Getting from Antipaxos to Ios

If you are heading to Ios from Antipaxos you are making your way from a tiny island in the Ionian Sea to an island in the southern Cyclades, on the opposite side of Greece. It has some of the finest beaches in the Cyclades on its south coast and a Chora above the port that comes alive in the evening.

Take the ferry

There are no scheduled ferries from Antipaxos to Ios. Antipaxos has no ferry port of its own and is accessible only by sea taxi from Gaios on Paxos. Getting to Ios means taking the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos, the ferry from Paxos to Corfu, flying to Athens and then taking the Piraeus to Ios ferry, which runs multiple times daily in summer and takes around 4 to 8 hours depending on the vessel. Alternatively, fly to Athens and then fly to Santorini and take the short ferry from Santorini to Ios, which takes around 35 minutes.

Getting there by air

Ios has no airport. The nearest airport is Santorini. 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 Santorini, followed by the short ferry to Ios, gives a total journey time of around 8 to 9 hours. 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 Santorini and take the short ferry across to Ios. It is the most practical approach. If you are traveling with a car, take the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos and drive to Piraeus for the conventional Piraeus to Ios ferry, which takes your vehicle directly to the island.