Getting from Syros to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Syros you are making your way from the capital of the Cyclades 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 Syros 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 Syros to Piraeus, which runs up to 6 daily crossings in summer and takes around 2 hours on the fast boat, and then boarding the Piraeus to Antikythera ferry, which takes around 8 to 10 hours, or flying from Athens to Kythira and taking the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera, which takes around 1 hour 30 minutes and runs a few times per week.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Syros has a small domestic airport with limited connections from Athens. Taking the ferry from Syros to Piraeus, flying from Athens to Kythira and then taking the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera 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 ferry from Syros to Piraeus and fly from Athens to Kythira, then 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. If you are traveling with a car, take the ferry from Syros to Piraeus and board the Piraeus to Antikythera ferry, which takes your vehicle through Kythira to Antikythera.