Planning a trip to Folegandros
Visitor Information
Maraki Travel Agency (tel. 22860/41-273; maraki@syr.forthnet.gr) and Sottovento Travel (tel. 22860/41-444; www.sottovento.eu) exchange money, help with travel arrangements, sell maps of the island, and offer Internet facilities. Sottovento also serves as the local Italian consulate and its owner Flavio Facciolo runs the tasty Café del Viaggiatori in Hora, with Italian-style snacks and great espresso.
Fast Facts
Folegandros has neither bank nor ATM, but you can exchange money at travel agents and hotels. Commissions on money exchange can be steep, because you are something of a captive audience here. It may be wise to arrive with enough cash for your visit. The post office and telephone office (OTE) are right off the central square in Hora, open Monday through Friday from 8am to 3pm. The police station (tel. 22860/41-222) is behind the post office and OTE.
Getting Around
By Bus
The bus (tel. 22860/41-425) to Hora meets all ferries in peak season and most ferries during the rest of the year; it also makes eight or nine trips a day on the road running along the island's spine between Hora and Ano Meria at the island's northern end. The fare is 2€.
By Moped
Jimmy's Motorcycle (tel. 22860/41-448), in Karavostassi, and Moto Rent (tel. 22860/41-316), in Hora, near Sottovento Travel, both rent mopeds. As always, check the brakes before you head off.
By Boat
Mid-June through August, boat taxis or caiques provide transport to the island's southern beaches. From Karavostassi, boats depart for Katergo and Angali (10€ round-trip); another boat departs from Angali for Ayios Nikolaos, Livadaki, and Ambeli (10€ round-trip). There is a 7-hour tour of the island's beaches that departs from Karavostassi three times weekly in summer, and makes stops at five beaches; the cost is 30€ per person, including lunch. Reservations can be made at Diaplous or Sottovento Travel ; tickets must be purchased a day in advance.
By Taxi
If you don't find a taxi at the port or in Hora, dial tel. 22890/22-400 or 22860/41-048.
Getting There
By Boat
Check out www.gtp.gr and www.openseas.gr for ferry schedules. Three ferries a week stop at Folegandros on the Santorini-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Naxos-Paros-Piraeus route; it's about 10 hours from Piraeus to Folegandros. Information is available at the Piraeus Port Authority (tel. 210/451-1311 or 210/451-1440 or -1441), which seldom answers the phone. Boats are notoriously late and/or early; your travel or ticket agent will give you an estimate of times involved in the following journeys. Several ferries per week stop on the Folegandros-Milos-Sifnos-Paros-Mykonos-Tinos-Siros hydrofoil run. During the off-season, infrequent service and bad weather can easily keep you here longer than you intend. Folegandros Port Police are at tel. 22860/41-530.
