Getting from Telendos to Monemvasia

If you are heading to Monemvasia from Telendos you are making your way from a tiny car-free island off the western coast of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese 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 Telendos to Monemvasia. Monemvasia is accessible only by road. Getting there means taking the local boat from Telendos to Myrties on Kalymnos, which takes around 5 minutes, and then either flying from Kalymnos to Athens and 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, or taking the overnight ferry from Kalymnos port at Pothia to Piraeus and then driving south to Monemvasia.

Getting there by air

Monemvasia has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Telendos has no airport. The nearest airports are Kalymnos and Kos. Taking the local boat from Telendos to Myrties, flying from Kalymnos to Athens 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 local boat from Telendos to Myrties and fly from Kalymnos to Athens, then 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.