How to get to Tinos

How to get here

Tinos has no airport. You come by boat — and it is simpler than it sounds.

From Athens

Two ports, and the choice depends on where you already are.

Rafina. The right port if you land at Athens airport and travel on the same day. The airport is very close.

Piraeus. The right port if you spend a night in Athens or are coming from the city centre.

How long. It depends on the boat, not the port. Fast ferries take about two hours. Conventional ferries take three and a half to four hours. They are cheaper, steadier in strong wind, and take cars without any trouble.

See sailings for your dates

From Mykonos

Mykonos has direct flights from many European cities. From its port there are plenty of boats to Tinos, and the crossing takes fifteen to twenty minutes.

For a family coming from far away, it is often the least tiring route.

Mykonos – Tinos sailings

Timetables and tickets

Timetables change every year, with the season and with the companies running the route. That is why I do not list them here: they would be wrong within a few months.

Check live for your dates

If you run into difficulty, send me your dates and I will confirm the crossings for you.

In winter

From November to March there are fewer sailings, but there is a departure every day — usually one boat from Piraeus and another from Rafina. The companies change their timetables, so always check for your dates.

In very bad weather, sailings are sometimes banned. It happens, and it usually lasts a day. For winter stays this is written explicitly into the cancellation terms — you do not pay for nights you did not spend here.

The car

A car is essential. The house sits on the hillside above Kardiani Bay, below the village, fourteen

kilometres from Chora, the port and main town of the island. Without a car it does not work — not in summer, not in winter.

Hire one on the island. It is simpler than bringing your own on the boat. The car waits for you at the port in your name, and you leave it there when you go.

Two large companies on the island: Vidalis Rent a Car, Jason Rent a Car.

There are also several smaller ones. I have no arrangement with any of them and take no commission — choose whichever suits you.

From the port to the house

Fourteen kilometres, twenty minutes. An easy drive: no traffic lights, no traffic.

Before you arrive, I send you directions and the GPS coordinates. Call me when you are getting close: I will be waiting for you on the road outside the house.