Getting from Crete to Skyros

If you are heading to Skyros from Crete you are going to the most remote and most unusual of the Sporades, an island of two completely different landscapes, a dramatic hilltop Chora and a wild volcanic south, with its own native horse breed and one of the most extraordinary carnival traditions in Greece.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Crete to Skyros. The island is connected to the mainland only via Kymi on the eastern coast of Evia. Getting there from Crete means flying to Athens and then either driving to Kymi for the ferry, which takes around 2.5 hours, or flying on to Skyros directly.

Getting there by air

Skyros has its own small airport with connections from Athens. Flying from Crete to Athens takes around 50 minutes and then Athens to Skyros takes around 40 minutes, giving a total journey time of around 3 to 4 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights. Check the Athens to Skyros schedule carefully as the service runs a limited number of times per week.

Your best option

Fly to Athens and connect to Skyros. It is the most time efficient approach by a significant margin. If the flight schedule does not align with your dates, fly to Athens and drive to Kymi for the ferry, which takes around 1.5 hours and runs once or twice daily.