Getting from Syros to Kea

If you are heading to Kea from Syros you are making your way from the capital of the Cyclades to the closest Cycladic island to Athens, in the same island group. It has good beaches, a quiet Chora and an ancient stone lion carved into the hillside that is one of the more unusual monuments in the Cyclades.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Syros to Kea. Kea is served exclusively from Lavrio on the southeastern Attica coast. Getting there means taking the direct ferry from Syros to Lavrio, which runs several times daily in summer and takes around 3 to 4 hours, and then taking the ferry from Lavrio to Kea, which takes around 1 hour and runs up to 7 times daily in summer. This avoids Piraeus and central Athens entirely and is the most natural approach at around 4 to 5 hours total.

Getting there by air

Kea has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens International, around 30 kilometres from Lavrio. Syros has a small domestic airport with limited connections from Athens. Taking the direct ferry from Syros to Lavrio and then the ferry to Kea gives a total journey time of around 4 to 5 hours and avoids Athens entirely. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the direct ferry from Syros to Lavrio and then board the ferry across to Kea. It avoids Piraeus and central Athens entirely and is the most natural and direct approach. If you are traveling with a car the ferry from Lavrio takes your vehicle directly to Kea port.