Getting from Symi to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to one of the most remote islands in Greece, sitting in the strait between Kythira and Crete with around 30 to 40 permanent residents. It is known to the world for the Antikythera Mechanism, a 2,000-year-old bronze analog computer recovered from a shipwreck in 1900 and now considered the most sophisticated device to survive from antiquity.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Antikythera. Antikythera is served by a ferry running from Piraeus through Kythira to Antikythera, continuing to Kissamos in Crete. Getting there means taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes, which takes around 50 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes and runs multiple times daily, and then flying from Rhodes to Athens and then Athens to Kythira, followed by the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera taking around 1 hour 30 minutes and running a few times per week. Alternatively take the overnight Piraeus to Rhodes ferry in reverse and board the Piraeus to Antikythera ferry, which takes around 8 to 10 hours.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Symi has no airport. The nearest airport is Rhodes. Taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes, flying from Rhodes to Athens and then Athens to Kythira, followed by the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera, gives a total journey time of around 6 to 7 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Symi to Rhodes and fly from Rhodes to Athens, then fly from Athens to Kythira and take the short ferry across to Antikythera. Check the ferry schedule before booking your flights as the Kythira to Antikythera service runs only a few times per week. Bring everything you need as the island has almost no facilities and that is rather the point of going. Note that Symi is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would already be in Rhodes.