Blue Star Ferries - Astypalaia to Kos/Rhodes
 

I am trying to help a group which includes my daughters which is due to leave Astypalaia on Saturday September 14. My daughters have to go to Rhodes and the third person needs to end up in Kos.

There would appear to be two alternatives - all three fly to Rhodes (with one then sailing to Kos) or take the boat to Kos (where one will get off) and then on to Rhodes. There are flights available but the problem is with Blue Star Ferries. I have contacted them and they stated that their schedule is not yet available and I should contact them at the end of the summer. I cannot plan on this uncertainty. My daughters already have flights booked out of Rhodes on Sunday September 15.

What is the likelihood that there will be sailings? Is this normal for Blue Star?

At the moment seats on the flight to Rhodes could be booked but if I wait until Blue Star decides their schedule and I find it does not cover the route or at times which are not suitable the flight may be fully booked or only available at an unreasonable price.

I don't think anyone is going to give you the degree of assurance you are looking for. All I can tell you is that in September 2012 Blue Star had a ferry from Astypalea to Rhodes every Saturday, but this year they seem to be doing the route on Sundays. This is a year-round route, and won't change much from month-to-month, but there have been lots of changes to ferry timetables this year. You can check for yourself on www.gtp.gr using "All" for the day and month. You can also use www.openseas.gr, backtracking the calendar to September 2012 and checking the corresponding day of the week.

There may be local ferries that don't appear on the timetables, but that is something you would have to ask from the hotel owners on Astypalea. One of the appeals of Astypalea is its remoteness, but it's not an island to be on with a tight schedule. If a ferry is cancelled due to weather, you may have to wait a week for the next one. Olympic Air does have daily flights between Athens and Astypalea.

I don't have time to check right now, but there should be a way to get to Kos and Rhodes via another island, namely Kalymnos, which is the hub for ferries in the Dodecanese. Whatever they do, it would be a bad idea to wait until the day before the flight to try getting from Astypalea to Rhodes. Were it me I would spend the last 2-3 days on Rhodes — there is plenty to do and see there, anyway. :-)

Okay, I've done a little checking: there is a ferry called Nisos Kalymnos that goes from Astypalea to Kalymnos on Mondays and Wednesdays. From there it would be easy to get to Kos, but due to the timing of ferries may require an overnight stay from there to Rhodes. Some ferries from Kalymnos go to the main port at Kos Town, but most go to Mastichari.

As you can see, planning a trip to Astypalea isn't easy, but it does keep the crowds away. ;-)

Thanks for all your replies.

I think the group will select the flight option as the ferry option is either uncertain (Blue Star) or not a convenient date.