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Kamares or Apollonia?

13 posts
Kamares or Apollonia?
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Hey people,

So I've booked my stay in Sifnos from Sept 10 - 14 and now my attention has turned to accommodation and I was wondering where would be the best place to base myself? Kamares has the most on offer from what I've seen and it seems like a pretty faultless solution: easy ferry access. Beach, restaurants, bars, etc. But I was wondering if it might be better to be based in Apollonia?

My days will be spent at the beach and I suppose Apollonia would be the natural choice for my evenings. How are the buses and taxis in the evenings from Kamares to Apollonia? Would I be best off staying at the latter so I don't have to rely on transport?

Thanks!

London, United...
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1. Re: Kamares or Apollonia?
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Hi,

I stayed in Kamares last september and was able to go everywhere by scooter. Kamares is my favourite beach in Sifnos since it's sandy, clear water, with some tavernas to have lunch and you can enjoy it until the sunset since you are able to see the sun falling down into the water.....

I rented a scooter and didn't have much problems moving around the island even at night, but if you prefer public transports i think staying in Apollonia suits better your needs.....

concord nh
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2. Re: Kamares or Apollonia?
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We stayed in Kamares off season (October, however) and found it ideal. Appollonia is in the center of the island and should also be a good alternative.

Kamares has a beach right in the village and is surroundied by lovely mountains. It was very quiet in October and would think Sept. would also be as it's outside the tourist season.

Appollonia is the capital of the island and a lovely village with white-washed houses and narrow lanes leading to other nearby villages but will take a little extra to get to a beach.

Bus service in October was very good and went to most areas of the island from Kamares. Sometimes we had to change buses in Appollonia to get to other parts of the island.

Taxi prices (at the time) were very good and was an excellent alternative if you missed the bus for your return trip.

I think Kamares or Appollonia would be good choices depending if you want a beach experience or a inland experience.

Bear in mind a lot was closed in October and possibly could be in Sept. I would ask accommodations owners what's open that time of season.

Also there will always be shops, markets and tavernas open for locals which may provide you with a more truer Greek Experience rather than a Tourist Experience.

Edited: 6 years ago
New York City, New...
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3. Re: Kamares or Apollonia?
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We are going to Sifnos in late May and are trying to decide whether to stay in Kamares or Apollonia. We love to walk and prefer a good location but a quiet environment. We are trying to get a sense of how far Kamares is from Apollonia. We do have some hotel suggestions for both places. Any suggestions would be welcomed. We will rent a car if necessary but it sounds like the bus system is very good.

I am hoping to be able to swim at this time of year but it seems like there is some variability in temperature and that Kamares is more the "beach area."

Thanks.

Birmingham, United...
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4. Re: Kamares or Apollonia?
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alice b

What I would say, is stay in the place you want to be in the evenings.

The bus scenario is good during the day but not during the evening.

It's about 4 miles(6 Km) between the two.

In late May the sea is brisk anywhere in Greece, It heats up during May-August. The peak temperature being August which is quite obvious.

London, uk
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I think that’s a good point about staying where you want to be in the evening. Apollonia has more variety in the evening but Kamares has plenty of nice restaurants cafes and bars too. Broadly speaking, Kamares has more of a holiday feel and Ap has a slightly more local feel; Artemonas even more so.

The only other things I’d add are:

*Kamares is (imho) not the best beach on the island. I prefer Faros, Glypho or even Platis Gialys. Obviously you can swim at Kam and it’s nice, but it’s also the port so not as sparkly clean as other places.

*to get to almost anywhere from Kam you have to go through Apollonia so it adds to the journey, though not much and it’s a pretty drive up.

*the island has really good walking trails which you’ll have better access to from Apollonia area.

When we stay, we split our time between both! Some nights at Xerolithia, others at Kamaroti, and we get a car for about 2/3rds of our stay. If I could only pick one place... eek. Kamaroti would pip it.

Canton of Bern...
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I agree with the other replies. We stayed in Kamares but only because we wanted to have a "Kamares beach morning" before we caught our afternoon ferry to Milos. That was a comfortable way to spend the last half day and we were sure to catch the ferry without any hurry.

New York City, New...
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Thanks. My husband is, like me, a good walker but steep terrain is tough for him because of a weak knee. The paths you mentioned from Apollonia.....how would you describe them and do you need a car to access them and/ or the beaches? Any suggestions of reasonable places to stay in Apollonia? We like quiet. If a fridge in the room, all the better. Thanks.

Victoria, Canada
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Kamares - beach. Apollonia - no beach. Unless you have a place with a pool in Apollonia then I would recommend a place near a beach. It’s June when we are here and it’s very hot (ocean nice and warm) - I can’t imagine anyone hiking trails. We are going from pool to beach to pool.

9. Re: Kamares or Apollonia?

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