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 Travel to Sifnos by ferry or hydrofoilThe Athens Port of Pireaus is where you board the boat to Sifnos. To get there is easy. Take the Metro from Monistiraki, Thission or Omonia (Wherever is closer to your hotel) to Pireaus: the last stop. There are signs that point in the only two directions you can go: Towards Pireaus, or away from it to Kiffissia. When you get off the train keep walking straight out the front door and find a safe place to cross the street (harder than it sounds). The first boats you see should be those for Sifnos.If you take a taxi just tell him you are going to Sifnos, or give him the name of the boat if you know it. He will know where to go. 
Buy your tickets in advance if you can. There is a Dolphin Hellas ticket office at
16 Syngrou, just across from the ruins of the temple of Zeus near the Plaka. Otherwise there are ticket agencies in Pireaus, including one in the train station and at the boat. If you have a car definitely get your ticket in advance. That goes for if you want a cabin too, or if you are travelling on a weekend in July or August. The main boats that go to Sifnos are the Milos Express and the Pegasus. Generally the boats stop at Kythnos first. Serifos is next and then comes Sifnos. A couple times a week the boats continue on to Santorini and then back. There is a third boat that goes to Rethymnon Crete three times a week and then returns. 
You will recognize Sifnos because you will sail into a long wide bay, not to be
confused with Serifos which is also a long wide bay. The difference is that Serifos
has a town that climbs up a mountain, while the town of Sifnos hugs the shore.
The ferries will announce each stop and though they say it in English it is still hard
to understand. But by the time you get to Sifnos you will have heard the message
twice before and should be able to decipher it. Occasionally you will find yourself on a direct boat to Sifnos. There is a sign on the back of the ferry when you get on that tells you the islands and the order you will be stopping at them. There is also a Flying Dolphin Hydrofoil that leaves from Pireaus and another from Santorini that visits Sifnos and half a dozen other islands before returning to Santorini. These are Mega Dolphins, bigger than the small flying Dolphins that service the Saronic gulf islands and able to withstand rougher weather. 
The Dolphins
cut the travel time in half and double the expense. When you arrive in Sifnos you
disembark from the back of the boat and just follow the people into town.
There are buses to other parts of the island and taxis too. If you have reserved a
hotel there may be someone waiting for you at the dock. As you walk into town Aegean Thesaurus Island Information Center is on the right, just past the small square in front of the Port Police. Don't be intimidated by the chaos of the arriving cars, trucks and people. It quiets down very quickly. For leaving Sifnos you need to get your tickets a day or so in advance. You can't get on the boat without a ticket.  Ferry schedules are posted all over
town, on buildings and in shop windows as are any changes or added boats. Read
the schedules carefully to find the best way to the next island and to make sure
you are not confused by the times. For example a ferry leaving at 1:00 on a
Friday is leaving in the morning. The afternoon is 13:00. There are several ticketing
agencies in the port that represent different ferries. The Aegean Thesaurus
Information Center is there too so if you have any questions they tend to be
much more helpful then the other agents who are just interested in selling tickets. 
Most people hang out in the restaurants and cafes until they hear the horn of
the arriving ferry and then rise as one and march to the end of the dock. From
the moment you hear the horn (if the Captain decides to blow it) you have
about 5 minutes to get to the boat if it is coming from or going to Athens. But
the Mega Dolphins are in and out before you know it, as are some of the
smaller boats or even an Athens boat at an off-peak hour. So check with the info or ticket agency. The general rule of thumb is that if there are a lot of people in the restaurants and a boat to Pireaus is due, then it is cool to hang out in the cafes. If you want to be sure you don't miss your boat there is a sheltered waiting area on the dock.
The boats leave at all different times of the day and night so find the departure time that is best for you. The trip to Pireaus is about five and a half hours.
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There are smaller boats that are based on other Cyclades islands and the Georgios
Express, based in Syros which visits most or all of the Cyclades but follows a
different schedule each day. Generally you can get from Sifnos to Milos, Kithnos
and Serifos every day, sometimes with several boats a day.
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