Getting from Antipaxos to Ikaria

If you are heading to Ikaria from Antipaxos you are making your way from a tiny island in the Ionian Sea to one of the world's Blue Zones, a mountainous island in the eastern Aegean where people live measurably longer than almost anywhere else on earth and the local explanation tends to involve sleeping late, eating well and ignoring schedules.

Take the ferry

There are no scheduled ferries from Antipaxos to Ikaria. Antipaxos has no ferry port of its own and is accessible only by sea taxi from Gaios on Paxos. Getting to Ikaria by sea means taking the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos, the ferry from Paxos to Igoumenitsa, traveling to Piraeus and boarding the Piraeus to Ikaria ferry, which runs around 3 times a week and takes around 7 to 11 hours. Flying is considerably more practical for most travelers.

Getting there by air

Ikaria has its own small airport with connections from Athens running around 3 times a week. Antipaxos has no airport either. Taking the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos, the ferry from Paxos to Corfu and flying to Athens and then Athens to Ikaria gives a total journey time of around 7 to 8 hours. Check the schedule carefully as flights are limited. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos, the ferry from Paxos to Corfu, fly to Athens and then fly to Ikaria. Check the schedule carefully as flights are limited and do not run daily. Build flexibility into your plans once you arrive. Ikaria runs on its own schedule and that is entirely the point. If you are traveling with a car, take the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos and drive to Piraeus for the overnight Piraeus to Ikaria ferry, which takes your vehicle and arrives in the morning.