Getting from Spetses to Elafonisos

If you are heading to Elafonisos from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to a small island off the southern Peloponnese coast, on the opposite side of the Peloponnese. It has pink-tinged sand beaches that are among the finest in Greece and a setting of extraordinary natural beauty.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Elafonisos. Elafonisos is accessible only by the short local ferry from Pounta on the southern Peloponnese, which takes around 10 minutes and runs every 30 minutes in summer. Getting there means taking the short ferry from Spetses to the mainland port of Kosta and driving southeast through the Peloponnese via Sparta to Pounta, which takes around 2.5 to 3 hours and avoids Piraeus entirely. Alternatively take the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and drive south through the Peloponnese via Corinth, Tripoli and Sparta to Pounta, which takes around 4 to 4.5 hours from Athens.

Getting there by air

Elafonisos has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is also Athens. Having a car is essential as the KTEL bus connection to Pounta is complicated and infrequent. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the short ferry from Spetses to the mainland port of Kosta and drive southeast through the Peloponnese to Pounta for the short ferry across to Elafonisos. At around 2.5 to 3 hours from Kosta it avoids Piraeus entirely and is the most natural and direct approach. Note that Spetses is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would already be at Kosta, making this a straightforward drive.