Getting from Spetses to Kavala

If you are heading to Kavala from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to a port city in northern Greece on the Macedonian coast, with a Byzantine castle above the harbour, a Roman aqueduct running through the upper town and the archaeological site of Philippi just 15 kilometres inland.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Kavala. 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 Kavala or driving northeast via the E75 motorway, which takes around 7 to 8 hours from Athens.

Getting there by air

Kavala has its own airport with 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 Kavala takes around 1 hour on the second leg. Total journey time is around 4 to 5 hours. Kavala Airport is around 30 kilometres from the city so factor in a taxi on arrival. 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 Kavala. It is the fastest and most practical approach. If you are planning to visit Thassos from Kavala, ferries to the island run almost hourly in summer. 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 northeast via the E75 motorway to Kavala, which avoids Piraeus entirely.