Getting from Crete to Dokos

If you are heading to Dokos from Crete you are going to an uninhabited rocky island in the Saronic Gulf between Hydra and the Peloponnese coast, known to almost nobody and extraordinary for it. The waters around it hold the oldest known shipwreck in the world, dating to around 2700 BC, and the coves are deserted with almost no sound beyond the wind and the sea.

Take the ferry

There are no scheduled ferries to Dokos. The island has no ferry service of its own and is accessible only by water taxi from Hydra, which takes around 30 minutes, or by private boat or sailing charter. Getting to Hydra from Crete means flying to Athens and taking the Saronic ferry from Piraeus to Hydra, which takes around 1 hour 10 minutes to 2 hours.

Getting there by air

Dokos has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Flying from Crete to Athens takes around 50 minutes and then the Saronic ferry from Piraeus to Hydra takes around 1 hour 10 minutes to 2 hours, followed by a water taxi to Dokos taking around 30 minutes. Total travel time is around 4 to 5 hours.

Your best option

Fly 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.