Getting from Arki to Kythira

If you are heading to Kythira from Arki you are making your way from one of the smallest inhabited islands in the Dodecanese to an island at the southern tip of the Peloponnese, between the Aegean and the Ionian seas. It has stone villages, deep gorges, a Venetian castle above Chora and a coastline of turquoise coves.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Arki to Kythira. Arki is connected to Patmos, Leros, Lipsi, Kalymnos and occasionally Rhodes and Samos, with services running a limited number of times per week. Getting to Kythira means taking the ferry from Arki to Leros, flying to Athens and then either flying to Kythira or taking the Piraeus to Kythira ferry, which runs several times a week and takes around 6 to 6.5 hours to the port of Diakofti. Alternatively, fly to Athens and drive to Neapoli on the southern Peloponnese for the shorter crossing to Kythira, which takes around 1 hour and runs daily in summer.

Getting there by air

Kythira has its own small airport with daily connections from Athens. Arki has no airport either. Taking the local ferry from Arki to Leros, flying to Athens and then Athens to Kythira takes under 1 hour on the second leg. Total journey time is around 4 to 5 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the local ferry from Arki to Leros, fly to Athens and then fly to Kythira. It is the fastest and most practical approach. Check the ferry schedule from Arki carefully before booking your flights as services run only a limited number of times per week. If you are traveling with a car, take the ferry from Arki through the Dodecanese network to Piraeus and drive to Neapoli for the short ferry across to Kythira.