Kythnos Island: The Ultimate Travel Guide

Maybe Kythnos is not the most famous island in Greece, but it’s definitely worth a visit. One hour and a half by ferry from Athens, it’s located in the west Cyclades. Kithnos is not as fancy as Kea, Naxos or other Greek islands, but that’s where its charm is. With its beaches and its coast bathed by the crystal and clear Aegean sea, you will be able to enjoy its beautiful nature by walking or snorkeling. Kyhtnos is small, but it has a lot to offer: from the traditional town of Dryopida to the most ancient Chora, from the hot springs in Loutra in the North to the small village of Kanala in the South, you will find the perfect way to enjoy your days in Kithnos all year long. If you want to know more about Greek islands, this guide helped us so much! What are you waiting? Keep on reading and discover what we loved the most about Kithnos!

We choose to visit Kythnos mainly because of its proximity to Athens, in fact it’s only one hour and a half from the port of Lavrio, located in the South of the island. If you are arriving from the center of Athens, it will take you approximately one hour by car. If, on the other hand, you’re arriving from the airport it will take you only 30 minutes by car. There are different ferries per day and the prices are a lot less expensive than the other ferry’s connections. The best way to enjoy Greek islands is with a backpack. We have this one and we really love it! If you want to know how to book your ferry ticket from Athens to Cyclades, we are writing an article about it, stay tuned.

We choose to visit Kythnos mainly because of its proximity to Athens, in fact it’s only one hour and a half from the port of Lavrio, located in the South of the island. If you are arriving from the center of Athens, it will take you approximately one hour by car. If, on the other hand, you’re arriving from the airport it will take you only 30 minutes by car. There are different ferries per day and the prices are a lot less expensive than the other ferry’s connections. If you want to know how to book your ferry ticket from Athens to Cyclades, we are writing an article about it, stay tuned.

In Kithnos there are a lot of hotels, that’s for sure, but we always prefer the comfort of having an apartment or a home. In the island the prices are way cheaper than the other near islands, but they are still high if you compare them to the prices you can find in Athens. If Greek island prices are too expensive for your pockets, don’t worry: give a look at the best beaches close to Athens and enjoy the beautiful sea at a much cheaper price. Our Travala apartment was located in the village of Lefkes few steps away from the beach. It was brand new, really well decorated and with one of the most stunning views of the island. We really enjoyed our stay there and we recommend you to give it a try: it’s perfect if you are traveling in four, rather with friends or family. We paid it 800€ per one week in August, but the price is much more reasonable if you divide it with a couple of friends. If you want to get $25 off your reservation, book your stay via our Travala’s link! 

Supermarkets in Kythnos are really, but really expensive. We advise you to avoid the supermarkets that are tourist oriented, but prefer the ones frequented by locals. To give you an idea of how much expensive food is in Kithnos we spent 100€ for just few things at a supermarket near Lefkes. We advise you to buy groceries at Chora, the biggest village of the island: there we found the cheapest price. Regarding the restaurants, they are more expensive than in Athens, but in line with the prices you can find in Cyclades islands. Overall, our favorite restaurant was Psipsina in Chora: a stunning restaurant near an ancient church, very well decorated and with an incredible good Greek food. 

Kythnos is a big island, so it won’t be possible to walk from one village to another as we did during our trip to Donoussa. That’s why we decided to rent a car. Renting a car in August it’s expensive, especially for what you get. We took the last car available, a Suzuki Jimmy from 2010 and we paid it 400€ for one week. We really advice not to make the same mistake as us, so we do not recommend you to rent the car at the last minute. We think that if you book it 2-3 months before your vacation you’ll definitely have a best price. If you want to rent a car in Merihas, we recommend you the car rental where we took our car: the stuff was very friendly and the prices were the cheapest of all the island.

If you are dreaming of white sand beaches and blue sea, Kythnos will not leave you upset. We explored the island and its most beautiful beaches in the month of September and, even if the summer was ending, we enjoyed them even more. In fact, Kythnos is the perfect island if you want to relax. From the beauty of the most famous Kolona beach, to the most hidden bay of Lefkes, you’ll fall in love with Kythnos beaches.

We spent one week in Kythnos and every day was literally full of activities. We wrote an article about our favorite things to do in Kytnhos, so you’ll be able to find there all what we loved doing in this peaceful island. If you like snorkeling or diving like Eddy, you’ll find a real underwater paradise around Loutra. If, like me, you prefer to relax on beautiful beaches, have a drink in a typical Greek village and shopping some traditional goods, you’ll love the ancient villages of Hora and Dryopida. What are you waiting for? Discover the best things to do in Kythnos now!