Getting from Spetses to Ios

If you are heading to Ios from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to an island in the southern Cyclades, on the opposite side of Attica. It has some of the finest beaches in the Cyclades on its south coast and a Chora above the port that comes alive in the evening.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Ios. 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 boarding the Piraeus to Ios ferry, which runs multiple times daily in summer and takes around 4 to 7 hours. Alternatively fly from Athens to Santorini and take the short ferry from Santorini to Ios, which takes around 35 minutes and is considerably faster than the direct Piraeus ferry for most travelers.

Getting there by air

Ios has no airport. The nearest airport is Santorini. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, flying from Athens to Santorini and then taking the short ferry to Ios gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and board the Piraeus to Ios ferry directly. It is the most straightforward approach keeping the journey entirely by sea. If time is short, fly from Athens to Santorini and take the short ferry across to Ios instead. Note that Spetses is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would be at the mainland port of Kosta, from where you can drive to Piraeus and board the conventional Piraeus to Ios ferry, which takes your vehicle directly to the island.