There are no direct flights to Ios. Flights can be taken to the Mainland, Athens and from there you take a ferry. Or alternatively you can take a flight to Santorini and take a ferry from there to Ios.

 

FERRY FROM ATHENS TO IOS

Ios is connected by ferry with two ports of Athens: Piraeus and Rafina. Piraeus is the main and biggest port of the Greek Capital, situated only 12km away from the city center and has 2-4 daily ferry crossings to Ios. Rafina is the easthern port of Athens, located near the Airport and has one daily ferry crossing to Ios.

• How long is the ferry trip from Athens to Ios?
The duration of the ferry trip from Athens to Ios varies from a minimum of 3h55m to a maximum of 9 hours, whereas an average time is 6 hours. This depends on the type of vessel (conventional or high-speed), the port of departure (Piraeus or Rafina), the in-between stops to other islands and of course in some rare occasions the weather. Depending on which ferry you take, they will stop at Paros, Naxos and Mykonos before arriving in Ios.

• How much is the ferry from Athens to Ios?
Prices depend on the ferry type (conventional or high-speed) and the port of departure (Piraeus or Rafina). Some indicative prices are:

• €35.5 for the conventional Blue Star Ferry from Piraeus with trip duration 6 hours and 40 minutes.
• €59.9 for the high-speed ferry with Seajet from Piraeus and trip duration 3 hours and 55 minutes.
• €55 for the high-speed Golden Star Ferry from Piraeus with trip duration 6 hours and 15 minutes.
• €36.5 for the conventional Zante Ferries from Piraeus and trip duration 9 hours and 45 minutes.
• €54 for the high-speed Golden Star Ferry from Rafina with trip duration 4 hours and 55 minutes.

 

• What ferries are operating from Athens to Ios?
There are two types of vessels operating the route from Athens to Ios, the conventional ferries mainly run by Blue Star Ferry and Zante Ferries and high-speed ferries run by Seajet and Golden star companies.

> Conventional ferries
The conventional type of ferry is a big vessel with many indoors, outdoors spaces and a garage. If you are traveling with a dog, there is an organised kennel but depending on the vessel you can also keep your dog with you on the deck. You will find restaurants, fast food eateries, cafes and small shops with magazines and more whereas there is air conditioning in all the interior spaces. The trip with a conventional Blue Star Ferry is the most popular. Bad weather conditions such as strong winds, do not affect this type of vessel very much, and are always on time. Also the trip is much more pleasant because due to its size and spaces, you can enjoy the beautiful sea views and have lunch or coffee. Last but not least, a big advantage of this ferry type is that with an extra fee you can take your car with you to Ios.
Types of seats: the Deck/Economy, the Air seats/Economy, Air seat/Business, and cabins with/without view.
Price range: €35.5 – €40.
Vehicule: €28.5 (Moto), €91.5 (Car)
Timetable: During the summer season, there are at least 5 schedules per week for this type of vessel to/from Piraeus/Ios.

> High-Speed ferries
The high-speed ferries are smaller in size ferries that run faster. There are no outdoor spaces and passengers remain in the indoor area. There are only numbered airplane type seats and only one coffee shop where you can buy a coffee, a refreshment or a snack. Inside the vessel there is an air conditioning system. The Seajet ferry has a garage and you can carry your car from Athens to Ios but this is not always necessarily the case with high-speed ferries. The big advantage for choosing high-speed ferries is that they go faster and the price is relatively not much higher than the conventional ferry. Unfortunately, because they are small vessels, bad weather conditions affect them easily and it has been noticed that many delays occur very often. In case you are travelling with strong winds, you might feel a bit sea sick nauseous.
Types seats: Airplane seat/Economy, Airplane seat/Business and Airplane seat/Vip.
Price range: €59.9- €85
Vehicule price range: Seajet €22 (moto) – €89 (car)
Timetable: During the summer season, there are 2 schedules per day for this type of vessel to/from Piraeus/Ios and one daily ferry crossing to/from Rafina/Ios

• Indicative Timetables

•       From Piraeus to Ios:
• • 06:50 am Golden Star Ferries (6h15m)
• • 07:00 am Seajets (3h55m)
• • 07:00 am Zante Ferries (9h5m)
• • 17:30 pm Blue Star Ferries (6h40m)
• From Ios to Piraeus
• • 07:55 am Blue Star Ferries (6h50m)
• • 11:05 am Golden Star Ferries (6h15m)
• • 12:55 pm Seajets (4h5m)
• • 20:05 pm Zante Ferries (8h30m)

 

There are several ways to get to Piraeus Port from Athens Airport:

• – By Bus – take the x96 bus. It’s only €5.00 per person, clean, air conditioned and just as fast as taking a taxi. The bus from Athens to the port of Piraeus takes about 1 hour to 1.5 hours depending on traffic. The bus leaves every 20 minutes during the day and every 40 minutes at night (22:30 – 05:00). You need to buy a ticket before boarding the bus from the kiosk outside arrivals, and remember to validate your ticket in the yellow box when you get on the bus.

• – By Metro – the train station is connected to the airport. Take the Blue line (M3) from Athens Airport to Monastiraki, then change onto the Green line (M1) to Piraeus which is the last stop and right in front of the port. There are discounts available for additional people e.g. for 1 person to travel the cost is €8.00, for 2 people it is only €14 and for 3 it is €20. Trains run every 30 minutes (on the hour and half hour) from 05:30 – 00:15 (02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays). The journey takes about 1 hour. Enlarge the Athens Metro Map by clicking on the image to the right for more information.

 

• – By Taxi – there is no flat rate for travel by taxi from the airport to Piraeus Port. The journey is about 40-60 minutes and it should cost about €50 during the day and about €65 at night.

 

 

FERRY FROM SANTORINI TO IOS

Ios is connected with Santorini with 5 daily ferry crossings which makes access between the two islands very easy. Santorini has an international airport and many visitors, in order to avoid spending too much time on a ferry, choose to fly to Santorini and take the ferry to Ios from there.

• How long is the ferry from Santorini to Ios?
The time duration by ferry from Santorini to Ios from 35m to 4h5m depending on the ferry type.

• How much is the ferry from Santorini to Ios?
The ferry ticket from Santorini to Ios costs €7 – €32.8 depending on the ferry type.

• Indicative Timetable

• From Santorini to Ios
• • 06:45 am Blue Star Ferries (55m)
• • 10:00 am Seajet (35m)
• • 12:10 pm Seajet (35m)
• • 12:15 pm Golden Star Ferries (50m)
• • 14:30 pm Golden Star Ferries (45m)
• From Ios to Santorini
• • 11:00 am Seajet (30m)
• • 11:05 am Golden Star Ferry (35m)
• • 11:35 am Golden Star Ferry (40m)
• • 14:10 pm Seajet (40m)

 

 

 

FERRY FROM MYKONOS TO IOS

Ios is connected with Mykonos with 3-4 daily ferry crossings by the high-speed vessels of Seajet and Golden Star. Mykonos has an international airport and many visitors, in order to avoid spending too much time on a ferry, choose to fly to Mykonos and take the ferry from there.

• How long is the ferry from Mykonos to Ios?
The trip duration is from Mykonos to Ios is from 1h5m to 2h10m.

• How much is the ferry from Mykonos to Ios?
The ferry ticket from Mykonos to Ios costs €51- €53.8 depending on the ferry type.

• Indicative Timetable

• From Mykonos to Ios
• • 08:45 am Golden Star Ferries (2h10m)
• • 09:50 am Seajets (1h5m)
• • 09:50 am Golden Star Ferries (1h30m)
• • 12:40 pm Seajets (1h25m)
• From Ios to Mykonos
• • 12:55 pm Seajets (1h5m)
• • 13:15 pm Golden Star Ferries (2h20m)
• • 15:30 pm Golden Star Ferries (1h55m)

 

 

 

FERRY FROM PAROS TO IOS

Ios is connected with Paros by a daily high-speed Golden Star ferry and a conventional Blue Star Ferry a few days per week.

• How long is the ferry from Paros to Ios?
The duration time by ferry from Paros to Ios is from 1h5m to 3h20m.

• How much is the ferry from Paros to Ios?
The ferry ticket from Paros to Ios costs minimum €9.5 and maximum €31.

Indicative Timetable

• From Paros to Ios
• • 09:05 am Golden Star (1h5m)
• • 15:15 pm Blue Star Ferries (3h10m)
• • 22:00 pm Blue Star Ferries (2h10m)
• From Ios to Paros
• • 07:55 am Blue Star Ferries (2h20m)
• • 13:15 pm Golden Star Ferries (1h10m)

 

 

 

FERRY FROM NAXOS TO IOS

Ios is connected with Naxos by high-speed and conventional ferries and transportation between the two islands is very easy.

• How long is the ferry from Naxos to Ios?
The duration time by ferry from Naxos to Ios is from 40m to 1h5m.

• How much is the ferry from Naxos to Ios?
The ferry ticket from Naxos to Ios costs €14.50 with Blue Star, €33 with Golden Star and €33.80 with Seajet.

• Indicative Timetable

• From Naxos to Ios
• • 10:40 am Golden Star Ferries (40m)
• • 13:25 pm Seajets (40m)
• • 23:05 pm Blue Star Ferries (1h5m)
• From Ios to Naxos
• • 07:55 am Blue Star Ferries (1h5m)
• • 10:40 am Seajets (40m)
• • 13:55 pm Golden Star Ferries (50m)

 

 

 

FERRY FROM CRETE TO IOS

Ios is also accessible from Crete and more specifically via a high-speed Seajet from the port of Heraklio with a daily ferry crossing.

• How long is the ferry from Crete to Ios?
The duration time by ferry from Milos to Ios is 2 hours and 35 minutes.

• How much is the ferry from Crete to Ios?
The ferry ticket from Crete (Heraklio) to Ios costs €69.80.

• Indicative Timetable

• From Crete (Heraklion) to Ios
• • 08:00 am Seajets (2h35m)
• From Ios to Crete (Heraklion)
• • 14:10 pm Seajets (3h5m)