Getting from Athens to Thassos

If you are heading to Thassos from Athens you are making your way to the greenest island in Greece, a place of pine forests that run almost to the waterline, marble quarries worked since antiquity and beaches that manage to be both beautiful and genuinely uncrowded by the standards of the northern Aegean. The island sits just off the Macedonian coast near Kavala and has a loyal following among Greeks, Bulgarians and Serbians who have been coming for years. Most international visitors discover it almost by accident and leave wondering why it took them so long.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry to Thassos from Athens or Piraeus. The island is connected to the mainland only by short crossings from Kavala and Keramoti on the northern coast. The Keramoti to Limenas crossing is the faster and more popular of the two, taking around 40 minutes and running almost hourly throughout the day. The Kavala to Skala Prinos crossing takes around 1 hour 15 minutes. Both routes run year-round with frequent daily departures. Ferry tickets for Thassos cannot be booked online in advance and are purchased at the port on the day.

What about flying?

Thassos has no airport. The nearest airport is Kavala, around 30 kilometres from the Keramoti ferry port. Aegean Airlines operates daily flights from Athens to Kavala taking around 1 hour 15 minutes. From Kavala Airport a taxi to Keramoti takes around 30 minutes. Total travel time from Athens is around 3 to 4 hours.

Your best option

Fly to Kavala and take a taxi to Keramoti for the short ferry crossing to Thassos. It is the fastest and most straightforward approach and puts you on the island in under 4 hours from central Athens. If you are driving from Athens, the journey takes around 6 hours via the Egnatia highway, which is a good road and worth considering if you want a car on the island.