Getting from Spetses to Ithaca

If you are heading to Ithaca from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to an island in the Ionian Sea, on the opposite side of Greece. It is the legendary home of Odysseus with a deep central bay at Vathy that is one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the Ionian.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Ithaca. No Saronic island is connected by sea to any Ionian island. Getting there means either taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and then flying from Athens to Kefalonia and taking the short ferry from Sami to Ithaca, which takes around 20 to 30 minutes, or taking the short ferry from Spetses to the mainland port of Kosta and driving northwest to Astakos for the direct ferry to Ithaca, which takes around 2 to 2.5 hours and runs daily. The drive from Kosta to Astakos takes around 3.5 to 4 hours.

Getting there by air

Ithaca has no airport. The nearest airport is Kefalonia. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, flying from Athens to Kefalonia and then taking the short ferry from Sami to Ithaca 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 fly from Athens to Kefalonia, then take the short ferry across to Ithaca from Sami. It is the most practical approach. 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 northwest to Astakos for the direct ferry to Ithaca, which avoids Piraeus entirely.