Spetses Island

Short sea crossing from Kosta to Spetses
25 minutes by sea from Ermioni to Spetses (limited service)
Spetses is a beautiful island, with a very picturesque old harbour East of the town centre, lined with old Venetian mansions. The town centre surrounding Dapia harbour offers a variety of shops and boutiques, in addition to many cafes and tavernas. Spetses continues to encouraging the use of traditional horse drawn carriages and bicycles, but has created the nuisance of numerous noisy motorbikes. The best way to see the town is to walk, or hire one of the traditional one-horse carriages found by the waterfront. To get around the island, you can rent quad-bikes, mopeds or bicycles. Motorbikes cost approximately 15 Euros to hire per day, bicycles cost 5 Euros to hire per day, and a bus will cost 3 Euros per person to get to the popular sandy beach at Aghioi Anargyri.
Spetses was the first Argo-Saronic island to participate in the 1821 War of Independence, Hydra soon joining forces with them, having around 55 merchant vessels which were converted into well armed warships. The firing of the Turkish flagship in the great naval battle on 8th September 1822 prevented the Ottoman fleet from bringing supplies to Nafplio, which then surrendered to the Greek besiegers at the end of November. The retreat of the enemy fleet, superior in numbers, is attributed to the courage of Kosmas Barbatsis, the daring man who fired the Turkish flagship, an act which essenttially decided the outcome of the battle. A large bronze statue of Barbatsis stands within a gun-enplacement overlooking the sculpture park, near the famous lighthouse (pharos) of Spetses.
The remarkable mansion of Hatziyannis Mexis, one of Spetses' most powerful statesmen and the first governor of the island, houses the Spetses Museum (open from 8:30 to 16:30 daily, closed Mondays) This museum houses the archaeological, historical (mementoes of the Revolution) and folklore collections of the island. King Othon, the first king of independent Greece, stayed as a guest in this mansion during the period between 1833 and 1834 when his first capital was Nafplio.


Anargyri Art Festival takes place during August on Spetses, with the focus on performing and visual arts.

How to get from Ermioni to Spetses:
BY CAR (including a short sea crossing)
- A 30 minute drive to Kosta, along the scenic coastal route or on the main Kranidi by-pass via Porto Heli. There are many parking facilities at Kosta, either on the nearby roads or in official, secure, shaded car-parks, which cost approximately 5.00 Euros per day.
- Please note: Only Spetses residents, with valid permits for their cars, and licenced commercial vehicles are allowed to cross over to Spetses by ferry. Tourist hire-cars are not allowed onto the ferry although motor bikes and bicycles are allowed.
- The distance from Kosta to Spetses (Dapia harbour) is 1.6 Nautical Miles.
- From Kosta there are various boats which depart for Spetses island, some costing as little as 2.50 Euros per person one way. The quickest way to reach Spetses would be to catch a fast water taxi, direct to the Dapia harbour. Cost approximately 23 Euros per journey, irrespective of the number of passengers. Journey time is approximately 6 minutes.
- The other economical way would be the large Katerina Star ferry-boat. Sailing every day throughout the year.
- From Kosta to Spetses: 06:50 - 08:00 - 10:30 - 13:30 - 17:00
- From Spetses to Kosta: 06:00 - 07:20 - 10:00 - 13:00 - 16:30
- Cost approximately 2.50 Euros per person, one way. Pay for ticket on the ferry. Journey time is approximately 25 minutes.
- The Katerina Star ferry-boat takes Spetses residents vehicles only (no private or rented cars allowed on the island) as well as larger licenced commercial vehicles, motorbikes, bicycles and passengers.
- Be aware that the last Katerina Star ferry-boat sailing from Spetses to Kosta is at 16:30
- There is now another way to sail across to Spetses, with the Spetses Express I passenger boat. Summer 2020 sailing times.
- From Kosta to Spetses: 09:30 - 11:30 - 12:30 - 14:30 - 16:00 - 18:30 - 19:30 - 20:30 - 21:30
- From Spetses to Kosta: 09:00 - 11:00 - 12:00 - 14:00 - 15:30 - 18:00 - 19:00 - 20:00 - 21:00
- Cost approximately 3 Euros per person, one way. Pay for ticket on the boat. Journey time is approximately 12 minutes.
- There are up to 20 daily crossings during the weekends (Friday to Sunday) when the Spetses Express II joins her sister ship, giving a departure every half an hour at certain times of the day.
BY BUS (including a short sea crossing)
- Catch the bus from Ermioni to Kosta from 09:30, via Kranidi and Porto Heli, Monday to Friday only. The bus stop in Ermioni is opposite Pop's tourist office, next to the kiosk. Cost approximately 3 Euros per person. From Kosta you have a choice of which boats to catch for the crossing. Check with the bus driver for the return journey times from Kosta to Kranidi/Ermioni. Last bus from Kranidi to Ermioni is at 13:10.
- Taxi from Kranidi to Ermioni costs approximately 15 Euros.
BY SEA
- Sailings on most days by Flying Dolphin & Flying Cat, from Ermioni to Spetses direct. Times of departure and return are limited. Check hellenicseaways.gr/en sailing times prior to departure, or contact Pop's Tourist office in Ermioni, Tel: +30 27540 31514. Tickets cost 8.00 Euros per person, one way. Buy ticket(s) from Pop's Tourist office before travel. The sea crossing from Ermioni to Spetses is approximately 25 minutes.
APRIL 2021 - Sailing times with Hellenic Seaways: Limited availability due to social distancing control
Additional sailing times are planned to commence from Monday 26th April 2021 - To be confirmed
- From ERMIONI to SPETSES:
- 20:45 (Monday-Thursday) 20:45 (Friday)
- 20:45 (Saturday) 20:45 (Sunday)
- From SPETSES to ERMIONI:
- 06:15 (Monday-Thursday) 06:15 (Friday)
- 06:15 (Saturday) 06:15 (Sunday)
Always check sailing times prior to departure, especially during public holidays, as Hellenic Seaways can change or cancel sailing times without notice.
Location
Spetses
Argo-Saronic Island of Spetses
Greece
37° 16' 2.2764" N, 23° 9' 20.4948" E