Schinoussa is one of the Small Cyclades, the cluster of tiny islands between Naxos and Amorgos. It has one main village on the hill, a small harbour below it and a scattering of quiet beaches, and it is the kind of place people visit precisely because there is so little to do. Naxos, by contrast, is the biggest island in the Cyclades, with a busy port town, long sandy beaches and ferries to almost everywhere.
For most travellers, this crossing is the way back to the main ferry network after a few days of peace. Schinoussa has no airport and limited direct links, while Naxos has frequent boats to Piraeus, Paros, Santorini and Mykonos, and an airport of its own. Many island-hoppers also use the route in reverse, basing themselves on Naxos and slipping out to Schinoussa for a few nights.
The boats on this line are workhorses rather than fast catamarans. Our route data lists Blue Star Ferries, whose conventional ships link Naxos with the Small Cyclades, and the island's lifeline is the small Express Skopelitis run by Small Cyclades Lines, which shuttles between Naxos, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Koufonisia and beyond. Our older data also mentions Seajets, but we found no Seajets sailing to confirm it, so do not count on a high-speed option.
Because this is a thinly served island, the timetable matters more than the fare. We have no Ferryhopper page or sampled timetable for this exact direction, so the figures here are indicative: check the day and time in the booking box before you book a room, and leave slack if you are connecting to a flight or a Piraeus ferry on Naxos.
