Getting from Tinos to Arki

If you are heading to Arki from Tinos you are making your way from the most venerated pilgrimage island in the Cyclades to one of the smallest inhabited islands in the Dodecanese, between Patmos and Lipsi in the northern Dodecanese, on the opposite side of the Aegean. It has no cars, no proper roads and an atmosphere of complete isolation.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Tinos to Arki. Arki is connected to the wider network through Patmos and Lipsi, with local ferries calling a few times a week in summer. Getting there means taking the ferry from Tinos to Piraeus, which runs daily and takes around 2.5 to 4.5 hours, and then flying from Athens to Leros, followed by the local ferry to Arki via Lipsi, which takes around 1 to 2 hours. Alternatively take the short ferry from Tinos to Mykonos and fly from Mykonos to Athens and then Athens to Leros.

Getting there by air

Arki has no airport. The nearest airports are Leros and Kos. Tinos has no airport. The nearest airport is Mykonos. Taking the short ferry from Tinos to Mykonos, flying from Mykonos to Athens and then Athens to Leros, followed by the local ferry to Arki, 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 short ferry from Tinos to Mykonos and fly from Mykonos to Athens, then fly from Athens to Leros and take the local ferry across to Arki. Check the schedule carefully as connections to Arki run only a few times a week in summer. Come entirely self-sufficient as the island has almost no facilities and the isolation is the whole point of being there. Note that no cars are permitted on Arki itself.