Getting from Chania to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Chania you are making your way from the most intimate of Crete's three main cities 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 a direct ferry connection from Chania to Antikythera via the Kissamos port in western Crete. The ferry runs from Kissamos to Antikythera, continuing to Kythira and Piraeus, and takes around 2 hours from Kissamos to Antikythera. Kissamos is around 40 kilometres west of Chania and easily reached by bus or taxi. This is the most natural and direct sea connection from the Chania area to Antikythera and runs several times a week in summer.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Chania has an international airport with connections from Athens. Flying from Chania to Athens and then Athens to Kythira, followed by the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera taking around 1 hour 30 minutes, gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the bus or taxi from Chania to Kissamos and board the ferry to Antikythera. It is the most natural and direct approach at around 2 hours from Kissamos and avoids Athens entirely. Check the schedule before traveling 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.