Greek Islands Easily Accessible by Sea or Air

Greece is easy to reach from most of Europe, especially by sea and air. Traveling by land is also an option but takes longer. So, let's see which Greek islands are easiest to reach by ferry or plane, noting that with a few more hours, practically all of them can be reached without too much hassle.

Among the Greek islands easily reachable by air are, of course, all those with international airports (see also the article “Which Greek islands have an airport and are reachable by plane”).

As for the islands reachable by ferry or hydrofoil from Western European ports, the Ionian Islands are the most accessible, being the closest to the Adriatic coast. The main companies that reach them are: Anek-Superfast, Red Star Ferries, Ventouris Ferries, Minoan Lines-Grimaldi Euromed, European Seaways, and Liberty Lines.

Below is a list of the Greek islands, in alphabetical order, that are easiest to reach either by sea (specifying departure ports and travel times) or by air (indicating the airport and its distance from the main town on the island).

Cephalonia (Ionian)

Direct ferries from Brindisi (15 hours).
International Airport of Argostoli (9 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Cephalonia
🛳️ Find a ferry to Cephalonia

Corfu (Ionian)

Direct ferries from Venice (26.5 hours), Ancona (15-17 hours), Bari (7 hours) and Brindisi (9 hours). Hydrofoil from Otranto (2.5 hours).
International Airport Ioannis Kapodistrias (3 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Corfu
🛳️ Find a ferry to Corfu

Crete

International Airport Nikos Kazantzakis (5 km from Heraklion) and International Airport Ioannis Daskalogiannis (15 km from Chania).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Crete
🛳️ Find a ferry to Crete

Lefkada (Ionian)

Aktion National Airport (near Preveza, 20 km from the island).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Lefkada
🛳️ Find a ferry to Lefkada

Karpathos (Dodecanese)

International Airport Amoopi (15 kilometers from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Karpathos
🛳️ Find a ferry to Karpathos

Kos (Dodecanese)

International Airport Ippokratis (24 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Kos
🛳️ Find a ferry to Kos

Limnos (North Aegean)

International Airport Hephaestus (19 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Limnos
🛳️ Find a ferry to Limnos

Lesbos (North Aegean)

International Airport Odysseas Elytis (13 kilometers from the capital).

To book a ferry to Lesbos go to this site.

Mykonos (Cyclades)

International Airport of Mykonos (4 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Mykonos
🛳️ Find a ferry to Mykonos

Paxos (Ionian)

Direct ferry from Brindisi (15 hours) or hydrofoil from Otranto (3.5 hours).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Paxos
🛳️ Find a ferry to Paxos

Rhodes (Dodecanese)

International Airport Diagoras (15 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Rhodes
🛳️ Find a ferry to Rhodes

Samos (North Aegean)

International Airport Aristarchos (14 km from the capital).

To book a ferry to Samos go to this site.

Santorini (Cyclades)

International Airport of Santorini (7 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Santorini
🛳️ Find a ferry to Santorini

Skiathos (Sporades)

International Airport Alexandros Papadiamantis (2 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Skiathos
🛳️ Find a ferry to Skiathos

Zakynthos (Ionian)

Direct ferries from Bari (19.5 hours) and Brindisi (19 hours).
International Airport Dionysios Solomos (4 km from the capital).

🏡 See the best hotels and studios in Zakynthos
🛳️ Find a ferry to Zakynthos