Anafi Island

Transactions: There are no banks in Anafi. Transactions can be carried out via an ATM.

Medical: In the island there is no pharmacy. Medicines are supplied by the clinic.

To and from Piraeus

Anafi is connected to Piraeus by ferry 3 times a week. The ferries also call at: Paros, Naxos, Ios, Sikinos, Folegandros, Thera (Santorini), Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos and Milos, depending on the itinerary.

To and from Thera (Santorini) and other Cycladic islands

Anafi is connected locally to Santorini on an almost daily basis. The duration of the trip is around 2 hours.

The island is also connected to the following islands 2-4 times a week: Ios, Sikinos, Folegandros, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Syros, Kythnos and Kea. Santorini is regularly connected by air to Athens and several other European cities.

Transport on the island

Each time a boat arrives at Anafi, there is a bus service from Chora to the port and from the port to Chora. During the summer, there are 7-8 bus services a day from Chora to the port and vice versa, running until late at night. The bus also runs from Chora to the Monastery 3-4 times a day, passing by several of the beaches.

On foot along the footpaths

Starting from Chora, follow the footpath that leads to the port in less than 20 minutes. You can also walk to the beaches, following first the footpath to the Monastery and then taking the detour to the right, which leads to Kleisidi or Katsouni.

According to mythology, the island was given the name Anafi because Apollo made it appear to the Argonauts as a shelter from a bad storm, using his bow to shed light upon it (i.e. the island name Ἀνάφη is derived from ἀνέφηνεν, "he made appear"). If the name of the island derives from this word, and means "revelation", then Anafi is linked to Delos, an island whose name also derives from an ancient Greek word meaning "to reveal".

Others say that the name is due to the non-existence of snakes on the island: "an Ophis" ("without snakes").

The volcano on Thera probably erupted around 1613-1614 BC. It was the largest volcanic eruption on earth, at least in historical times. The tidal wave (tsunami) that developed after the volcano erupted had catastrophic consequences for many parts of the Eastern Mediterranean, and particularly for Anafi, which is located only a few miles to the east of Thera

The tidal wave covered covered practically all of Anafi (!) and when the sea water drew back, the volcanic pumice floating on the sea due to the volcano’s activity several months prior to the eruption, was deposited on the island. It is currently visible in many parts of the island, such as Pyrgi, Vouni, Metochi and Agios Panteleimon.

Also, on the road to Agios Mamas, just before the crossroads to Agios Dimitrios, at an altitude of 280 m., it is possible to see remains of pumice layers deposited there, and imagine the size and imposing nature of this unique phenomenon.

Data from research by Geologists N. Melidonis, 1960, and G. Vougioukalakis, 2006