Getting from Syros to Monemvasia

If you are heading to Monemvasia from Syros you are making your way from the capital of the Cyclades to a medieval fortress town on the southeastern Peloponnese coast, on the opposite side of Greece. It is built entirely on a massive rock connected to the mainland by a single causeway with Byzantine churches and narrow lanes that have changed little in centuries.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Syros to Monemvasia. Monemvasia is accessible only by road. 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 driving or taking the KTEL bus south through the Peloponnese to Monemvasia, which takes around 4 to 4.5 hours from Athens via Corinth, Tripoli and Sparta.

Getting there by air

Monemvasia has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Syros has a small domestic airport with limited connections from Athens. Taking the ferry from Syros to Piraeus and then driving or taking the KTEL bus south to Monemvasia gives a total journey time of around 7 to 8 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Syros to Piraeus and drive south through the Peloponnese to Monemvasia via Corinth, Tripoli and Sparta. Having a car makes this route considerably more practical as public transport connections to Monemvasia are slow and infrequent. Monemvasia rewards at least two nights. The town reveals itself slowly once the day visitors leave in the evening and the streets inside the walls become entirely your own.