Kalymnos Karpathos Ferries

The Kalymnos Karpathos ferry route connects Dodecanese Islands with Dodecanese Islands. Currently there is just the 1 ferry company operating this ferry service, Blue Star Ferries. The crossing operates up to 1 times each week with sailing durations from around 9 hours 20 minutes.

Kalymnos Karpathos sailing durations and frequency may vary from season to season so we’d advise doing a live check to get the most up to date information.

Kalymnos Guide

Kalymnos Ferry Port

Not many nations across the world can boast to have a moniker as unique (or indeed as strange) as the “Sponge-diving Island”, of Kalymnos. The odd nickname is a throwback to the Greek island’s thriving sponge trade when local divers, armed with just a harpoon and a lungful of air, trawled the bottom of the surrounding Aegean Sea in search of so-called “Kalymnian gold”. Such is the importance of sponges to the island’s culture that an annual Sponge Week celebration is held to honour the bravery of divers through the telling of poems, the singing of songs, and even the showing of tribute films. Nowadays Kalymnos is a millionaires’ playground, teeming with wealthy Greeks who want to while away the hours in the glorious warmth of the Mediterranean sun. The island is shaped by a rough and ragged coastline and a landscape of barren hills; their steep slopes marked by solitary pine trees clinging desperately to the rocks. Yet the desolate backcountry is a stark contrast to the beauty of Kalymnos town, where a pristine promenade hugs the deep-blue waters of a bay and narrow streets play host to white-washed buildings topped with terracotta tiles. The entire town is huddled at the foot of a valley; one side coloured by a rare swathe of deep-green where the lemon and tangerine groves of Pothia grow. The port in Kalymnos covers most of the town’s waterfront and consists largely of small piers and jetties lined with yachts that roll with the gentle swell of the waves. The ferry terminal is found on the largest of these piers at the western edge of the bay, just beside a sharp-angled, S-shaped breakwater. It is a small facility consisting of little more than a car-park and a designated section of the roadside where ferries make anchor. Though the port is located in the heart of Kalymnos’ main urban centre, travelling further afield can prove difficult due to the island’s harsh terrain and largely remote nature. The best way to get around is by following the single, main road that circles around the spine of mountains that cut across the region from the south-east to the north-west. This route – regularly traversed by local buses - leads directly from the ferry terminal, slices through Kalymnos town, and snakes away to the smaller villages of Mirties, Arginonta, and Vathis. A wide range of ferry routes currently operate from the port throughout the week, most hopping to the multitude of neighbouring islands. Services hosted by Dodekanisos Seaways sail to Arki, Fournoi, Agios Kirikos, Pyhagorio, Agathonisis, Lipsi, and Chalki as well as sharing the journey to Symi, Rhodes, Tilos, Patmos, Nisyros, Leros, and Kos with Blue Star Ferries. Blue Star Ferries also travel to Astypalea, Kastelorizo and the city of Piraeus on the Greek mainland.

Karpathos Guide

Karpathos Ferry Port

The island of Karpathos is a bastion of Greek tradition. This roughhewn sliver of land, found in the far-flung reaches of Greece’s vast collection of Aegean Sea islands, has preserved many of its ancient customs and a unique island dialect. Some locals still wear the native dress too; a peculiar style of brightly-coloured patterns stitched onto fabric of contrasting black. Literary buffs will also recognise Karpathos from the pages of Homer’s epic poem the Iliad as a participant in the Trojan War. With such a deep-rooted culture and an average temperature that surpasses that of any other region in Greece, there is little wonder Karpathos has blossomed into such a popular tourist destination. During the summer, visitors flock to the island to make the most of the sultry Mediterranean warmth from one of the beaches that run in a broken chain along the rutted coastline. From here one can watch the sun set over the glistening blue surf of the Carpathian Sea. The port in Karpathos is found in the town of Karpathos that sits on the edge of a bay to the south-east. It is a small facility formed around an artificial inlet created by a single pier and a breakwater. Ferries leave from a wide spot on the surrounding promenade, just before the road tapers into the pier. Though there is no terminal building, passengers can make use of the facilities that line the curve of the promenade, including an ATM machine and a host of cafes and restaurants selling hot food and drink. Though the island is largely remote and dominated by a vista of steep, barren hills, most populated areas are well supported by a number of transport links. Though most locals travel across Karpathos’ twisting network of paved roads by car, visitors will find it far easier to make use of the year-round bus service that shuttles passengers between the major towns of Olympos, Diafani and Karpathos. Fixed-rate taxis called agoraias can also be found lurking by the harbour offering reasonably-priced trips to a range of destinations. A vast number of ferry routes currently operate from the port in Karpathos throughout the week. Services hosted by Anek Lines stretch in all directions, largely to the neighbouring islands across the Aegean Sea: Kasos, Chalki, Rhodes, Thira, Anafi, Milos, and the towns of Sitia and Heraklion on the large island of Crete. Another service makes the longer voyage north to the Greek mainland and the city of Piraeus near the centre of Athens.