Getting from Agios Efstratios to Monemvasia

If you are heading to Monemvasia from Agios Efstratios you are making your way from one of the most isolated islands in the northern Aegean to a medieval fortress town on the southeastern Peloponnese coast, built entirely on a massive rock connected to the mainland by a single causeway with Byzantine churches and narrow lanes that have changed little in centuries.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Agios Efstratios to Monemvasia. Monemvasia is accessible only by road. Getting there means taking the ferry from Agios Efstratios to Lemnos, which runs 4 times a week in summer and takes around 1 hour 30 minutes, flying to Athens and then driving or taking the KTEL bus south through the Peloponnese to Monemvasia, which takes around 4 to 4.5 hours from Athens via Corinth, Tripoli and Sparta.

Getting there by air

Monemvasia has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the ferry from Agios Efstratios to Lemnos, flying to Athens and then driving or taking the KTEL bus to Monemvasia gives a total journey time of around 7 to 8 hours. The KTEL bus from Athens Kifissos terminal runs to Monemvasia via Sparta and takes around 4.5 to 5 hours.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Agios Efstratios to Lemnos, fly to Athens and drive or take the KTEL bus to Monemvasia. If you are traveling with a car, fly to Athens, rent a car and drive south through the Peloponnese. Monemvasia rewards at least two nights. The town reveals itself slowly once the day visitors leave in the evening and the streets inside the walls become entirely your own.