Getting from Antiparos to Monemvasia

If you are heading to Monemvasia from Antiparos you are making your way from a small quiet island in the Cyclades to a medieval fortress town on the southeastern Peloponnese coast. It is 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 Antiparos to Monemvasia. Antiparos is connected only to Paros by a 7 minute ferry from Pounta running every 30 minutes in summer. Monemvasia is accessible only by road. Getting there means taking the short ferry from Antiparos to Paros, making your way to Piraeus 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. Antiparos has no airport either. Taking the short ferry from Antiparos to Paros, making your way to Piraeus and driving or taking the KTEL bus to Monemvasia gives a total journey time of around 8 to 9 hours. The KTEL bus from Athens Kifissos terminal runs to Monemvasia via Sparta and takes around 4.5 to 5 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the short ferry from Antiparos to Paros, make your way to Piraeus and drive or take the KTEL bus south to Monemvasia. 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. If you are traveling with a car, take the short ferry from Antiparos to Paros and drive south through the Peloponnese to Monemvasia.