Getting from Athens to Skiathos

If you are heading to Skiathos from Athens you are going to the most cosmopolitan of the Sporades and the one with the best beaches. Skiathos is small, covered in pine forests and has over 60 beaches, the finest of which are on the south and west coasts around Koukounaries and Agia Eleni. The town is lively and good-looking, built around a double harbour with a Venetian castle on the headland between them. The island draws a young crowd in summer and a more relaxed one in the shoulder months, and the water around it is some of the clearest in the northern Aegean.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Athens to Skiathos. The island is connected to the mainland via Agios Konstantinos on the central Greek coast, around 2 hours by road from Athens, and Mantoudi in northern Evia, also around 2 hours from Athens via the Chalkida bridge. From Agios Konstantinos the crossing to Skiathos takes around 3.5 hours with daily departures in summer. From Mantoudi the crossing takes around 1 hour 15 minutes with up to 2 daily departures in summer.

Getting there by air

Skiathos has its own international airport with daily connections from Athens, operated by Olympic Air and Sky Express. The flight takes around 45 minutes and the airport is 2 kilometres from the town centre. This is the fastest approach from Athens and the most practical if you are not travelling with a car.

Your best option

Fly if you are travelling without a car. The 45-minute flight is hard to beat and you are in the town within minutes of landing. If you are travelling with a car, drive to Mantoudi and take the ferry across, which gives you the shortest combined journey time at around 3 hours door to door.