Getting from Astakos to Antipaxos

If you are heading to Antipaxos from Astakos you are making your way from a port town on the western coast of central Greece to a tiny island just south of Paxos in the Ionian Sea, relatively close in geographic terms on the western side of Greece. It has beaches of a quality that would be famous if they were anywhere more accessible.

Take the ferry

There are no scheduled ferries from Astakos to Antipaxos. Antipaxos is accessible only by sea taxi or small boat from Gaios on Paxos, with the trip taking around 15 to 20 minutes. Getting to Paxos from Astakos means driving north to Igoumenitsa, which takes around 2.5 to 3 hours via Arta and Ioannina, and then taking either the ferry from Igoumenitsa to Paxos or the ferry from Igoumenitsa to Corfu and then the Corfu to Paxos ferry. Alternatively drive to Preveza and connect via the ferry route north.

Getting there by air

Antipaxos has no airport. The nearest airport is Corfu. Astakos has no airport either. Driving from Astakos to Igoumenitsa and taking the ferry to Paxos, then the sea taxi to Antipaxos gives a total journey time of around 4 to 5 hours and avoids Athens entirely. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Drive from Astakos north to Igoumenitsa and take the ferry across to Paxos, then the sea taxi to Antipaxos. It is the most natural and direct approach and avoids Athens entirely. Antipaxos is most rewarding as a day trip or overnight from Paxos rather than a standalone destination as facilities on the island are almost nonexistent.