Folegandros and Ios are close neighbours in the southern Cyclades, but they feel very different. Folegandros is the quiet one: a clifftop Chora, walking paths and a handful of hard-to-reach beaches. Ios is livelier, with long sandy beaches such as Mylopotas and a summer nightlife scene centred on its Chora. Going from one to the other is an easy way to add some energy to a slow trip, or to wind down afterwards on the way home.
This is one of the few small-island routes with boats all year. Ferryhopper's monthly figures, based on last year's data, show the conventional ships of Fast Ferries sailing three to five days a week in every month, the local Maistros Santorini boat two or three days a week, and Blue Star Ferries once a week. From May to September Seajets adds a high-speed run that takes only about 30 minutes.
The price gap is huge for such a short hop. The conventional ships cost from €4.50 to €8 in the monthly table, while Seajets charged €69.70 to €77.70 for saving roughly 45 minutes. Unless the timing matters, the slow boat is the obvious choice. On 12 August 2026, the day we sampled, there were two departures: the Seajets Olympic Champion Jet at 12:50 and the Fast Ferries Dionisios Solomos at 15:20, from €5.50.
Both ends are small harbours, so the practical work is getting down from Chora on Folegandros and back up to Chora on Ios. Plan those rides in advance and the crossing itself is simple.
