Where to Stay in Folegandros

Greece › Folegandros Best Places to Stay
Updated: September 3, 2026 • By Santorini Dave

Folegandros is a small Cycladic island between Milos and Santorini, with no airport, cruise port, or large package resorts. Chora is the best place to stay for most visitors, especially without a car. Karavostasis is best for easy beach and boat access, Agali for a beach-focused stay, and Ano Meria for quiet and a more rural setting.

The island is only 32 square kilometers, and Chora, Karavostasis, Agali, and Ano Meria are connected by bus in summer. You don’t need a car if you stay in Chora or Agali, though renting one is useful for exploring Ano Meria, trailheads, and the quieter parts of the island.

Best Areas in Folegandros

• Chora: Best overall and the easiest choice for first-time visitors. Beautiful pedestrian lanes and squares, the island’s best selection of restaurants and bars, good hotels, frequent buses, and the popular sunset walk to the Church of Panagia.
• Karavostasis: Best for easy beach access and boat trips. The port has calm Chochlidia Beach, several other beaches within walking distance, and boats to Katergo.
• Agali: Best for a beach holiday. Stay steps from the sand, walk to Fira and Galyfos Beaches, or take a small boat to Agios Nikolaos and Livadaki.
• Ano Meria: Best for peace and a rural setting. Farms, traditional houses, local tavernas, hiking trails, and fewer tourists than Chora.

Folegandros Beaches

Several of the island’s best beaches are reached only on foot or by boat. Katergo is easiest by boat from Karavostasis, while boats from Agali serve Agios Nikolaos and Livadaki. Agali itself is sandy, family-friendly, and accessible by car and bus.

Best Hotels in Folegandros

• Best Luxury Hotels:
  Gundari • Anemi • Onar Suites & Villas • Themonies Luxury Suites
• Best Family Hotels:
  Anemi • Blue Sand • Chora Resort • Folegandros Apartments • Polikandia
• Best Boutique Hotels:
  Gundari • Blue Sand • Themonies Luxury Suites • Anemomilos Boutique Hotel • Lemon Tree Houses • Polikandia
• Best Beach Hotels:
  Blue Sand • Onar Suites & Villas • Perigiali Rooms & Apartments
• Best Honeymoon Hotels:
  Gundari • Onar Suites & Villas • Anemi • Themonies Luxury Suites • Fata Morgana
• Best Cheap Hotels:
  Ampelos • Under the Palm Tree Studios • Perigiali Rooms & Apartments

Best Areas in Folegandros for…

• Best Area for First-Timers: Chora
  Chora is the easiest and most enjoyable base for a first visit. It has the island’s largest choice of hotels, restaurants, shops, and bars, plus Domaine Paliomilos winery and the Church of Panagia sunset viewpoint. It’s centrally located between the port and Ano Meria and is easy to use as a base without renting a car.
• Best Areas for Families: Chora, Agali, Karavostasis
  Chora is my first choice for most families. Its center is pedestrian-only, and restaurants, groceries, ice cream, and shops are all easy to reach on foot. Agali is better if the beach is the priority, with a sandy beach, tavernas, and boats to Agios Nikolaos. Karavostasis has calm Chochlidia Beach, several more beaches within walking distance, and convenient boat trips from the port.
• Most Romantic Areas: Chora, Agali, Ano Meria
  Chora has the best combination of restaurants, sunset views, bars, and small hotels. Agali is quieter and puts you right at the beach while still offering bus service to Chora. Ano Meria is the choice for couples who want privacy, countryside, hiking, and very little nightlife.

Chochlidia Beach in Karavostasis. Agali, Agios Nikolaos, and Chochlidia are the island’s main beaches with tavernas and other visitor facilities close to the sand.

• Best Areas for Beaches: Agali, Karavostasis
  Agali is the best beach base on Folegandros. Its sandy beach has tavernas and places to stay, with trails to Fira and Galyfos and boats to Agios Nikolaos and Livadaki. Karavostasis is better for variety: Chochlidia is beside the port, Vardia is just north, and Latinaki, Vitsentzou, and Livadi are south along the coast. Boats to Katergo leave from Karavostasis.
• Best Area for Restaurants and Nightlife: Chora
  Folegandros doesn’t have nightclubs, but Chora has plenty of restaurants and several lively cocktail bars in and around its pedestrian squares. Astarti, Beez, Ba Raki, Laoumi, and Aquarius are good choices for drinks. For food, try To Goupi for Greek meze, To Zimaraki for pizza, Pounta for breakfast and brunch, and Lotzia for coffee and pastries. Domaine Paliomilos, the island’s winery, is also in Chora.
• Best Area for a Local Feel: Ano Meria
  Ano Meria is a spread-out farming community rather than a traditional compact village. Irini’s and Sinadisi are longtime favorites for local food, including matsata, the island’s handmade pasta. The Folklore Museum occupies a traditional farm complex and is worth a stop if you’re interested in how families lived and farmed on Folegandros.

The 4 Best Places to Stay in Folegandros

1. Chora

Best area for first-time visitors, restaurants, nightlife, and getting around without a car.

Chora is where I recommend most visitors stay. Its pedestrian center is built around tree-shaded squares connected by narrow lanes filled with tavernas, cafes, churches, and shops. Kastro, at the north end of town, is the oldest part of Chora, with whitewashed houses built into the walls of the old Venetian castle.

The Church of Panagia sits above town and is the most popular sunset viewpoint. Chora also has the island’s best restaurant and bar selection and frequent summer buses to Karavostasis, Agali, and Ano Meria.

Most hotels are small and independently run, with good choices at every price level. If you’re visiting Folegandros for the first time and aren’t specifically looking for a beach hotel, stay here.

• Best Hotels: Chora Resort • Themonies Luxury Suites • Anemomilos Boutique Hotel • Polikandia • Folegandros Apartments • Mar Inn • Fata Morgana • Aspalathras White Hotel • Avaton

2. Karavostasis

Best for boat trips, calm beaches, and easy arrival and departure.

Karavostasis is the island’s port and a good alternative to Chora for travelers who want to be near the water. Chochlidia Beach, beside the port, has calm water and a couple of tavernas. Vardia Beach is a short walk north, while Latinaki, Vitsentzou, and Livadi are south of the port.

This is also the departure point for boats to Katergo Beach. Buses connect the port with Chora and continue toward Agali and Ano Meria.

There are fewer restaurants than in Chora, but enough for a short stay. Dal Capo is good for a casual meal or coffee at the port, and Akrogiali is right by the beach.

Karavostasis also has two of the island’s best hotels. Anemi is a full-service 5-star hotel with a large pool, while Onar Suites & Villas is smaller and more romantic.

• Best Hotels: Anemi • Onar Suites & Villas

3. Agali Beach

Best place to stay for a beach holiday.

Agali is the easiest choice if you want to spend most of your time swimming. The sandy beach is sheltered from the prevailing north winds and has tavernas, cafes, a mini-market, hotels, and rooms to rent.

Walking trails lead from Agali to Fira and Galyfos Beaches, and small boats serve Agios Nikolaos and Livadaki. Agios Nikolaos has another sandy beach and tavernas, while Livadaki is more remote and has a trail leading toward Aspropounta Lighthouse.

Agali is about 4 km from Chora and is served by the local bus, so a car isn’t necessary. The downside is the limited choice of restaurants and quiet evenings compared with Chora.

• Best Hotels: Blue Sand Boutique Hotel & Suites • Perigiali Rooms & Apartments

4. Ano Meria

Best for quiet, hiking, traditional food, and a rural setting.

Ano Meria is a spread-out agricultural community of farms, churches, and houses rather than a compact village. Terraced fields and traditional stone farm complexes called themonies cover the hillsides, and you’ll still see the walled lemonospito shelters built to protect lemon trees from the wind.

The Folklore Museum, housed in a restored traditional farmstead, is the main sight. Ano Meria is also one of the best places to eat local dishes. Sinadisi and Irini’s are good choices for matsata, Folegandros’ thick handmade pasta, while Maragkoudiko does grilled Greek food and Under the Palm Tree is a good breakfast and brunch stop.

Buses run between Ano Meria and Chora, but this is the area where having a car is most useful, particularly for reaching trailheads and exploring beyond the main road.

• Best Hotels: Lemon Tree Houses • Provalma • Under the Palm Tree Studios