Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
The island
The population is tiny and drops to a few dozen in winter. Most of the families emigrated, overwhelmingly to New York, and the island fills again for a few weeks in August when they come back. That rhythm shapes everything: many houses are shuttered for eleven months.
Ammos is the port and main settlement, on the south coast, with a few rooms, tavernas and a beach. Chorio is the older inland village up the hill, largely empty.
Calypso’s cave
On the south-west coast is a sea cave that local tradition identifies as the cave of Calypso, where Odysseus was held for seven years. The island is one of several candidates for Homer’s Ogygia, and the claim is tradition rather than evidence, but the cave is a genuine sight and is reached by boat.
The beaches
- Ammos, at the port, sand and shingle.
- Fyki, on the north coast, the best of them, reached by boat or a walk.
- Aspri Ammos, west, pale and exposed.
The water here is exceptionally clear because there is nothing on the island to cloud it.
The other Diapontia
Erikoussa and Mathraki complete the group. Mathraki is the smallest and has a long sand beach where loggerhead turtles nest. Local boats connect all three.
Getting there
By ferry from Agios Stefanos on the north-west coast of Corfu, roughly an hour and a half, with a reduced schedule outside summer. There are also day-trip boats from Corfu, which see the island in three hours and miss the point of it.
Two nights minimum if you go, because the boat timetable makes anything shorter a rush.
Last checked August 2026. Small-island ferry schedules change often - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
Where is Othonoi?
About 20 kilometres north-west of Corfu, the largest of the Diapontia islands, and the westernmost point of Greek territory.
How do you get to Othonoi?
By ferry from Agios Stefanos on north-west Corfu, roughly an hour and a half, with far fewer sailings outside summer.
Is Othonoi the cave of Calypso?
Local tradition identifies a sea cave on the south-west coast as Calypso’s, and the island is one of several candidates for Homer’s Ogygia. It is tradition, not proof.
Does anyone live on Othonoi?
A few dozen people in winter. Most families emigrated to New York and return for a few weeks in August.
What are the other Diapontia islands?
Erikoussa and Mathraki, both smaller, connected to Othonoi and Corfu by local boats.