Getting from Spetses to Arki

If you are heading to Arki from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to one of the smallest inhabited islands in the northern Dodecanese, between Patmos and Lipsi, on the opposite side of the Aegean. It has no cars, no proper roads and an atmosphere of complete isolation.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Arki. Getting there means taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, which runs up to 10 times daily and takes around 2 to 3.5 hours, and then either flying from Athens to Leros and taking the local ferry to Arki via Lipsi, which runs a few times a week in summer and takes around 1 to 2 hours, or boarding the overnight Piraeus to Leros ferry and then taking the local ferry to Arki.

Getting there by air

Arki has no airport. The nearest airports are Leros and Kos. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, flying from Athens to Leros and then taking the local ferry to Arki gives a total journey time of around 6 to 7 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and fly from Athens to Leros, then take the local ferry across to Arki. Check the schedule carefully as connections to Arki run only a few times a week in summer. Come entirely self-sufficient as the island has almost no facilities and the isolation is the whole point of being there. Note that no cars are permitted on Arki itself and Spetses is also car-free, so no vehicles need to be considered for this connection.