Getting from Santorini to Anafi

Anafi is the last island before open sea in the southern Cyclades and one of the most genuinely remote places in the Greek island world. It sits just east of Santorini, close enough that you can see it from the caldera rim on a clear day, yet most visitors to Santorini never make it there. The island has a few hundred permanent residents, a single village, beaches that require a walk to reach and a monolithic rock at the eastern end called Kalamos that rises 460 metres straight out of the sea and is the second largest freestanding rock in the Mediterranean. According to Greek mythology, Apollo caused Anafi to rise from the sea to shelter the Argonauts in a storm. It is exactly the kind of island that makes the Cyclades worth exploring beyond the obvious.

Take the ferry

There is a direct ferry from Santorini to Anafi year-round, operated by Blue Star Ferries and Maistros Santorini. The crossing takes around 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minutes and runs between 4 and 7 times per week depending on the season, with more frequent service in summer. It is one of the most straightforward and underused island hops in the Cyclades, sitting less than 22 nautical miles from Santorini.

What about flying?

Anafi has no airport. The ferry from Santorini is the only option and at under 90 minutes it is one of the shortest crossings in the southern Cyclades.

Your best option

Take the ferry. Check the schedule on Ferryhopper as departures are not daily year-round and build your visit around the available days. Give yourself at least two nights. The island rewards those who slow down and the quieter it gets in the afternoon, the better it becomes.