Getting from Tilos to Antikythera

If you are heading to Antikythera from Tilos you are making your way from a volcanic island in the Dodecanese 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.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Tilos to Antikythera. Antikythera is served by a ferry running from Piraeus through Kythira to Antikythera, continuing to Kissamos in Crete. Getting there means taking the ferry from Tilos to Rhodes, flying from Rhodes to Athens and then flying to Kythira and taking the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera, which takes around 1 hour 30 minutes. Alternatively take the overnight ferry from Tilos to Piraeus and board the Piraeus to Antikythera ferry, which takes around 8 to 10 hours.

Getting there by air

Antikythera has no airport, only a helipad. The nearest airport is Kythira, with connections from Athens. Tilos has no airport. The nearest airport is Rhodes. Taking the ferry from Tilos to Rhodes, flying from Rhodes to Athens and then Athens to Kythira, followed by the short ferry from Kythira to Antikythera, gives a total journey time of around 6 to 7 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Tilos to Rhodes and fly from Rhodes to Athens, then fly from Athens to Kythira and take the short ferry across to Antikythera. Check the Tilos to Rhodes schedule before booking as departure days and times vary by season. 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.