Explore 3,000-year-old hiking trails on this remarkable Greek island

On the Greek island of Sifnos, a maze of footpaths weaves through wild olive trees and terraced green fields into the ancient past.

Now collectively called the Sifnos Trails, some of these 19 routes date to 3000 B.C. They stood in disrepair for years until a community-led effort with trail-building cooperative Paths of Greece began restoring them in 2015. Today, travelers can trace the steps of the farmers, miners, and soldiers who forged one of the world’s oldest trail networks.

New signposts and trail markers direct travelers to age-old silver mines, wildflower meadows, and charming fishing villages miles from the summertime crowds on Santorini and Mykonos. Here’s how to experience this lesser known corner of the Mediterranean.

Walking through history

One of the 200 islands that comprise the Cyclades archipelago, Sifnos lies south of the Greek mainland. Ceramics and silver and gold mining made Sifnos very wealthy and the center of Cycladic civilization in antiquity.

Indeed, the Sifnos Trails are a pathway to this storied history, with archaeological sites dotting a range of routes from leisurely strolls through forested foothills to strenuous climbs overlooking the sea. The Sifnos Insiders trail is one of the more remote, challenging paths. From the port town of Kamares, it begins with a steep climb and leads to the town of Apollonia. Aptly named for the sun god revered in antiquity, the village has been the capital of Sifnos since 1836.

(In Cyprus, this is where you can find Aphrodite.)

Hugging the coast, the trail winds through pine and juniper trees and across farmland peppered with white flowers, where the gentle bleating of goats and their chiming bells create a soothing soundtrack. On the hillsides are the crumbling stone vestiges of rural life, among them themonies (small farm buildings) and some of the island’s nearly 70 towers.

“When you’re looking at these paths, it’s difficult to tell how old they are, except when you think about the types of objects that have been found [alongside] them,” says Tulsi Parikh, an archaeologist at the British School at Athens.

Sifnos’ great wealth required a network of watchtowers to protect the precious resources that were being mined. Torches at the top of the towers were lit to alert people about approaching ships, for instance.

Other trails lead to old settlements, such as the Mycenaean acropolis of Agios Andreas and the Venetian citadel of Kastro, where the churning Aegean is framed by narrow streets laden with Roman sarcophagi and Archaic stonework.

At the remote northern tip of the island, a rocky trail flanked by low-lying shrubs descends from a point called Kabanario down to Cheronissos. Sifnos’ fishermen have lived and worked in the small harbor for generations, and visitors are rewarded with the day’s catch served fried and drizzled in lemon juice.

Historical sites along the trails are a highlight, but the paths themselves are an important artifact too. The out-and-back, four-mile Route of the Mines, for example, begins near the village of Artemonas and follows a cliffside path hemmed by a drystone wall that ends at Agios Sostis. Here, the stark-white church stands above one of the world’s oldest gold and silver mines, active from the Bronze Age to the 20th century.

“We know that people have been walking down there for millennia because the only way to reach it was on foot, so you’re walking a route similar to what miners would’ve walked,” explains Parikh.

(Greece’s river to the “underworld” now lures adventure travelers.)

A sustainable tourism future

The trails don’t just celebrate Sifnos’s history. In 1997, a portion of land on the west coast was incorporated into the European Commission’s Natura 2000 network, which protects Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats. “It’s one of the best ways that people can get to know the island and then also be interested in conserving it,” says Parikh.

The new Botanical Trail winds through this reserve, which protects 10 threatened habitats, including juniper forest and river ecosystems. Signs explain the delicate endemic plants and flowers that border the route, like white morning glory and pink catchfly. Keep an eye out for Milos vipers, one of two threatened snake species in the area.

(Can this overlooked Greek island lure travelers with hidden treasures?)

The hope is to encourage year-round tourism, outside of busy summer months. “The trails teach people about the past,” says Fivos Tsaravopoulos, founder of Paths of Greece. “But by sensitizing us to the environment, they also connect us with a better future.”

Chloe Berge is a Vancouver-based writer covering travel, environment, and adventure. Follow her on Instagram.