Sikinos Island

Sikinos is one of the quietest inhabited islands in the Cyclades, lying between the more visited Ios and Folegandros. The 2021 census counted just 253 permanent residents, a figure that has held roughly steady since the early 2000s after declining sharply from the 979 inhabitants recorded in the island's first census in 1834. In antiquity the island was known as Oenoe, or "Island of Wine," a name that reflects a winemaking tradition still practised by a handful of local producers today.

The main port, Alopronia, sits on the south coast and serves as the island's only real harbour, while the historic settlement of Chora climbs the hills above, split between the older Kastro quarter and the neighbouring Chorio. Sikinos changed hands repeatedly over the centuries and was under Italian and later German occupation during the Second World War before returning fully to Greek administration. With little large-scale development to speak of, its rocky coves and unspoiled coastline have made it a classic stop on a Greece blue cruise itinerary for sailors seeking a slower, less commercial corner of the Aegean.