Getting from Athens to Ios (and return)

athens-to-iosIos is part of the Cyclades and has been emerging as one of the most popular wedding and honeymoon destinations in Greece. It also rivals Mykonos when it comes to the partying scene.

Ios is not served by an airport , so the only option if you want to travel without any stopover from Athens to the island is to get on a ferry. Alternatively, you can fly to Mykonos or Santorini and then take a ferry to Ios. Do note that the ferries connecting the Cyclades to the mainland and between each other stop working by the end of September and resume their schedule in spring.

Flight and ferry from Athens to Ios

Option 1:

a. Flight from Athens to Mykonos
The island of Mykonos is served by an airport (JMK), located about 4 km from Mykonos Town. Both Olympic Air and Aegean Air offer daily year round flights from the capital to Mykonos. During the shoulder season , single flights can be booked for fares starting at €58 (on Olympic Air). The flight time is 40 min.

b. Ferry from Mykonos to Ios
The ferry ride between Mykonos and Ios takes between 1h 30 min and 2 hours depending on the type of ferry you choose. On the slowest ferry the ticket costs €28 per person, one way. There is a ferry connecting the two islands every day at 9:50 a.m. and it runs until September 26.

Option 2:

a. Flight from Athens to Santorini
Santorini is served by an airport (JTR), located north of the village of Kamari. Both Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines offer daily flights, year round, between the capital and Santorini. During the shoulder season, single flights can be booked for fares starting at €58 (on Olympic Air).

>>read more about Cheap Flights to Santorini

b. Ferry from Santorini to Ios
The ferry ride between Santorini and Ios takes between 30 min and 1h 25 min, depending on the type of ferry you choose. On the high speed ferry, the ticket costs €16 per person, one way.
The following ferries connect the two islands during the shoulder season:

  • daily, 4:20 p.m., until Sept 26
  • daily, 5 p.m., until Sept 26

Ferry from Athens to Ios

125x125Ferries to Ios depart from the port of Piraeus . The travel time is between 4 h 15 min and 8 hours, depending on the type of ferry you choose. On the high speed ferry, an economy seat costs €53 per person, one way.

During the shoulder season, the following ferries are available between Athens and Ios:

  • Saturday, 7:25 a.m., until Sept 24
  • daily, 7:30 a.m., until Sept 26

During the shoulder season, there is a ferry , daily, at 5:35 p.m., connecting Ios to Athens. The ferry runs until September 26.

>>read more about Getting from Athens to Piraeus

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