Sikinos is Ios's quiet next-door neighbour, one of the least visited islands in the Cyclades, with a small port at Alopronia and the twin hilltop villages of Chora and Kastro above it. For anyone who has had enough of the Ios party scene, it is the closest escape: the crossing is shorter than most people's taxi ride to the beach, and costs a few euros.
The route is served all year by conventional boats that run through the southern Cyclades on longer itineraries. In Ferryhopper's monthly figures for this direction, based on last year's data, Fast Ferries sailed three to five days a week, Maistros Santorini once to four days a week and Blue Star Ferries once or twice a week. That adds up to a boat on most days, although no single company sails daily.
Timing is the thing to watch. Because these ships are passing through, their departure times are set by the wider route, and they can be early in the morning or late in the evening. On 12 August 2026, the day we sampled, the only sailing was the Fast Ferries Dionisios Solomos at 21:00, reaching Sikinos at 21:30. On an island this small, an evening arrival needs a pick-up arranged in advance.
Our older route data listed a two-hour crossing from €20 on Blue Star Ferries and Seajets. Ferryhopper's figures for this direction do not support that: the crossing is well under an hour and no Seajets boat sailed from Ios to Sikinos in last year's data.
