Getting from Thassos to Monemvasia

If you are heading to Monemvasia from Thassos you are making your way from the northernmost island in Greece to a medieval fortress town on the southeastern Peloponnese coast, on the opposite side of the country. 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 Thassos to Monemvasia. Monemvasia is accessible only by road. Getting there means taking the ferry from Thassos to Kavala, which runs almost hourly in summer and takes around 1 hour 30 minutes, and then driving south via the E75 motorway and Athens through the Peloponnese via Corinth, Tripoli and Sparta to Monemvasia, which takes around 8 to 9 hours from Kavala. Alternatively fly from Kavala to Athens and drive south to Monemvasia.

Getting there by air

Monemvasia has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Thassos has no airport. The nearest airport is Kavala. Taking the ferry from Thassos to Kavala, flying from Kavala to Athens 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, 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 Thassos to Kavala and fly from Kavala 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.