Planning to fly to the Greek islands? Here is everything you need to know for a smooth flight experience when visiting Greece.
Flying To The Greek Islands
Flying to the Greek islands offers a fast and convenient way to reach some of the most beautiful and popular destinations in Greece. Among the numerous islands scattered across the Aegean and Ionian Seas, many have airports that handle international or domestic flights.
Whether you want to visit the bustling Mykonos and Santorini, or less-traveled gems like Kalymnos or Karpathos, flying can significantly cut down on travel time, and can be an efficient way to begin your Greek vacation.
I’m Vanessa from Athens, and have taken countless flights within Greece over the last few years. Here is a handy guide on flights to and from the Greek islands, which will help you plan your dream Greek trip!
Greek Islands With Airports
There are well over 100 inhabited islands in Greece. About a quarter of those have an airport, whereas the rest of them are only accessible by sea.
These islands are organized in six island groups, plus two standalone islands. Here is my detailed guide to the Greek island groups.
The table below shows the islands with international and domestic airports in Greece, as well as the main islands in each island group with no airport.
You can find more information in this article: 26 Greek islands with an airport.
Let’s have a look the Cyclades group:
- Two islands, Mykonos and Santorini, have international airports. This means that there are direct flights to these two islands from certain airports outside Greece, and also from Athens, the largest city and capital of Greece.
- Four islands, Paros, Naxos, Milos and Syros, have small domestic airports. This means that you can fly there from Athens, and possibly other Greek cities like Thessaloniki, but there are no direct flights from other countries.
- The rest of the Cyclades islands only have ferry ports. If you want to travel to any of those, you will need to take a ferry either from the ports of Athens, or from one of the nearby islands. Ferry routes and tickets are available on various platforms, such as Ferryscanner and Ferryhopper.
Check for direct international flights to the Greek islands
Hers is an example:
Let’s say that you want to visit Amorgos, which has no airport, and therefore you’ll have to take a ferry. You could take a ferry from Piraeus port in Athens (9-10 hours), a ferry from Mykonos (2 hours) or a ferry from Santorini (1 hour 15 minutes).
In cases like that, it would make sense to fly directly to Santorini, and then catch the fast ferry to Amorgos, rather than land in Athens and then take the ferry. Here is my complete guide on how to get to Amorgos.
You can use a similar procedure to get to any island without an airport. For instance, you can fly to Rhodes in the Dodecanese, and then take a ferry to Symi, Nisyros, Tilos, and other nearby islands.
Flying To The Greek Islands: What You Need To Know
And now, here are a few things you need to know before taking a flight to any of the Greek islands:
International flights to the Greek islands
International flights to Greek island airports are run by various airlines, some of which are low cost.
Here are a few examples of airlines flying to the Greek islands: Aegean Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Lufthansa, Swiss, Vueling, EasyJet, RyanAir, Wizz, Transavia, Volotea, Eurowings and Jet2. Each of them have their own pricing and luggage policy, so you’d need to research the one that suits you best.
It’s important to point out that direct flights to the Greek islands from abroad are seasonal, and only operate during spring, summer and autumn. If you want to visit the islands during the off-season, you will first need to fly into the Athens International airport, and then take a short domestic flight.
Domestic flights to the Greek islands
The main air carriers flying within Greece are Aegean Airlines / Olympic Air and Sky Express. They both offer several types of fares, which all have different baggage allowances and cancellation policies, so make sure you get the one you need.
In my personal experience, Sky Express usually offers better deals than Aegean Airlines / Olympic Air, but it’s always best to compare the two.
The low-cost company Ryanair also flies certain domestic routes on some years. However, while they can often be quite cheap compared to the other two companies, their luggage pricing policy usually pushes up the total price of the airfare.
Generally speaking, domestic flights from Athens to any of the islands take anywhere between about 40 and 60 minutes. It’s recommended to be at the Athens airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, or longer if you have checked luggage.
In all honesty, domestic flights in Greece are so quick that it probably makes the most sense to catch the one that best suits your schedule and / or budget.
Local airports on the Greek islands
Major islands like Crete and Rhodes have larger international airports. During the peak season, there are frequent flights from many European countries, and the airports can get super busy.
At the same time, many of the island airports are quite compact, and the runways are not big enough to accommodate large planes. As a result, domestic flights in Greece are often operated by small airplanes / propeller airplanes.
The increasingly popular destinations of Milos and Naxos both have very small airports. Here is what the Naxos airport currently looks like!
Usually, smaller islands only have a limited number of daily flights, and they can fill up pretty fast, so it’s best to get your airtickets early.
Baggage allowance
My number one tip for flying to the Greek islands: Regardless of which air carrier and type of fare you choose, make sure you stick to the baggage allowance. Fines for oversized or overweight luggage are steep.
If you are traveling with only a carry on, double-check the maximum dimensions of the piece of luggage you are allowed to take on board. Many aircrafts flying domestically have smaller overhead lockers than the ones you might be used to.
If you can, go to the islands with carry-on only. You can leave your extra bags at your hotel, or the 24/7 left luggage storage facility at the Athens Airport. This way, your airfare will be lower, and you will minimize your chances of your luggage getting lost.
Delays, cancellations, lost luggage
Domestic flights can be delayed and, in rare circumstances, cancelled. This could be because of winds, or other unforeseen circumstances. If you are flying back home from the Athens airport after returning from an island, it’s always best to spend your last evening(s) in the Greek capital.
Irrespective of this, there’s always a chance that your checked luggage might get lost or delayed. This happens fairly frequently on the Milos – Athens route, as planes are often full and pilots don’t want to risk carrying overweight luggage.
Again, consider flying with hand-luggage only. It’s definitely doable – here’s my guide on packing for Greece.
Conveyor belt at Naxos airport (!)
Overall, it’s always a good idea to allow some flexibility in your travel plans, just in case. Having travel insurance is also a good idea.
Airfares to the Greek islands
If you are flying from Europe, you can often find better deals by flying to one of the islands, as opposed to Athens. Search engines like Skyscanner, Kayak, Google Flights or similar are very handy to compare routes and prices.
At the same time, domestic flight prices within Greece can be surprisingly high, especially if booked last minute. Given that some of the airplanes used on domestic routes are very small, seats can sell out. It’s always best to book them a few months before your trip, or as soon as you know your travel dates.
Both Aegean Airlines and Sky Express often announce special promotions and discounts for flights within Greece, so you can join their newsletters to find out about the best deals.
Airplane accessibility
In order to get on (and off) the plane, you will often need to walk up (and down) a steep staircase. Take that into account if you have difficulties carrying a carry-on.
The airline crew will assist wheelchair users and people with mobility issues, but you should be able to carry your own luggage without help.
Food and drink on the airplane
Given that domestic flights in Greece are quite short, the airline won’t always offer a beverage or snack. Feel free to bring your own if you prefer.
Security measures on domestic planes
The usual security measures are in place on domestic flights. If you have a carry-on, make sure that any bottles containing liquids are no bigger than 100 ml.
Flights between the Greek islands
In some cases, there are direct flights between islands. As an example, you can fly directly from Heraklion in Crete to Rhodes and vice versa.
However, as a rule, in order to fly from one island with an airport to another, you’ll have to go through Athens.
So, if you wanted to fly from Paros to Naxos, you’d first fly from Paros to Athens, and then from Athens to Naxos. However, as Paros and Naxos are very close to each other, it makes much more sense to take a ferry.
Transportation to your island accommodation
Once you’ve reached your destination, there will sometimes be public buses available to take you to the major towns and resorts on your island of choice. However, there are some islands where there isn’t a bus to and from the airport, or the route won’t be suitable for you.
Other options include taking a taxi, using a pre-booked transfer, or hiring a car. Your hotel will also be able to book a transfer for you, usually for a small extra cost.
In order to find information about bus schedules on the islands, you can use Google (or, even better, Duck Duck Go), and type in the acronym “KTEL” and the name of the island you’d like to go to. For example, this is the website for bus services in Santorini: KTEL Santorini.
When flying over Greece, don’t forget to look out of the window!
I’ll leave you with one last tip!
If you can, get a window seat. This way, you’ll be able to see Greece from above – I never ever get tired of this sight!
More guides about travelling in Greece
Hope you found this guide on flying to the Greek islands helpful! Have a look at these other travel tips for Greece:
Hi! I’m Vanessa from Athens and I love travelling around Greece and the Greek islands. Follow me on my social media:
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