Getting from Spetses to Karpathos

If you are heading to Karpathos from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to a long mountainous island in the southern Dodecanese group, on the opposite side of the Aegean. It has a strong local culture and the extraordinary village of Olympos in the north where centuries-old customs are still very much alive.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Karpathos. Getting there by sea 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 Karpathos ferry, which runs around 3 times a week and takes around 13 to 20 hours. Flying is considerably more practical for most travelers.

Getting there by air

Karpathos has its own airport with daily connections from Athens. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and flying from Athens to Karpathos takes around 1 hour 15 minutes on the second leg. Total journey time is around 4 to 5 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 Karpathos. It is the fastest and 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 to Piraeus and board the Piraeus to Karpathos ferry, which takes your vehicle and arrives in around 13 to 20 hours depending on the route.