Getting from Alonissos to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Alonissos you are making your way from the most remote of the Sporades group to one of the most remote islands in Greece, sitting in the strait between Kythira and Crete. The two islands are on opposite sides of the country and the journey requires going through Athens. Antikythera is known to the world for the Antikythera Mechanism, a 2,000-year-old bronze analog computer recovered from a shipwreck in 1900 and now considered the most sophisticated device to survive from antiquity.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Alonissos to Antikythera. The island is served by a ferry running from Piraeus through Kythira to Antikythera, continuing to Kissamos in Crete, with the crossing from Piraeus taking around 8 to 10 hours to Antikythera. Getting to Piraeus from Alonissos means taking the ferry to Volos or Mantoudi and driving to Athens, or taking the ferry to Skiathos and flying to Athens.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Taking the ferry from Alonissos to Skiathos, flying to Athens and then Athens to Kythira, followed by the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera taking around 1 hour 30 minutes, gives a total journey time of around 6 to 7 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Alonissos to Skiathos, fly to Athens and then fly to Kythira and take the ferry across to Antikythera. Check the ferry schedule before booking your flights as the service runs only a few times per week. Bring everything you need as the island has almost no facilities and that is rather the point of going.