Anafi: sandy beaches, walking trails and a slower pace

On Anafi, there are enough options to keep things interesting, but not so many that you feel you have to fit them all in.

Roukonas is the island's largest and best known sandy beach. Kleisidi is closer to the port and Chora, while Katsouni, Flamourou, Agioi Anargyroi and Megas Potamos provide smaller alternatives along the southern coast. To the west and north are more isolated coves, such as Vagia and Prassa, where access requires more planning.

Anafi's beaches are generally not organised in the usual sense. That means less commercial activity on the shore, but it also means that in many cases you need to bring water and anything else you will need for the hours you spend there.

The island's small scale also makes getting around easier. The local bus links Chora and the port with the main beaches on the south eastern coast and the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi. So, especially if you organise your holiday around this side of the island, a car is not essential for enjoying your stay.

And when you want something beyond the sea, the walking trails play a real role in the trip. The Municipality lists six main hiking routes, from shorter walks of around an hour and a half to routes of three hours or more linking Chora, beaches, ancient remains and monasteries.

Chora is where most everyday life is concentrated.

It is built amphitheatrically on the hillside, with narrow lanes, white houses, small squares, churches and the remains of the old Venetian castle at the highest point. Craftsmen from Anafi who moved to Athens in the 19th century are also associated with the creation of Anafiotika beneath the Acropolis.

Among the beaches, Roukonas is the best known, but the whole trip does not need to revolve around it. Kleisidi is practical if you want to stay closer to Chora and the port. Katsouni and Flamourou are smaller sandy beaches, while Megas Potamos is described by the Municipality itself as a quieter beach.

If you want to walk, one of the most characteristic routes starts in Chora and passes Roukonas and Megas Potamos before reaching the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi. A longer route passes Kastelli, where the ancient city once stood, Agios Mamas and the Monastery before continuing towards Kalamos.

Kalamos is the island's most imposing natural landmark. Rising to 480 metres at the eastern end, Visit Greece describes it as one of the largest monoliths in Europe. At the top stands the old Monastery of Panagia Kalamiotissa.

It is not, however, a walk I would automatically include in every itinerary. The hike, the heat and especially the wind all need to be taken into account, particularly in the middle of summer. Even the Municipality's official activities page notes that Kalamos requires particular care when strong winds are blowing.

Although Anafi is small, summer is not socially 'dead'.

The Municipality notes that traditional gatherings are organised in Chora every year, alongside cultural events and the 'Argonautika' celebrations of the Association of Anafians Worldwide. The island's official material also mentions summer festivals for Prophet Elias and Agios Panteleimon.

Small chapels have a special place in local life. According to the Municipality, celebrations usually begin with Vespers, followed by the liturgy the next day, with food, wine and the traditional anise flavoured bread offered to those attending. It is more about local participation than an organised tourist event.

Anafi's biggest celebration takes place on 7 and 8 September for Panagia Kalamiotissa. The icon is carried up to the old Monastery on Kalamos and an all night religious service follows. For anyone able to travel in early September, it is a date that gives the visit an entirely different dimension.

The dates of cultural events and the Argonautika can change from year to year, so it is worth checking the official programme before organising your trip around a particular event.

For Anafi, I would not create false precision by presenting temperatures from another island as though they had been measured locally. Anafi itself has a weather station operating in cooperation with the National Observatory of Athens, but the official page does not yet provide a comparable long term climate series that can be used as we have done for other islands. For a reliable indication, we use the Hellenic National Meteorological Service climate normals for nearby Santorini and treat them as a reference for the southern Cyclades, not as exact measurements for Anafi.

In the area, May has an average temperature of around 21°C (70°F), with an average high of 25°C (77°F) and a low of 16°C (61°F). It is a very good period for trails, Chora and exploration, while the sea becomes a bigger part of the trip as the month progresses.

In June, the average temperature is around 26°C (79°F), with an average high of 29°C (84°F) and a low of 20°C (68°F). For Anafi it is an especially balanced month, because summer conditions are already established while it is still easier to combine swimming with longer hikes.

July and August are the hottest months, with average highs of around 32°C (90°F) and lows of about 23°C (73°F). They are also the months when the island's small scale becomes most noticeable, as more visitors gather in Chora and at the best known beaches. The Municipality's own official description of seasonality presents August as a period when visitor numbers rise sharply and Chora fills with people.

September remains distinctly warm, with an average temperature of around 25°C (77°F), an average high of 29°C (84°F) and a low of 20°C (68°F). For a feature on quieter holidays, it is perhaps one of the most interesting months, as you still have summer weather while the major celebration of Panagia Kalamiotissa takes place on 7 and 8 September.

In October, the average temperature in the area is around 20°C (68°F), with an average high of 24°C (75°F) and a low of 16°C (61°F). It is more a month for walking, Chora and a genuinely slow pace than for a conventional beach week. At this time of year, it is more important to check which services are operating and the ferry schedules for your specific dates.

Anafi also has one more factor worth considering before choosing your dates: the wind. Official climate data for nearby Santorini show higher average wind speeds in July and August, which fits the broader pattern of the meltemi in the southern Cyclades. In practice, wind can affect where you swim, how comfortable a hike feels and sea transport.

Chora is the most natural base if you want food, drinks and a little evening life close by without constantly travelling around.

Anafi does not have an intense nightlife culture, but in July and especially August Chora becomes quite social. The squares and lanes fill up, and summer celebrations add evenings that feel more like island social gatherings than clubbing.

For a group that enjoys beaches and walking, the island works very well without having to organise activities every day.

Anafi can work for a family that enjoys simple holidays, but I would not present it as a classic family resort.

The beaches are generally unorganised. That can be a major advantage if you want peace and quiet, but with small children you need to plan water, shade and food in advance depending on the beach.

Kleisidi and, more generally, the southern beaches served by the local bus are more practical than the isolated shores on the northern and western sides.

The island also has a multipurpose rural medical clinic that provides basic care and medicines, useful information for a family to know before booking.

Anafi suits a couple naturally if you do not need lots of different options every evening.

You can spend the day on a beach, walk part of the trail network and return to Chora for an evening stroll and dinner. Nothing more needs to be arranged for the day to have several different elements.

For more walking, the route towards the eastern side and Kalamos gives a completely different picture from the beaches. For a simpler programme, the southern coast allows you to stay around Chora, Kleisidi, Roukonas and the nearby sandy beaches.

Anafi is an interesting choice for solo travellers precisely because it is small and social life is concentrated mainly in Chora.

You do not need a car to reach the main southern beaches, and there are several marked hiking routes to fill days on your own.

At the same time, Chora is small enough that in the evening you naturally find yourself in the same lanes, cafés and squares as other visitors. This makes Anafi different from an isolated place where solo travel necessarily means social isolation as well.

The first thing is access.

Anafi has no airport. You can arrive by ferry, while a practical alternative is to fly to Santorini and then take the sea connection to Anafi. Visit Greece gives a travel time of around one to one and a half hours for the sea leg from Santorini, while the Municipality publishes current ferry schedules.

Because schedules change with the season, I would check them again shortly before travelling rather than planning a very tight connection with a flight or another transfer. The Municipality itself notes that services differ between winter and summer.

The second thing is to decide how 'simple' you really want your holiday to be.

Most beaches are unorganised. Anafi also has no banks, although there are ATMs, and basic services reflect the island's very small scale.

That is not necessarily a disadvantage. It is, however, part of the reason Anafi remains quiet. If you want lots of alternatives at any moment, organised beaches, shopping or easy access to a wide range of services, its small scale may begin to feel limiting.

Finally, in August I would book accommodation well in advance. Not because Anafi suddenly turns into a major tourist destination, but precisely because it is small and the amount of accommodation available is limited. The Municipality's official text on the island's seasonality describes August as the month when traffic peaks and available rooms require early planning.