Getting from Chios to Dokos

If you are heading to Dokos from Chios you are making your way from one of the most overlooked islands in the northeastern Aegean to an uninhabited rocky island in the Saronic Gulf between Hydra and the Peloponnese coast, on the opposite side of Greece. The waters around it hold the oldest known shipwreck in the world, dating to around 2700 BC.

Take the ferry

There are no scheduled ferries from Chios to Dokos. Dokos is accessible only by water taxi from Hydra, which takes around 30 minutes, or by private boat. Getting there means taking the overnight Chios to Piraeus ferry, which runs around 3 times a week and takes around 9 hours, and then taking the Saronic ferry from Piraeus to Hydra, which takes around 1 hour 5 minutes to 2 hours, followed by a water taxi to Dokos. Alternatively fly from Chios to Athens and take the Saronic ferry from Piraeus to Hydra.

Getting there by air

Dokos has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Chios has its own airport with daily connections from Athens. Flying from Chios to Athens and then taking the Saronic ferry from Piraeus to Hydra, followed by a water taxi to Dokos, 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 Chios to Athens, take the Saronic ferry to Hydra and arrange a water taxi from the harbour across to Dokos. Come entirely self-sufficient as there is nothing on the island. The coves empty out in the late afternoon when day boats leave and that is when Dokos is at its most extraordinary.