Getting from Anafi to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Anafi you are making your way from one of the most remote islands in the Cyclades to one of the most remote islands in Greece, sitting in the strait between Kythira and Crete with around 30 to 40 permanent residents. It 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 Anafi 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 Anafi means taking the overnight ferry, which takes around 8 to 11 hours, and then boarding the Piraeus to Antikythera ferry.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Anafi has no airport either. Taking the ferry from Anafi to Santorini, 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 Anafi to Santorini, fly to Athens and then fly to Kythira and take the ferry across to Antikythera. It is considerably faster than the full Piraeus crossing. 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.