Getting from Astypalaia to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Astypalaia you are making your way from a butterfly-shaped island between the Cyclades and the Dodecanese to one of the most remote islands in Greece, sitting in the strait between Kythira and Crete with around 30 to 40 permanent residents. It is known to the world for the Antikythera Mechanism, a 2,000-year-old bronze analog computer recovered from a shipwreck in 1900 and now considered the most sophisticated device to survive from antiquity.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Astypalaia to Antikythera. Antikythera is served by a ferry running from Piraeus through Kythira to Antikythera, continuing to Kissamos in Crete. Getting there means taking the ferry from Astypalaia to Piraeus, which runs around 5 times a week and takes around 8 to 12 hours, and then boarding the Piraeus to Antikythera ferry, which takes around 8 to 10 hours, or flying to Kythira and taking the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera, which takes around 1 hour 30 minutes.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Astypalaia has its own small airport with connections from Athens. Flying from Astypalaia to Athens and then Athens to Kythira, followed by the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera, gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Fly from Astypalaia to Athens and then fly to Kythira and take the ferry across to Antikythera. Check the ferry schedule before booking your flights as the service runs only a few times per week. Bring everything you need as the island has almost no facilities and that is rather the point of going.