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The twin bay at Kapsali on Kythira seen from the castle above

Kythira: a big empty island that belongs to no group

A large, empty island off the southern Peloponnese that belongs administratively to the Ionians but sits in the Aegean, with waterfalls, a Venetian castle and few visitors.

An at a glance card for Kythira. Where it is: Between two seas. The surprise: A waterfall and watermills. Above Kapsali: A Venetian castle. The car: Essential. It is large. In August: Still quiet. One row is marked out as the thing that decides the visit. The conclusion reads: Big, empty, and hard to categorise. No prices appear.
Big, empty, and hard to categorise.

Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.

It is also large and thinly populated, which in August is a rare combination.

Chora and the castle

Chora, in the south, is a white village along a ridge with a Venetian kastro at the end of it, looking down on the harbour of Kapsali and a long way out to sea. It is one of the better castle views in Greece and it is rarely busy.

Kapsali below it is the summer port, a double bay with tavernas around it.

The interior, which is the surprise

Kythira is green in the middle and full of water, which nobody expects:

  • Mylopotamos has a stream running through it, old watermills along the banks, and the Neraida waterfall in a gorge behind the village, with a pool you can swim in under the fall.
  • Kato Chora, next to it, is an abandoned Venetian fortified village with the lion of Saint Mark over the gate.
  • Paleochora, in the north-east, is a ruined Byzantine town on a cliff above a gorge, sacked in the sixteenth century and left.

The coast

Beaches are spread out and often need a drive on unsurfaced road: Kaladi, reached by steps down a cliff, is the one on the postcards; Melidoni, Fyri Ammos and Diakofti with its shipwreck on the reef are the other names. There is very little development on any of them.

Getting there and how long

Kythira has a small airport with domestic flights, and ferries from Neapoli and Gythio on the Peloponnese, plus a longer route from Piraeus. A car is essential; the island is big and the sights are far apart.

Four nights minimum. People who like it stay two weeks and see why the island has a following.

Last checked August 2026. Ferry and flight schedules change - see our editorial policy.

Common questions

Where is Kythira?

Off the southern tip of the Peloponnese, between the Aegean and the Ionian, though it is administratively part of the Ionian island group.

How do you get to Kythira?

By ferry from Neapoli or Gythio on the Peloponnese, by a longer route from Piraeus, or by domestic flight to its small airport.

What is there to see on Kythira?

The Venetian castle above Chora, the Neraida waterfall and watermills at Mylopotamos, the abandoned villages of Kato Chora and Paleochora, and scattered undeveloped beaches.

Do you need a car on Kythira?

Yes. The island is large, the sights are far apart and several beaches are down unsurfaced roads.

Is Kythira busy in summer?

Much less than the Cyclades. It is large and thinly populated, and its beaches stay quiet even in August.

Plan by category

The Kythira guides

2 guides, each scoped to a decision you actually have to make.

  • Ancient marble temple columns against a blue Greek skyAttractions

    Things to do

    What is worth your time here, and what to skip.

    See the attractions →
  • A turquoise Greek bay with a beach below dry hillsBeaches

    The beaches

    Which shore, which sand, and how you actually get there.

    See the beaches →

Next

Read Gythio, Elafonisos, or the Ionian islands.