Getting from Spetses to Paxos

If you are heading to Paxos from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to a small island in the Ionian Sea, on the opposite side of Greece. It has ancient olive groves, turquoise coves and a Venetian harbour at Gaios that is one of the most charming in Greece.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Paxos. No Saronic island is connected by sea to any Ionian island. 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 Corfu and taking the ferry from Corfu to Paxos, which takes around 1 hour 30 minutes and runs several times daily in summer, or driving northwest to Igoumenitsa for the car ferry to Paxos. Note that the Corfu to Paxos ferry does not carry vehicles.

Getting there by air

Paxos has no airport. The nearest airport is Corfu. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, flying from Athens to Corfu and then taking the ferry from Corfu to Paxos 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 Corfu, then take the ferry across to Paxos. 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 Igoumenitsa for the car ferry to Paxos, which avoids Piraeus entirely and takes around 5 to 6 hours.