Kefalonia to Ithaca Ferry: Sami or Fiskardo, and Where You Land

Sami or Fiskardo: which port for the Ithaca ferry?

Take the boat from Sami unless you are already staying in the north. Sami has the year-round service, a morning and an afternoon departure, and it lands you at the end of the island where Vathy, the main town, is. Fiskardo is the prettier harbour, but its boat runs for three months, leaves once a day in the late afternoon and lands you at Frikes, a fishing village at the far end of Ithaca.

Sami to Piso Aetos, the all-year crossing

Sami sits on the east coast of Kefalonia, facing Ithaca across a channel about six nautical miles wide. It is 25 km and 35 minutes by road from Argostoli, 40 minutes from the airport, and five minutes from the Melissani cave, which is why it is also the best base on the island if Ithaca is part of the plan. Ionion Pelagos runs the crossing every day of the year on a ferry of the same name, and Levante Ferries' Andreas Kalvos calls on the same route on its way between Patras, Sami and Ithaca. Both take cars.

The boat lands at Piso Aetos, sometimes written Pisaetos, on Ithaca's west coast. It is a ferry quay and a small beach under a bare hillside, not a village. From there the road climbs over the narrow neck of the island and drops down to Vathy, 5 to 7 km away depending on which source measures it.

Fiskardo to Frikes, the summer boat to the north of Ithaca

Fiskardo, at the northern tip of Kefalonia, is the only village on the island that the 1953 earthquake left standing, and its Venetian harbour is the one in the photographs. The boat from here is the Vasos K., on a line that starts at Vasiliki on Lefkada and calls at Fiskardo and Frikes. In 2026 it ran from 18 June to 22 September, with one sailing a day in each direction: Frikes to Fiskardo at 09:00, Fiskardo to Frikes at 16:15, taking about 45 minutes.

It suits one kind of traveller: someone staying in Fiskardo or Assos who wants to move on to the north of Ithaca, around Frikes, Kioni and Stavros. Driving down to Sami from Fiskardo takes 50 minutes on the slow east coast road, so for those few weeks the northern boat saves you the drive. For everyone else, and for anyone travelling after late September, Sami is the answer.

Is there a ferry from Argostoli or Poros to Ithaca?

Not from Argostoli: the capital's only ferry crosses the gulf to Lixouri. Poros, on the south-east coast, is the port for the mainland boat to Kyllini, and Ferryhopper does list a Poros to Piso Aetos connection. We found no 2026 timetable for it from any operator, so treat it as something to check on the booking page, not something to plan around.

Kefalonia to Ithaca ferry schedule and prices in 2026

These are the 2026 season sailings published by Ionion Pelagos, the operator that runs both routes. On Sami to Piso Aetos the timetable is valid from 1 May to 24 October. The crossing itself takes 30 minutes.

Levante Ferries adds sailings of its own on Sami to Piso Aetos in season, on the Andreas Kalvos, and Ferryscanner counted about a dozen crossings a week in the summer months. Its times shift with the Patras leg and we could not confirm them on the operator's own site, so look them up for your date rather than relying on a list. In winter and spring Ionion Pelagos runs more often, not less: its January to April 2026 timetable added a midday and a late-evening boat. The timetable from 25 October was not published when we checked.

How much is the ferry from Kefalonia to Ithaca?

Very little. Ionion Pelagos' 2026 fares on Sami to Piso Aetos, each way: €3.50 for an adult (about $4), €1.80 for a child aged 4 to 10, free under four, €13.50 for a car under 4.25 m and €17 above that, €4 to €5 for a motorbike. Booking sites quote a little more, €4.50 to €5 a seat, once their fees are added. Ferryhopper's indicative prices started at about €18 for two adults and a car. On Fiskardo to Frikes, count about €5 on foot and from €20 with a car. There are no cabins or seat classes on a crossing this short, and pets travel free.

Arriving at Piso Aetos without a car

This is the part nobody tells you. Piso Aetos is a ferry quay, not a village. There is a canteen selling coffee and ice cream, the ticket kiosks, a small beach and a car park, and that is all. Vathy is 5 to 7 km away over a hill, and no bus is timed to meet the boats. Ithaca's local bus links Vathy with the northern villages a couple of times on weekdays, mostly for residents, and you should not count on it at all from the port.

What does work is a taxi. The island's official site says taxis and minibuses serve Piso Aetos and Frikes around the clock, but there are only a few of them and every passenger off the boat wants one at the same moment. In July and August, book your taxi before you sail and give the driver the boat's arrival time. Walking to Vathy is possible on paper, an hour and a half along a road with no pavement and a climb in the middle, and miserable with luggage in summer.

The car hire firms on Ithaca are in Vathy, not at the port. If you plan to rent there, ask the agency whether it will bring the car to Piso Aetos for your boat. Otherwise you are taking a taxi into town to collect it.

Is there a ferry to Vathy on Ithaca?

Not from Kefalonia. Vathy, the capital, lies at the back of a deep bay on the east side of the island, the long way round by sea from Sami. Its harbour takes yachts, water taxis and excursion boats. The car ferries from Kefalonia use Piso Aetos, which is the short way across. If a booking site lists "Ithaki" as the port, it means Piso Aetos.

Frikes and Kioni: landing in the north of Ithaca

Frikes, where the Fiskardo boat lands, is a real village, with tavernas on the quay and rooms to rent, and Kioni, the most photographed harbour on Ithaca, is a short drive down the coast. If you are staying in either, the northern boat drops you on the doorstep. If you are staying in Vathy, it lands you at the wrong end of the island, roughly 18 km of winding road away.

Taking a car on the ferry from Kefalonia to Ithaca

For anything longer than a day, take the car across. At €13.50 each way it costs less than a single taxi ride on Ithaca, and the island's best parts, Kioni, Stavros, the beaches south of Vathy, are spread along one long road. Both operators on the Sami route carry vehicles. Be at the quay an hour before departure, and nearer two hours in July and August, when the car deck is what fills first.

If the car is a rental, check the contract allows it on a ferry. Many Kefalonia agencies do, some charge for it, and some exclude damage at sea from the cover. Ask when you book, not at the ramp in Sami.

Kefalonia to Ithaca day trip: what fits in the day

From Sami, a day trip works well. On the 2026 timetable the 08:15 lands you at Piso Aetos at 08:45, and the 16:45 has you back in Sami by 17:15: eight hours on the island. With a car that is enough for Vathy, a swim at one of the coves just outside town such as Filiatro, and the drive up to Kioni and Stavros. Without one, it is Vathy and whatever a pre-booked taxi can add.

From Fiskardo, it does not work. The only boat out leaves at 16:15 and the only boat back leaves Frikes at 09:00 the next morning, so a Fiskardo day trip means a night on Ithaca. The timetable suits the opposite trip: someone staying on Ithaca can cross to Fiskardo at 09:00 and come back at 16:15.

If you have no car and do not want to organise taxis, the alternative is a boat excursion from Kefalonia. Day cruises leave from Sami, Agia Efimia and Fiskardo, sail along the Ithaca coast and stop at Kioni or Vathy, so the boat takes you to the villages instead of leaving you at Piso Aetos.

Ithaca to Kefalonia ferry: the way back

The return runs on the same boats. In the 2026 season Ionion Pelagos left Piso Aetos at 09:00 and 16:45 for Sami, and the Vasos K. left Frikes at 09:00 for Fiskardo until 22 September. Most people heading back are catching a flight, since Kefalonia airport is the closest one to Ithaca. The 16:45 lands in Sami at 17:15, and the airport is 40 minutes away by road, so an evening flight is possible. Leave yourself the morning boat if the flight is before 19:00, because a missed afternoon sailing in summer means the next one is the following day.

Ithaca ferries beyond Kefalonia: Lefkada, Patras and Astakos

Kefalonia is how most people reach Ithaca, but not the only way. The Vasos K. line that links Fiskardo and Frikes starts at Vasiliki on Lefkada, so in summer you can cross from Lefkada to either island on the same boat. Levante Ferries connects Patras on the mainland with Sami and Piso Aetos, and Ferryhopper also lists boats from Astakos, on the mainland coast opposite, to Ithaca. Those three islands are the part of the Ionian that works as a hopping trip, and the map of the Ionian islands shows why the chain breaks beyond them.

On Kefalonia itself, Poros has the year-round car ferry to Kyllini in the Peloponnese, about 1 hour 30, and Pesada in the south has a summer boat to Zakynthos. If you are still deciding which islands to put together, the guide to the Ionian islands compares all six and how you get to each.

Booking the Kefalonia to Ithaca ferry

On foot, outside August, you can buy at the kiosk in Sami before you board. With a car in July or August, book online once you know the date, and pick the morning boat if you can, so that a full deck still leaves you the afternoon. Check the port names on the ticket: "Kefalonia" can mean Sami, Fiskardo or Poros, and "Ithaca" can mean Piso Aetos or Frikes.

If Ithaca is the reason for the trip, sleep on the Sami side of Kefalonia: the Kefalonia hotel guide covers Sami and Agia Efimia alongside the other bases, and the Kefalonia map puts the four ferry ports in place. For the rest of the network, the Greek ferry guide covers every operator and how to book them.