© Ingo Mehling / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Day trip
Kythira and Antikythira
Aphrodite’s island, opposite Elafonisos: villages, gorges, waterfalls and beaches, and further south lonely Antikythira.
- 15 minutes to Neapoli, then the ferry
Kythira can be seen from Simos, and myth makes it Aphrodite’s birthplace. It is an island of wild beauty: pretty villages, steep gorges, dozens of beaches, waterfalls and caves.
Getting there
The ferry to Kythira leaves from Neapoli, 15 minutes from Pounta, and arrives at Diakofti harbour. In summer there are sailings every day, in winter fewer; check them before you set off. Day trips by sailing boat also leave from Elafonisos.
What to see
Chora, with its Venetian castle and Archaeological Museum, looks down on Kapsali, the liveliest spot on the island. Avlemonas is quieter. Among the beaches, Kaladi stands out, with large pebbles and green water.
The loveliest spot may be the Neraida waterfall at Mylopotamos, falling 20 metres into a small green pool among plane trees.
Antikythira
Further south, tiny Antikythira became world-famous for the ancient shipwreck where the Antikythira Youth and the Antikythira Mechanism, the ancient “computer” of the 2nd century BC, were found. The island is quiet and wild, for nature lovers. Go via Kythira or by ferry from Neapoli.
