Sifnos to Lavrio is the summer back door from the western Cyclades to Attica. Most people return from Sifnos to Piraeus, but Lavrio, on the south-east tip of the Attica peninsula, is about 35 km from Athens International Airport, so if your trip ends with a flight, this route can save you the drive across the whole of Athens from Piraeus.
The service is run by one company, Magic Sea Ferries, with a high-speed boat that also takes vehicles. It sails only from May to September, and in last year's data it ran every day in most of those months and four days a week in one. That makes it a dependable option in high summer and a route to check carefully at the start of the season.
You leave from Kamares, the island's port, a seaside village at the head of a bay on the west coast, about a 10-minute drive below Apollonia, the capital. After a week of walking between villages, eating well and swimming in quiet coves, it is an easy place to spend your last hour: there are cafés and tavernas along the waterfront.
Because there is a single boat, timing is everything. Check the departure time for your date before you book your last night's accommodation or a flight, and remember that the onward trip from Lavrio, by taxi to the airport or by bus into Athens, needs planning too.
