Getting from Elafonisos to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Elafonisos you are making your way from a small island off the southern Peloponnese coast 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

Elafonisos has no ferry connection to the wider Greek ferry network. The only ferry from Elafonisos is the short 10 minute crossing to Pounta on the southern Peloponnese, which runs every 30 minutes in summer. Antikythera is served by a ferry running from Piraeus through Kythira to Antikythera, continuing to Kissamos in Crete. Getting there means taking the ferry from Elafonisos to Pounta and then driving north to Piraeus for the Piraeus to Antikythera ferry, which takes around 8 to 10 hours, or driving south to Neapoli for the ferry to Kythira and then the short crossing from Kythira to Antikythera, which takes around 1 hour 30 minutes.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Elafonisos has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens, around 3.5 to 4 hours by car from Pounta. Taking the ferry from Elafonisos to Pounta, driving south to Neapoli for the ferry to Kythira and then the short crossing to Antikythera gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours and avoids Athens entirely.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Elafonisos to Pounta and drive south to Neapoli for the ferry to Kythira, then take the short ferry across to Antikythera. It avoids Athens entirely and is the most natural approach given the geographic proximity of all three on the southern tip of Greece. Check the ferry schedule before traveling as the Kythira to Antikythera 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.