First arrive in Athens. Assuming you’re coming by flight, you’ll find my best travel tips below…

Athens airport

Here you will find the best tips on how to find your way around the airport

Luggage storage – currency exchange – bus/metro to the city or to the port etc.

Hotels near Athens Airport

If you arrive late and don’t want to search too much. Or when you return home your flight leaves at the crack of dawn. Here is a link for the best hotels around Athens Airport

Stopover in Athens

Athens is a cool global metropolis. A visit is always worthwhile! There is so much to explore! How to get into the city in the most relaxed way. By bus or metro. My hotel suggestions for Athens and some tips for a cool stopover in Athens. Trust me, it will be an unforgettable stay!

Piraeus port

From the airport there is a direct express bus Travel time approx. 1 hour if you don’t get caught in a traffic jam during rush hour. I always plan at least 2 hours because the bus only leaves the airport every 30 minutes. The ticket costs just under €10. You can also take the metro to Piraeus, but it is more expensive and you have to change in Syntagma with all your luggage. Advantage: no risk of traffic jams. Still, I recommend the bus! Under no circumstances should you take a taxi from the airport, it will cost over €50! Normally the ships to and from Ikaria dock at Gate E1. (no guarantee!) From the Piraeus metro station there is a small shuttle bus to the gate and back. And there is also a taxi rank right next to the ship if you want to go to a hotel in the city when you arrive from Ikaria.

Harbor map

A boat trip also has its charm! You can watch the arrival and departure of the large ferries, the maneuvering of the trailers onto the ferry, the unloading of all important goods onto the islands and it is spectacular how chaotic everything seems and yet everything works. In Evdilos or Agios Kyrikos there is this beautiful harbor, its peaceful hustle and bustle and the scent, the typical Ikaria scent. Ikaria has two ports, Evdilos on the north side and Agios Kyrikos on the south side. The journey time from Piraeus to Ikaria takes between 7 and 9 hours.

The current Hellenic Seaways timetables

Ferry tickets are sold in a small booth in front of the ship. You can also pick up online tickets there. These offices are open two hours before departure. In high season (July/August), booking in advance is recommended, especially if you have your car with you or want a cabin. And you should get on the ship as early as possible.

In summer there are various inexpensive charter planes that fly directly to Samos. From there it’s only a three-hour ferry ride to Ikaria.

For more information about timetables and ticket costs: Hellenic Seaways

If the weather is good, a smaller ship also sails: timetable Panagia Theotokou from Karlovassi Samos via Fournoi to Agios Kyrikos. If you want to stay overnight nearby, I recommend the Evon’s Rooms in Faros.

On Samos the plane arrives outside Pythagorion. At Pythagorion airport you can now take the more expensive taxi (€20, I think) or the bus (€2!!). The bus stops at the airport a little to the right of the taxi rank.

Depending on the time, you could look at Pythagorion, have a leisurely meal at the small harbor, stroll around and then take the bus from Pythagorion to Vathi or Karlovassi. The bus ride is very Greek, very scenic and doesn’t take that long.

The bus stops in Samosstadt (Vathi) at a very nice kafenion, with bus information, lots of students leaving from there and delicious yogurt with fruit. In Vathi there is a beautiful little church right above the ferry port and a shady park behind the bus stop. (Info from my dear friend Kirsten). You can find out what else is worth doing in Samos in this travel guide.

If you want to enjoy a few days in Samos

Then I recommend the cozy Hotel Remezzo in Pythagotion. This selection of travel guides about Samos on Amazon offers you good reading and you can also get a good map for your trips.

You could also combine a week’s hiking holiday in Samos with your Ikaria holiday.

Dodekanissos Seaway sails Agios Kyrikos from May to September! This makes island hopping child’s play. You can now fly to Samos or Kos and from there come over to us on the super-fast speedboat! Suddenly, years of insurmountable distances have become very close! :-) I have written down ideas and tips here.

I also find traveling via Mykonos an interesting option. Most charter airlines fly to the island from a variety of destinations. For a cheap flight, it’s best to consult the flight search engine Momondo. With one click you can see which flight is the cheapest, the fastest or the best combination of both on which day.