Karlovassi – Kalymnos
Ferry to Dodecanese Islands
Karlovassi – Kalymnos
Ferry to Dodecanese Islands
Depending on the season their are about 2 weekly sailings between Karlovassi and Kalymnos.SeaJets provides the ferry from Karlovassi to Kalymnos. Karlovassi Kalymnos ferries take around 4 hours 50 minutes. The ferry costs between $70.98 and $143.99, depending on ticket details. Prices exclude any service fees. Ferry timetables change seasonally, use our Deal Finder to get live pricing and availability for ferries from Karlovassi to Kalymnos.
The earliest Karlovassi Kalymnos ferry typically departs Karlovassi at about 17:20 and the last ferry usually leaves at 17:40.
Ferries from Karlovassi to Kalymnos sail in around 4 hours 50 minutes. The fastest ferry is approximately 4 hours 40 minutes. Ferry duration can vary by ferry provider and can be impacted by weather conditions.
There is 2 weekly sailings from Karlovassi to Kalymnos provided by SeaJets. Timetables can change from season to season.
The price of a ferry from Karlovassi to Kalymnos typically range between $70.98* and $143.99*. On average the Karlovassi Kalymnos ferry is $106.68*. The cheapest Karlovassi Kalymnos ferry prices start from $70.98*. The average price for a foot passenger is $106.68*.
Pricing will vary depending on number of passengers, vehicle type, route and sailing times. Pricing is taken from searches over last 30 days and exclusive of service fees, last updated 1 July 2025.
The distance between Karlovassi to Kalymnos is approximately 56 miles (91km) or 49 nautical miles.
Yes, Karlovassi Kalymnos ferries allow cars onboard with SeaJets between Karlovassi and Kalymnos. To view car ferry tickets and prices between Karlovassi and Kalymnos use our Deal Finder.
SeaJets allow foot passengers on Karlovassi Kalymnos ferries.
Currently, are not permitted to board ferries from Karlovassi to Kalymnos.
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| Karlovassi - Kalymnos Ferry Route summary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Departure Destination | Samos | |
| Destination | Dodecanese Islands | |
| No. of Operators | 1 | |
| Operators | SeaJets | |
| Average Price | $107 | |
| Average Daily Sailings | 1 | |
| Average Weekly Sailings | 2 | |
| Average Sailing Duration | 4 h 50 m | |
| Fastest Sailing Duration | 4 h 40 m | |
| First Ferry | 17:20 | |
| Last Ferry | 17:40 | |
| Distance | 49 Nautical Miles | |
* Prices subject to change, pricing is taken from last 30 days, last updated 1 July 2025.
Found on the glittering ultramarine coast that kisses the north-western edge of Samos, a roughly oval-shaped island deep in the Greek stretch of the North Aegean Sea, is the charming port-town of Karlovasi. Built in a wedge between a landscape of steep hills, the town is picture-perfect in its guise as an idyllic Mediterranean community. Traditional white-walled apartment blocks rise in anarchic tiers upon slopes coloured deep-green with Mediterranean pines, while a web of narrow lanes snake idly through the suburbs. The waterfront is lined by a sweeping promenade studded with alfresco restaurants and bars and canvas stalls selling local wares. Beyond them, in the warm shallows of the Aegean Sea, yachts and sailboats bob gently on their moorings. The port in Karlovasi is found at the north-eastern edge of town. It is a small site featuring a handful of piers that jut into a section of the sea sheltered by an arcing breakwater. Incoming ferries dock along the edge of the largest pier where facilities are limited to just a check-in booth and a short stay car-park. Travelling to and from the harbour can prove difficult. The island is hewn from rugged mountains that are split by just a few “main” roads, while most of the villages, Karlovasi included, are designed around a cramped network of streets more suited to pedestrians than cars. A few public buses travel between the towns and villages found nestled in the niches between the hills. Most services travel to the synonymous capital of Samos; this quaint, bay-side town sitting at the end of the number 62 highway which curves away from the heart of Karlovasi and traces the island’s rocky northern coastline east. A number of routes currently operate from the port in Karlovasi throughout the week. Services hosted by Hellenic Seaways sail to several of the islands that speckle the Aegean Sea; including Chios, Limnos and the port-city of Mytilene on the isle of Lesbos to the north; and Mykonos, Syros and the town of Evdilos on Ikaria in the west. A couple of other routes head to the city district of Piraeus and the town of Kavala further away on the Greek mainland.
Not many nations across the world can boast to have a moniker as unique (or indeed as strange) as the “Sponge-diving Island”, of Kalymnos. The odd nickname is a throwback to the Greek island’s thriving sponge trade when local divers, armed with just a harpoon and a lungful of air, trawled the bottom of the surrounding Aegean Sea in search of so-called “Kalymnian gold”. Such is the importance of sponges to the island’s culture that an annual Sponge Week celebration is held to honour the bravery of divers through the telling of poems, the singing of songs, and even the showing of tribute films. Nowadays Kalymnos is a millionaires’ playground, teeming with wealthy Greeks who want to while away the hours in the glorious warmth of the Mediterranean sun. The island is shaped by a rough and ragged coastline and a landscape of barren hills; their steep slopes marked by solitary pine trees clinging desperately to the rocks. Yet the desolate backcountry is a stark contrast to the beauty of Kalymnos town, where a pristine promenade hugs the deep-blue waters of a bay and narrow streets play host to white-washed buildings topped with terracotta tiles. The entire town is huddled at the foot of a valley; one side coloured by a rare swathe of deep-green where the lemon and tangerine groves of Pothia grow. The port in Kalymnos covers most of the town’s waterfront and consists largely of small piers and jetties lined with yachts that roll with the gentle swell of the waves. The ferry terminal is found on the largest of these piers at the western edge of the bay, just beside a sharp-angled, S-shaped breakwater. It is a small facility consisting of little more than a car-park and a designated section of the roadside where ferries make anchor. Though the port is located in the heart of Kalymnos’ main urban centre, travelling further afield can prove difficult due to the island’s harsh terrain and largely remote nature. The best way to get around is by following the single, main road that circles around the spine of mountains that cut across the region from the south-east to the north-west. This route – regularly traversed by local buses - leads directly from the ferry terminal, slices through Kalymnos town, and snakes away to the smaller villages of Mirties, Arginonta, and Vathis. A wide range of ferry routes currently operate from the port throughout the week, most hopping to the multitude of neighbouring islands. Services hosted by Dodekanisos Seaways sail to Arki, Fournoi, Agios Kirikos, Pyhagorio, Agathonisis, Lipsi, and Chalki as well as sharing the journey to Symi, Rhodes, Tilos, Patmos, Nisyros, Leros, and Kos with Blue Star Ferries. Blue Star Ferries also travel to Astypalea, Kastelorizo and the city of Piraeus on the Greek mainland.
