Getting from Paxos to Antipaxos: Includes Cheapest Option

A comprehensive guide to how to get from Paxos to Antipaxos island.

Antipaxos and Paxos are part of the group of Ionian Islands, located off the west coast of Greece. They’re only a short distance of 3km apart, making it east to get to visit both on one trip.

After experiencing all the gorgeous beaches on Paxos, you might think there’s not much more to see in the area.  However, the beaches on Antipaxos offer yet another level of natural loveliness.  If you like shimmering crystalline water that looks too unreal to be true, you’ll love going to Antipaxos .

On my trip, I found that the information on getting to Antipaxos is not brilliantly signposted on Paxos island.  Although there are offices selling various boat trips and tickets for the ferry from Corfu to Paxos, they don’t sell tickets for the boats to Antipaxos.

So I’ve put together this guide to getting to Antipaxos from my own experience of making the trip, using the different options available, and spending time staying on Antipaxos.  I hope it helps you with planning for your own incredible trip.  Antipaxos is stunning, so you don’t want to miss out.

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Daily boats from Paxos to Antipaxos

During Spring and Summer, water taxis (or tourist boats) leave from Gaios port on Paxos to go to Antipaxos . 

The route they run is from Gaios to two of Antipaxos’ most impressive beaches, stopping first at Vrika Beach and then on to Voutoumi Beach. The beaches are only a few minutes apart by boat, so get off at whichever one you choose. It’s possible to walk between the two. It takes around 25 minutes and involves walking uphill.

My favourite beach out of the two, if I had to choose, is Vrika.  It’s got more of a natural feel to it, despite having a large, organised section, and has a deeper sandy area.  Both are beautiful to swim in and have the incredible clear turquoise water that Antipaxos is famous for.

There are other beautiful beaches on Antipaxos which I recommend you check out, even if you’ve only got a day on the island.  For inspiration on how to caption your shots, check out my article on the best Instagram captions for Greece.

Journey time

The journey time on the taxi boat from Paxos to Antipaxos is very quick, at only 15 minutes.  I was surprised by how close Paxos and Antipaxos are.  They have different vibes to them as islands but are only a matter of minutes apart.

Return boats run from around 2pm to 5.30pm in the afternoon. Check with the captain of your water taxi on the day to confirm exact times. You don’t want to get stranded on Antipaxos with nowhere to stay.

For the best experience of Antipaxos, stay a few nights, like I did, and you’ll have the beaches all to yourself before the tourist boats arrive. Pure bliss.

How much is the boat from Paxos to Antipaxos?

The cost for a return ticket is €25 (I asked for a single, as I wasn’t sure when I was returning, but was only able to buy an open return and ended up not using the return part).

You can return on any of the tourist boats with your ticket.

Luggage

I’m including information about taking luggage on the Paxos to Antipaxos tourist boats, as I was very unsure about this before my own trip. 

You can take luggage on the tourist boats.  However, they are medium sized boats which fill up with passengers in busy summer season.  Not all of them have room for luggage, so if you have a suitcase or large travelling rucksack, you might have to wait for the boat which has the ‘luggage area’ to depart from Paxos. 

I was unable to get on the 9.30am boat on the day of travelling, as it was filling up with passengers.  However, I only had to wait 15 minutes before I could get on the next one. 

This boat has a flat section at the back where I was able to place my three suitcases (and there was room for several more).  See the photo above to get an idea of what the luggage area is like. I wasn’t charged any extra for my bags, which I thought was a good deal.

Many travellers to Antipaxos are only visiting for the day.  This is handy if you’re staying over on Antipaxos and plan to return to Paxos in the morning, as the morning return tourist boats are pretty empty so you’re more likely to be able to get agreement to take your luggage back on an empty boat.

Arriving on Antipaxos with luggage

The tourist boat I got arrived at the first beach, Vrika.  Getting off the boat with three pieces of luggage meant having to carry them across the sandy beach to reach the opposite end and join the concrete path where I had arranged for the island’s only taxi to collect me (via my Airbnb).  Not an easy task but it was possible. 

The taxi to my accommodation cost €20.  As Antipaxos is so small, it only took 5 minutes.

On the return trip, which I made from the harbour, I decided to walk, on the basis that going downhill with cases is easier than going uphill in the heat.  The road to the harbour is bumpy so my suitcase looked a little worse for wear at the end but the walk was easy.

Ferry to Antipaxos – cheapest option

It’s quite expensive to get from Paxos to Antipaxos on the tourist boats.  However, there is a less well known, alternative, option that is significantly cheaper than the daily tourist boats.  The cheapest way to get from Paxos to Antipaxos is to take the local ferry. 

From June to September this boat runs on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only.  There are two departures daily from Paxos, at 9.30am and 4.30pm.

How much is the ferry from Paxos to Antipaxos?

The cost of the ferry from Paxos to Antipaxos is only €1.50, in cash, per person, one way. 

This boat is larger than the tourist boats and has two floors, so there’s more room for luggage on it.  If you’re worried about how much stuff you’re bringing with you, the ferry is a good option.

The local ferry boat is not well advertised at Gaios Marina.  It currently departs from in front of Libretto café but ask around in the bars and restaurants on the harbour front and they should be able to point you in the right direction. 

The downside of the ferry is that it does not take passengers directly to the beaches on Antipaxos. 

Instead, the Paxos to Antipaxos ferry arrives at the small harbour of Agrapidia. From there you’ll need to walk up a steep hill to get to the other areas of Antipaxos.  So if being dropped right at the paradise beaches of Antipaxos is a priority for you, then take one of the tourist boats instead.

The walk from where the ferry drops off to Voutoumi Beach, takes half an hour.  There is almost no traffic on Antipaxos, so the walk is a pleasant one (despite the steep incline).

Antipaxos Harbour – Agrapidia 

Visitors can’t bring hire cars onto Antipaxos. However, if you visit the harbour you’ll see a surprisingly large number of vehicles, for such a small island, parked up at the back of the harbour.

Agrapidia Harbour, Antipaxos, is where the small number of residents on Antipaxos are able to bring cars over to the island.

It’s also where I was delighted to be surrounded by a group of small cats.  I felt very pleased with how the cats seemed to instinctively know that I’m a cat person and were drawn towards me. 

That was until the regular local ferry boat arrived and a kind lady stepped off and fed them immediately.  Clearly, I was just an amusement to pass the time until their regular source of food arrived.

Paxos and Antipaxos boat trip

One of the most popular activities if you’re staying on Corfu, is to book an organised boat trip to Paxos and Antipaxos.  There are many to choose from. Make sure the one you choose has plenty of time to swim in the dazzling blue sea of Antipaxos. 

This highly rated boat trip to Antipaxos stops at the traditional village of Lakka on Paxos and cruises to the stunning beach of Mesovrika on Antipaxos. You also get to experience the renowned Blue Caves. 

Private boat hire

For utter luxury and fun at an affordable price, hire a boat on Paxos and sail yourself over to Antipaxos.

I rented a motor boat on Paxos and found it very easy to drive.  I was given a quick lesson first and then off I went.  The cost was €80 for the day, plus fuel. 

You can get to Antipaxos and back in a day and still have time to see other parts of Paxos island.  Making your own schedule means you can avoid the busier times on Antipaxos or move onto a different beach if the one you’re at gets busy.

The water can get choppy around the western side of Paxos, where the Blue Caves are, so you may be advised to visit that first, before heading over to Antipaxos.

Ask for details at the boat hire offices on Paxos.  Boats get booked up from July to September so book as many days in advance as you can.

How to get to Paxos

To get to Paxos island you can take a ferry or a hydrofoil from Corfu. Or you can take a boat from Igoumenitsa on the mainland.

For more Greek island adventures, read my guide to Paleochora, a laidback town on Crete.