Sifnos and Serifos are next-door neighbours in the western Cyclades, and the ferry between them is barely longer than a coffee. It is the easiest island switch in this part of the Aegean: from Kamares on Sifnos, with its bay and the hill villages above, to Livadi on Serifos, where the white Chora looks down on the harbour from its ridge.
The two islands make a natural pair for a slower trip. Sifnos is the gentler, greener one, loved for its food and village walks; Serifos is barer and wilder, with a quieter feel and beaches you reach on foot or by dirt road. Plenty of people split a week between them, and because boats run on most days of the year, you rarely have to plan around the ferry.
Five companies share the crossing, which makes it unusually flexible. The conventional ships of Blue Star Ferries, Fast Ferries and Aegean Sea Lines are the cheapest, from €6 for an adult on Ferryhopper's fare table, and take cars. Seajets and the Magic Sea Ferries catamaran are quicker and cost more, but on such a short hop the time saved is only a quarter of an hour or so.
From Serifos, the natural next move is north to Kythnos or straight back to Piraeus, which makes this crossing a common last leg before heading home to Athens.
