Getting from Santorini to Nisyros

If you are heading to Nisyros from Santorini you are going from one volcanic island to another, and the comparison is instructive. Santorini's caldera is flooded and visible from above. Nisyros has an active volcano sitting in the middle of the island that you can walk down into, stand on the crater floor and feel the heat rising through the crust beneath your feet. It is one of the most extraordinary geological experiences in Greece and almost nobody knows about it. The island is small, circular, green around the edges and deeply strange in the middle. Mandraki, the main village, is a tangle of whitewashed houses above the port with a medieval kastro and views across to Kos and the Turkish coast.

Take the ferry

There is a seasonal direct ferry from Santorini to Nisyros operated by Blue Star Ferries, running once a week during the summer months. The crossing takes around 8 hours 15 minutes. It is a long haul for a relatively small island but it does connect the two directly without a stop in Athens. Check the schedule carefully on Ferryhopper as the once-weekly frequency means your travel dates need to align with the departure day. Outside of the summer season the direct service does not run and the indirect connection via Rhodes or Kos takes considerably longer.

What about flying?

Nisyros has no airport. The nearest airport is on Kos, around 40 kilometres to the north, which has regular connections to Athens. The journey from Santorini goes Santorini to Athens and then Athens to Kos, followed by a short ferry from Kos to Nisyros which takes around 1.5 to 2 hours. It is worth knowing that in Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights. Almost all island to island travel goes through Athens.

Your best option

If the Blue Star weekly ferry timing works with your schedule, take it. A direct 8-hour crossing is more manageable than it sounds and you arrive without having passed through Athens. If the timing does not work, fly to Kos via Athens and take the ferry across to Nisyros. Either way, give yourself at least two nights. The volcano deserves a proper morning visit and the island reveals more than its size suggests.