How to get from Athens to the Cyclades Islands Greece

You can easily travel from Athens to the Cyclades islands in Greece by ferry, and some of the Cycladic Islands also have an airport. This guide shows you how.

Getting to the Cyclades islands in Greece to enjoy the swimming

Travel Athens to Cyclades Islands

The Cyclades islands are among some of the most popular travel destinations in Greece. Most people have heard of the big name islands like Mykonos and Santorini, but there are 22 other equally amazing inhabited Cycladic islands you can visit.

In fact, you can check out my shortlist for the best islands in the Cyclades if you're stuck which ones to travel to!

As only some of these Greek islands have International Airports, most people need to work out how to get to the Cyclades from Athens. In this guide, I'll show you the best way to fly and take a ferry from Athens to the Cyclades in Greece.

If you are tired of reading already, go and check out Ferryhopper for the latest Greek ferry schedules and timetables.

The Blue Star Athens to Ios Ferry

Flying from Athens to the Cyclades

In terms of travel time, flying to the Cyclades islands that have airports is the quickest way to get to them. However, after you've allowed travel time to the airport in Athens, and boarding procedures, perhaps there's not much of a time advantage in the end.

Although not all of the Cyclades have airports, flying can be a good option. For example, some people choose to fly into Santorini, and then go island hopping from there on the ferries, which may save 2 or 3 hours on a ferry crossing from Athens.

Mykonos island has an international airport

Islands in the Cyclades with Airports

The following Cycladic islands have airports you can fly to from Athens.

Milos Island: Olympic Air and Sky Express operate flights from Athens to Milos.

Naxos Island: Naxos is the biggest island in the Cyclades, but only has domestic flights. Sky Express and Olympic Air fly from Athens to Naxos.

Mykonos Island: Mykonos has an international airport as well as plenty of choice of domestic connections with Athens.

Paros Island: Seasonal charter flights from some European destinations make it an International Airport. Olympic Air and Sky Express enable you to fly from Athens to Paros.

Santorini Island: In addition to the International flights, Santorini also has plenty of connections with Athens on a number of different airlines.

Syros Island: Syros may be the capital of the Cyclades, but only Sky Express currently fly from Athens to Syros.

I've a full guide here to Greek islands with Airports.

Ferries from Athens to Cyclades Islands

The easiest way to travel from Athens to the Cyclades islands in Greece is by ferry. The Greek ferry network is both a masterpiece in logistics, and a somewhat confusing mass of information, half of which can never be found.

Getting ready to go aboard the Rafina to Tinos ferry

Things have been changing in the last few years though, and I personally love the Ferryhopper site for booking Greek ferry tickets online.

Direct Ferries From Athens To Cyclades

Almost all of the Cyclades Islands in Greece can be reached directly by ferry from Athens during the summer months which is the tourist season.

The touristy islands such as Mykonos will have more than one ferry per day, whilst other lesser visited islands may have only one or two boats per week. It varies from year to year.

When planning your next trip by ferry in Greece, you will see the same ferry operators crop up again and again. The biggest of these are Blue Star Ferries and SeaJets.

As a general rule, fast ferries such as those operated by SeaJets are more expensive. Conventional ferries such as those mainly operated by Blue Star Ferries are cheaper.

Ferry Ports in Athens

Athens has three ferry ports which connect with the Cyclades islands. Piraeus is the most well known port, whilst Rafina and Lavrio ports are smaller.

Taking a Fast Ferry from Rafina

Wherever possible I prefer to use Rafina port, as it is a lot less stressful than Piraeus in terms of finding out where I need to be!

If you have a choice in which port from Athens you'll leave from to go the to Cyclades, you might also consider Rafina especially if you are traveling in a vehicle. If you don't have a choice, then it doesn't matter anyway!

How to get to Cyclades from Athens

If you're planning to go island hopping in Greece, you'll definitely find that Ferryhopper is the best online tool to use. I also have these other in-depth guides on how to get from Athens to islands in the Cyclades.

How to get from Athens to the Cyclades islands in Greece

Greek Island Hopping from Athens FAQ

Readers planning to island hop from Athens in Greece often have similar questions to ask such as:

How do I get to the Cyclades from Athens?

Some popular Greek islands in the Cyclades such as Mykonos and Santorini have airports, and you can take direct flights there from Athens International Airport. Other islands can only be reached by ferry.

Can you island hop from Athens?

Of course! Athens is a great start or end point for a Greek island hopping adventure in the Cyclades, with direct ferries available to all the popular destinations such as Paros, Santorini and Mykonos.

Which Greek island is closest to Athens?

The closest Greek island to Athens is Salamina.

Is it easy to get to Greek islands from Athens?

The Greek capital Athens is well connected with the islands by both air and sea. Athens is a good start or end point for international visitors on the Cyclades travel adventure.

Which island in the Cyclades group has the best beaches?

Many tourists believe that Mykonos has the most beautiful beaches, but other islands such as Milos, Tinos and Ios also have amazing beaches to spend time on.


Which one is Dave Briggs and which one is the donkey on SchinoussaDave Briggs

Dave is a travel writer originally from the UK and now living in Greece. He started this travel blog in 2005, and over the years has written hundreds of travel blog posts about Greece and the Cyclades islands. He has a somewhat ambitious goal of visiting every Greek island (there's over 200!) and writing about them.

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