Getting from Thessaloniki to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Thessaloniki you are making your way from the second largest city in Greece 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.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Thessaloniki has an international airport with daily connections to Athens. Flying from Thessaloniki to Athens and then Athens to Kythira, followed by the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera, which takes around 1 hour 30 minutes and runs a few times per week, gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Take the train, bus or drive

Thessaloniki is connected to Athens by train, taking around 4 to 5 hours, and by KTEL bus, taking around 5 to 6 hours. From Athens the drive south through the Peloponnese to Neapoli takes around 4 to 4.5 hours via Corinth, Tripoli and Sparta, and then the ferry from Neapoli to Kythira and the short crossing to Antikythera. The drive from Thessaloniki to Neapoli takes around 8 to 9 hours via Athens.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Thessaloniki to Antikythera. Antikythera is served by a ferry running from Piraeus through Kythira to Antikythera. Getting there means traveling to Piraeus for the ferry to Antikythera.

Your best option

Fly from Thessaloniki to Athens and then 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.