Finding Your Way Here

Some arrive by sea, some by air.

All roads lead to the same island, the same welcome

For those avoiding the plane

Most of our visitors and volunteers arrive without setting foot on a plane. Skiathos is well-connected by ferry, and the journey itself, through the Greek mainland, across the Aegean, is part of the adventure.

http://www.openseas.gr/ is the site we always turn to for ferry schedules, it covers all the main routes.

Coming via Volos

The main port for ferries to Skiathos is Volos, a lovely city on the edge of the Pelion peninsula. During the quieter months of the year, boats tend to leave early, usually before 8:00, so you will need to spend the night in Volos before catching your ferry. It is actually a lovely excuse to slow down and arrive gently.

You can reach Volos by bus from both Athens and Thessaloniki. Volos sits almost exactly halfway between the two cities, which makes it easy to combine with other plans. There are trains too, but we honestly wouldn’t recommend them, the rail network in Greece is not known as a safe option.

Volos sits at the foot of Pelion, one of the most storied peninsulas in Greece, home of the Centaurs, birthplace of the Argonautic myth. Wander up into the mountain villages of Makrinitsa or Zagora, find the ski resort hidden in the forest, then come back down to the sea. It is a worthy detour before the ferry. On the other side of the peninsula, the small village of Katigiorgi has a water taxi (LINK HERE) that goes directly to Skiathos. A beautiful way to arrive.

Other ways to reach us

Volos is the main port, but it is not the only one. A few times a week, there is also a ferry from Kymasi, the small port of Mantoudi on the island of Evia. If you are coming from Athens, this is often the easiest option of all: there is a direct bus from Athens timed to arrive exactly as the boat does. Just make sure you take the bus to Kymasi, the port, not to Mantoudi village (you can find the bus schedule HERE). Those are two different stops, and you want the one by the water.

In high season, usually July and August, some years bring a direct ferry from Thessaloniki too. Worth checking if that is where your journey starts.

For all schedules, openseas.gr is our go-to.

Coming by plane

If flying is your way to travel, Skiathos has its own small airport, right on the edge of town. In winter, two Greek carriers connect it to Athens: Olympic Air and Sky Express, with around four flights a week each. Given the very early ferry departures from Volos, flying can actually end up being the simpler, and sometimes even cheaper, option during the quieter months.

In summer, the airport comes alive. Jet2, Ryanair and easyJet operate most of the seasonal flights, with Jet2 flying directly from seven UK cities including Manchester, London, Leeds, Bristol and Nottingham, and easyJet connecting from Naples, Milan, Basel, London and Manchester. Ryanair brings direct flights from ten cities, including Rome, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. There are also connections from Austria, Switzerland, France and beyond.

If you are coming from Belgium or northern France, there is also a direct Ryanair flight worth knowing about. From June to October 2026, Ryanair operates a route between Charleroi and Volos, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. From Volos, of course, you are just a ferry ride away.

If you cannot find a direct flight, Athens is always a reliable stepping stone. Both Olympic Air and Sky Express run daily connections to Skiathos in the summer, though they tend to announce their schedules quite last minute, usually just before the season begins. Worth checking back closer to your travel date.