Getting from Volos to Monemvasia

If you are heading to Monemvasia from Volos you are making your way from a city on the Pagasetic Gulf at the foot of the Pelion peninsula to a medieval fortress town on the southeastern Peloponnese coast, on the opposite side of Greece. 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 Volos to Monemvasia. Monemvasia is accessible only by road. Getting there means driving from Volos south via the E75 motorway to Athens and then continuing south through the Peloponnese via Corinth, Tripoli and Sparta to Monemvasia, which takes around 6.5 to 7 hours from Volos in total.

Getting there by air

Monemvasia has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Volos has a small airport at Nea Anchialos with limited connections from Athens. Driving from Volos south to Monemvasia via Athens and the Peloponnese gives a total journey time of around 6.5 to 7 hours. Flying is not practical for this connection given that the drive through the Peloponnese is the only realistic approach once you reach Athens. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Drive from Volos south via the E75 motorway and Athens ring road through the Peloponnese via Corinth, Tripoli and Sparta to Monemvasia. Having a car is essential as public transport connections 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.