whose houses are its walls, on a cliff lived on since antiquity
Fall for more of Sifnos
Every stay we recommend across Sifnos, from village guesthouses to rooms on the sea.
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