Getting from Thessaloniki to Kythira

If you are heading to Kythira from Thessaloniki you are making your way from the second largest city in Greece to an island at the southern tip of the Peloponnese, between the Aegean and the Ionian seas. It has stone villages, deep gorges, a Venetian castle above Chora and a coastline of turquoise coves.

Getting there by air

Kythira has its own small airport with daily connections from Athens. Thessaloniki has an international airport with daily connections to Athens. Flying from Thessaloniki to Athens and then Athens to Kythira takes under 1 hour on the second leg. Total journey time is around 3 to 4 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 the short ferry from Neapoli to Kythira takes around 1 hour and runs daily in summer. 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 Kythira. Getting there means traveling to Athens and then either flying to Kythira or driving south to Neapoli for the ferry.

Your best option

Fly from Thessaloniki to Athens and then fly from Athens to Kythira. It is the fastest and most practical approach at around 3 to 4 hours total. If you are traveling with a car, drive from Thessaloniki to Neapoli via the E75 motorway and Athens and then south through the Peloponnese for the short ferry across to Kythira.