Getting from Santorini to Koufonisia

Koufonisia has been discovered but not yet ruined, which is a fine line that the island is still managing to walk. It is the smallest inhabited island group in the Cyclades, essentially one main island called Ano Koufonisi with a second smaller island, Kato Koufonisi, accessible by small boat. The beaches are exceptional, the water is an improbable turquoise and the coastline on the south and east sides of the island is riddled with rock pools, sea caves and natural swimming holes that you can spend entire days exploring. The village is small, pretty and increasingly busy in August but still manageable. People come here because the beaches are some of the best in Greece and they stay because the island is exactly the right size for doing nothing very productively.

Take the ferry

There is a direct seasonal ferry from Santorini to Koufonisia operated by Seajets, running from late April to early October with one crossing per day. The journey takes around 1 hour 50 minutes, which makes this one of the easier Small Cyclades connections from Santorini. Outside of the summer season the direct service does not run and you would need to connect via Naxos instead, adding a stop and extra planning to the journey. Book ahead in July and August as this crossing fills up.

What about flying?

Koufonisia has no airport. The nearest airport is on Naxos, but there are no direct flights from Santorini to Naxos in any case. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights and almost all island to island travel goes through Athens. Flying is not a practical option for this route.

Your best option

Take the direct Seajets ferry from Santorini. At under 2 hours it is one of the more painless island hops in the Cyclades and arrives you directly on the island without any connections. Give yourself at least three nights on Koufonisia. Walk the coastal path around the south of the island on your first day, find the sea cave at Italida, swim in the rock pools and eat at one of the waterfront tavernas in the village in the evening. The island is small enough to cover on foot and a bicycle covers it in under an hour.