How do I get there?
The “simplest” way to get to the island from mainland Greece is by conventional ferry, which leaves the port of Piraeus from Gate E1. The company that runs the routes is Blue Star Ferries and the journey takes about 8 hours. The arrival time in Patmos is either early in the evening or quite late at night, depending on the itinerary of your choice. This means that you will need to factor in your accommodation and the evening of your arrival.
Find out the details of the itineraries here and buy your tickets at the same time if you wish.
For your information, the other islands that the ferry approaches, depending on the route you choose, are Syros, (before Patmos), Lipsos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Symi, Rhodes and Karpathos. Also, during the summer period there is a connection between Patmos and Northern Greece.
Although we said at the beginning that this is probably the “easiest” way to get to Patmos, alternatively you can fly by plane to one of the nearby islands – since Patmos has no airport – and then take a ferry to the island. In this case there are several alternatives and various options in terms of ferry connections.
The nearest airport is that of Leros, in Partheni. However, it is a small airport and therefore does not serve large planes. This implies a difficulty in ticket availability. You can search for your flights here. From the airport you will need to take a taxi to either St. Marina, or in Lakki, from where the respective routes to Patmos depart. Find the details for the ferry routes here.
The next airport is Kos which is international, which means that there are several flights from Greece and also directly from abroad, with bigger planes and it’s easy to find tickets. You can search for flights here. Kos airport is about 30 km from the main port of the island, so you will need transportation and good timing for your ferry connection. Find out the details of the routes here. In case you think that the response is marginal, there is a “trick” that sometimes works: relatively close to Kos airport there is a small port in Mastichari. From there you can take a local transport boat and in half an hour you can reach Kalymnos, which is just across the road. From there you can catch the ferry that you would normally take from the port of Kos to Patmos.
Finally, there is the airport of Samos, which is also international. You can search for flights here. Samos airport is located in Pythagorio, quite close to the harbour – 10 to 15 minutes by taxi – where you will find your connection to Patmos. Find out about the ferry schedules here.
Φυσικά, υπάρχει και η επιλογή να πετάξετε απευθείας στο νησί, μισθώνοντας κάποιο ελικόπτερο από τις εταιρίες που δραστηριοποιούνται σχετικά. Οι απευθείας πτήσεις από την Αθήνα διαρκούν λίγο περισσότερο από μία ώρα και αυτό εξαρτάται από τον τύπο του ελικοπτέρου, αλλά και από τον σχεδιασμό του ταξιδιού. Το κόστος διαμορφώνεται ανάλογα με τις επιλογές που θα κάνετε σχετικά με το αεροσκάφος, ενώ πρόσφατα υπάρχουν και εταιρίες που προσφέρουν “τακτικά” προγραμματισμένα δρομολόγια, στα οποία η χρέωση του ναύλου γίνεται ανά άτομο. Δηλαδή ουσιαστικά μοιράζεστε την πτήση σας με άλλους επιβάτες, με αποτέλεσμα το κόστος να είναι αρκετά “προσιτό” – σε σχέση πάντα με το μέσον και τις δυνατότητες που προσφέρει. Το σίγουρο είναι, ότι στην περίπτωση αυτή, θα φτάσετε ξεκούραστα και με απαράμιλλο στιλ, απολαμβάνοντας ταυτόχρονα και μία μοναδική εμπειρία!
Contact with local Port Authorities
Pireus: +30 213 2147600
Patmos: +30 22470 31231
Leros: +30 22470 23256
Kos: +30 22420 26594
Samos: +30 22730 27318
