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Having done a bit of research on getting to this island (for early or late summer 2025) it seems the best options are to fly via athens or other greek airport (aegean airlines/sky express) or ferry from athens or other port. From what I have read the aircraft for the last hop is not a great experience and the ferry journeys are long.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Perhaps the last hop, flying is not so bad or there is a fast ferry from somewhere (I get sea sick). Does anyone have an experience to share please?
Flying is fine.
Not sure what sort of bad experience people have had in a flight that is barely 45 minutes. Is it because it’s an ATR instead of a A320 jet?
Ferry is too long – not worth it if you’re not there for too much time.
Not been to Ikaria, so this is based on extensive experience of nearby islands.
The flight from Athens is fine. For a very small premium you can usually get fast track and lounge access with Sky Express, although the lounge isn’t great and I’ve never seen a queue in standard security. The seats will be a bit squashed on the plane and hand luggage space is scarce, but it’s a short trip. If you’re taking advantage of a Club Europe weight allowance, you’ll pay handsomely for your heavier suitcase with Sky Express. Hand luggage also has a weight limit; it’s not normally checked, but it has happened to me at least once. I personally wouldn’t want a same-day connection on two tickets and BA has no code sharing facilities to most (maybe all) islands, so you may need to stay in Athens overnight. The Sofitel in the airport is walkable, convenient and pleasant, but outrageously expensive. Depending on budget, you may need to stay offsite.
The trip to Piraeus for the ferry is quite long – it can take up to an hour in a taxi and longer on public transport – and Piraeus itself is no place of beauty where you might want to linger. Ferries usually leave Piraeus very early in the morning, so you will want an afternoon flight from the UK and then find a port hotel close to the terminal. Having said that, once you’re on the ferry, it’s infinitely preferable to a flight. If you pay the small premium for business class on the ferry, you’ll have acres of space and epic views, although note that all food and drink has be paid for in all classes. Frustratingly, ferry timetables (I recommend FerryHopper) aren’t released until much later than the flight schedules, so you have to run the risk of flights being full if no suitable ferry runs on your preferred day. Definitely don’t go for a same-day connecting ferry journey, as the risk of being stranded due to a missed connection is too high.
I normally find the ferry times too inconvenient on the outward journey; homebound, the ferries usually work much better and that’s my preference. I enjoy the ferry journey much more than a flight, but sometimes practicality trumps pleasure. Next year, I’ll be taking the ferry in both directions.
One final observation: high speed ferries roll more in bad weather and are a high risk option if you suffer from sea sickness. Normally the sea is dead calm, but I’ve seen bad storms in Greece across spring, summer and autumn – even in August.
You are essentially looking into getting in one of the least well connected islands, yet one of the best to experience. This means that you will either have to compromise on a ferry trip or a smaller aircraft. I would go with the latter to save time and enjoy the island and its relaxed festive spirit.
I would not attempt taking a fast ferry journey because the sail to Ikaria is in more open waters in the Aegean sea. As a result, it can be rather exciting with the high winds especially if you are easily getting sea sick.
I’ll add another +1 for flying, especially if you are prone to sea sickness! Good full post from @jj
Not been to Ikaria, but looks lovely. If you get sea sick, I would definitely fly. A few years ago a large group of us went on holiday in August to Pserimos. We flew to Kos and then took a small ferry. My kids thought it an amazing experience with dolphins following the boat. However a number of the group were sea sick, some before we left the harbour!
ATR flight for 45 mins or so is absolutely fine.
Sit at the rear if you can.
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