For most people leaving Sikinos, Ios is the natural next stop: it is the closest island, the crossing is over in half an hour, and Ios has far more onward connections, including boats to Santorini, Naxos, Paros and Piraeus. It is also a shift in mood, from one of the quietest islands in the Cyclades to one of the liveliest.
The route is kept going all year by conventional boats running longer itineraries through the southern Cyclades. In Ferryhopper's monthly figures for Sikinos to Ios, based on last year's data, Fast Ferries sailed three to five days a week, Maistros Santorini two or three days a week and Blue Star Ferries once a week. In July and August a Seajets boat also called once a week and made the hop in about 10 minutes, at a much higher fare.
Fares on the conventional boats are very low, from €3 to €5 per adult in the monthly table, and cars travel cheaply too. The main thing to plan is the timing: because the ships are passing through, their departures from Alopronia can fall early in the morning or late at night, so confirm the time for your date and how you will get down to the port.
Our older route data listed a two-hour crossing from €20, which Ferryhopper's figures do not support. We have no timetable sample for this direction, so the operator figures here come from the Sikinos to Ios rows on Ferryhopper's Ios to Sikinos page.
