Greece - Korina Miller [360]
In Greek mythology, Serifos is where Perseus grew up and where the Cyclops were said to live. The island, in real time, was brutally exploited for iron ore during the 19th and 20th centuries and the rough remains of the industry survive (boxed text).
There is some fine walking on Serifos and the Anavasi map series Topo 25/10.26 Aegean Cyclades/Serifos is useful.
Getting There & Away
Like Sifnos, Serifos is on the Piraeus–western-Cyclades route and has good summer connections south to Sifnos, Milos and Folegandros and even with Santorini and Amorgos. For details Island Hopping.
Getting Around
There are frequent buses between Livadi and Hora (€1.40, 15 minutes); a timetable is posted at the bus stop by the yacht quay. A taxi to Hora costs €6. Vehicles can be hired from Krinas Travel in Livadi.
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LIVADI ΛΙΒΑΔΙ
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The port town of Serifos is a fairly low-key place where, in spite of growing popularity, there’s still a reassuring feeling that the modern world has not entirely taken over. Just over the headland that rises from the ferry quay lies the fine, tamarisk-fringed beach at Livadakia. A walk further south over the next headland, Karavi Beach is the unofficial clothes-optional beach.
Information
A useful website is www.e-serifos.com.
There is an Alpha Bank (with ATM) located on the waterfront and an ATM under the bakery sign opposite the yacht quay.
The post office is midway along the road that runs inland from opposite the bus stop and then bends sharply right.
Krinas Travel ( 22810 51488; www.serifos-travel.com) Just where the ferry quay joins the waterfront road, this helpful agency sells ferry tickets and organises car (per day €45) and scooter (per day €20) hire. It also has internet access at €2 per half-hour and a book exchange.
Port police ( 22810 51470) Up steps just beside Krinas Travel.
Sleeping & Eating
The best accommodation is on and behind Livadakia Beach, a few minutes hike from the quay. Most owners pick up at the port by arrangement.
Coralli Camping ( 22810 51500; www.coralli.gr; camp sites per adult/child/tent €7/3/6, bungalows s/d €30/60; ) In a great location just back from Livadaki Beach, this well-equipped camping ground is shaded by tall eucalypts. Bungalows have mountain or sea views. There’s also a restaurant and a minimarket. A minibus meets all ferries.
Marieta Rooms ( 22810 51399; kamatso@otenet.gr; r/apt €45/90; ) The rooms at this modest place are small but bright and perfectly formed. Everything fits with ease and so will you. The apartment is, in turn, spacious. The rooms have a hot plate and welcome ceiling fans complement the air conditioning.
Medusa ( 22810 51128; rodolfosstamatakis@yahoo.gr; s/d/tr €55/65/70; ) A great outlook is just one advantage of this immaculate place that stands above a lovely garden and has views of nearby Lividakia Bay and distant Sifnos. Rooms are big and comfy and each has a little hot plate and coffee-making facilities.
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HARD TIMES
The Greek islands we love today were often desperate places in a less-favoured age. On Serifos, where industrial mining for iron ore began in the mid-19th century under draconian management, hundreds – some claim thousands – of miners are said to have died because of appalling working conditions. In 1916 the miners went on strike for better conditions and wages. Militia were dispatched to the island. The militia opened fire, killing four of the strikers; the miners and their wives, and even their children, responded with some fury, killing several of the militia. Working conditions improved slightly after this, but the miners’ dream of a workers’ co-operative came to naught. The mines were finally abandoned in the 1960s. A memorial to the four miners who died stands at Megalo Livadi in the southwest of the island.
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Alexandros-Vassilia ( 22810 51119; fax 22810 51903; d/tr/apt €80/96/125; ) A rose-fragrant garden right on the beach makes this place a happy choice. Rooms are a good size and are clean and well equipped (apartments have