Amorgos has a long, cliff-bound coast whose finest coves, sea caves and islets are cut off from every road, and boat trips are the way to reach them. In summer, small boats and caiques run from the harbours to the clear-water beaches of the islet of Nikouria. The coves near Katapola and the wild southern shore, while diving boats and round-island cruises open up the coast that made the island famous.
This guide sets out the boat trips you can take from Amorgos: the daily crossing to Nikouria, the cruises to the coves and sea caves. The full-day round-island tour, the diving and snorkelling trips, where they depart, rough prices and the best time to sail. Read it beside the Amorgos beaches and things to do guides.
What boat trips can you take in Amorgos?
Boat trips from Amorgos range from the short daily crossing to the islet of Nikouria and hops to the coves near Katapola, to full-day cruises around the island, diving and snorkelling excursions, and private charters exploring the wild coast, sea.
Amorgos offers a good spread of boat trips for a small island. The simplest are the short shuttle crossings to beaches with no road. Above all the islet of Nikouria off the north coast and the cove of Maltezi near Katapola, each minutes on a small boat to clear, sheltered water.
Beyond these, full-day cruises circle the island or take in its highlights. Diving boats run daily to the reefs and caves. Private boats and charters let a group explore the coast at its own pace. Whichever you choose, a boat trip reaches the emptiest, clearest stretches of coast, which is why it ranks among the best things to do on Amorgos.
What is the boat trip to Nikouria island?
A small boat crosses in minutes from the Agios Pavlos jetty on the north coast to the uninhabited islet of Nikouria, with its clear turquoise beaches.
The most popular short boat trip on Amorgos is the crossing to Nikouria. A small uninhabited islet lying just off the north coast near the road between Aegiali and the centre. A little boat shuttles across from the jetty at Agios Pavlos in only minutes to what many consider the clearest, most turquoise swimming water on the island.
Through the summer the boat runs frequently, roughly every hour across the middle of the day and into the evening. Visitors can cross over. Spend as long as they like on the islet’s sandy and pebbly beaches, and return on a later boat. The return fare is low, making it an easy and affordable outing.
Nikouria has two or three sheltered beaches with shallow, brilliantly clear water, ideal for swimming, snorkelling and families, and almost no facilities, so visitors bring their own water and shade. The short crossing and the beauty of the water make it a highlight of the island’s beaches, covered also in the Amorgos beaches guide. It is the easiest boat trip on the island to arrange, needing no booking at all.
Which coves and sea caves do boat trips reach?
Boat trips reach the coves of Maltezi, Plakes and Kambi near Katapola, the islet of Gramvousa off the coast, and the sea caves and remote beaches of the wild south around Kalotaritissa and the Olympia shipwreck, all cut off from.
The reward of a boat trip is the coast you cannot drive to. From the central port of Katapola, small boats run through the day to the sheltered sandy coves of Maltezi. Plakes and Kambi across the clear bay, an easy hop to a beach with no road, sometimes with a taverna behind.
Longer excursions and cruises reach further: to the islet of Gramvousa off the coast, into echoing sea caves along the cliffs. To the wild southern shore around Kalotaritissa. With the dramatic bay of the rusting Olympia shipwreck made famous by The Big Blue. These trips open up the emptiest, most spectacular stretches of the island’s coast.
The clear, deep water that drew the makers of The Big Blue makes these boat trips especially rewarding for swimming and snorkelling. With the boats anchoring in coves of glass-clear turquoise. Seeing the cliffs, caves and the monastery from the sea gives a different, memorable view of Amorgos.
Can you take a full-day cruise around Amorgos?
Yes. Full-day cruises circle the island of Amorgos or take in its highlights, passing Nikouria and Gramvousa islets, sea caves and remote coves, with stops for swimming and snorkelling.
For a fuller day on the water, cruises make a circuit of the island or a long run along its most dramatic coast. A typical round-island day trip passes the islets of Nikouria and Gramvousa. Cruises beneath the cliffs and past the sea caves. Anchors in a series of clear coves for swimming and snorkelling, often with lunch and drinks aboard.
These cruises run from the harbours of Katapola and Aegiali through the summer, as shared group trips or private charters. Giving a relaxed way to see stretches of coast that take days to reach by land. The view of the island’s cliffs, beaches and the Hozoviotissa Monastery from the sea is a highlight in itself.
A full-day cruise is one of the most rewarding ways to experience Amorgos, combining several remote beaches, the islets and the caves in a single relaxed outing. It pairs well with an inland day of walking and village touring for a rounded sense of the island, as the things to do guide describes.
Can you dive and snorkel on Amorgos boat trips?
Yes. A diving centre on Amorgos runs daily boat trips for divers, snorkellers and freedivers to reefs, walls and caves around Nikouria and the coast.
The water that made Amorgos famous is a magnet for divers and snorkellers, and a diving centre on the island runs daily boat trips to explore it. The boats reach reefs, underwater walls and caves around the islet of Nikouria and along the coast, catering to certified divers. Beginners taking a first dive, snorkellers and the freedivers drawn by the island’s Big Blue heritage.
The dive sites take in dramatic underwater scenery, from caverns and walls to old bauxite mine workings and a wreck, in the clear, deep water for which Amorgos is known. Snorkellers join the same boats to explore the surface of these sites, with equipment provided, needing no experience beyond the ability to swim.
For anyone drawn to the sea, a diving or snorkelling boat trip is among the most memorable things to do on Amorgos. Letting you experience underwater the clarity and depth that the island celebrates above the surface. The trips run through the summer season and are booked with the island’s dive centre.
Where do boat trips depart from in Amorgos?
Boat trips depart mainly from the two ports, Katapola in the central bay and Aegiali in the north, with the Nikouria shuttle leaving from the Agios Pavlos jetty on the north coast.
The island’s boat trips leave from its harbours and jetties. Katapola, the central port in its deep sheltered bay, is the departure point for the hops to Maltezi and the neighbouring coves and for round-island cruises, while Aegiali in the north is the base for trips along the northern coast and for cruises and diving boats.
The frequent shuttle to the islet of Nikouria leaves not from a main port but from the small jetty at Agios Pavlos on the north coast. Opposite the islet, a short drive or bus ride from Aegiali. Knowing which trip leaves from where helps in planning, and the choice often follows your base at one end of the island or the other.
Both Katapola and Aegiali are working harbours where excursion boats. Caiques and the dive boats tie up. Where trips can be booked directly at the quay, through agencies or your accommodation. For the ports and where to stay, see the wider Amorgos guide.
How much do Amorgos boat trips cost?
The short Nikouria shuttle costs only euros for a return ticket, while full-day cruises and diving trips run from around forty to over a hundred euros per person, depending on the trip, the duration and whether lunch is.
Prices vary widely with the type of trip. The frequent shuttle boat to the islet of Nikouria is very cheap, a low-cost return fare of only euros. Which makes it an easy outing for anyone. The short hops to the coves near Katapola are similarly inexpensive.
Organised day cruises and diving trips cost more, typically ranging from around forty euros for a shared excursion to over a hundred for a full day with lunch or a guided dive. Depending on the operator, the length and what is included. Snorkelling trips generally sit at the lower end, guided dives at the higher.
Private boat charters, where you hire a boat and skipper for a group, are the most expensive but give you the vessel and the route to yourselves. Booking ahead is wise in peak season, as the island’s small fleet of boats fills quickly in July and August. Comparing operators at the quay or booking online in advance helps secure both a place and a fair price in the peak weeks.
Can you rent a private boat in Amorgos?
Yes. Private boats and skippered charters can be hired on Amorgos, from the ports of Katapola and Aegiali, to explore the coast at your own pace.
For those who want the freedom to set their own course, private boat hire and skippered charters are available on Amorgos. Arranged through operators at Katapola and Aegiali, they range from small motorboats for a family to larger vessels with a skipper for a group. Giving flexibility that the shared shuttles and cruises cannot.
A private charter lets you decide which coves, caves and islets to visit and how long to linger at each, anchoring for swimming and snorkelling wherever the water tempts. It suits families, groups of friends and anyone wanting a more exclusive day on the water, and it opens up the remotest, quietest stretches of the coast.
Private hire costs more than a shared trip, but split among a group it can be reasonable, and it turns a boat trip into a bespoke day out. Booking ahead in peak season is advisable, as the island’s fleet is small and demand high in July and August.
Can you take a day trip by boat from Amorgos to other islands?
Yes. Boats and ferries from Amorgos reach the Little Cyclades, the tiny islands of Koufonisia, Iraklia, Schinoussa and Donousa, for a day trip, and larger cruisers run to and from Naxos and Santorini, making island-hopping easy from the eastern Cyclades.
Amorgos sits beside the cluster of small islands known as the Little Cyclades, and a day trip to one of them is a rewarding excursion by sea. Boats and ferries run in summer to Koufonisia, with its famous turquoise water. To quieter Iraklia, Schinoussa and Donousa, each a tiny, unspoilt island of beaches and a single village.
Larger boats and private cruisers also link Amorgos with Naxos and, over a longer distance, with Santorini, some run as full-day excursions and others as one-way island-hopping legs. These longer trips make it easy to combine Amorgos with the central Cyclades on a wider tour of the islands.
Whether a short hop to the Little Cyclades or a longer run to Naxos, these sea day trips extend the reach of a stay on Amorgos. The short distances and the summer boat schedules make island-hopping from the island straightforward, opening up the quiet corner of the Aegean around it.
When is the best time for a boat trip in Amorgos?
Late June to September is the season for boat trips in Amorgos, when the boats run daily and the sea is warm for swimming.
The boat-trip season runs broadly from June to September, peaking in July and August when the shuttles. Cruises and diving boats all operate daily and the sea is at its warmest for swimming and snorkelling. Outside these months the choice of trips thins, though private charters can sometimes be arranged in the shoulder weeks.
The main thing to watch is the wind. The strong meltemi that blows across the Cyclades in high summer can whip up the exposed north and east coast of Amorgos. Occasionally leading operators to cancel or reroute trips. A calmer day makes for a smoother, safer cruise.
Keeping the plan flexible and choosing a calm day gives the best of the water. The sheltered coves of Katapola bay stay swimmable even when the open coast is rough. For the island-wide picture of weather, wind and seasons, see the guide to the Amorgos travel guide. Morning trips are often calmer than the afternoons, when the meltemi typically strengthens, so an early start gives the smoothest water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are boat trips worth it in Amorgos?
Yes. Amorgos has a long, cliff-bound coast whose finest coves, sea caves and islets are cut off from every road, and a boat trip is the only way to reach them. Trips give you the clear, deep water the island is famous for, access to the turquoise beaches of Nikouria islet and the coves near Katapola. A view of the cliffs and the Hozoviotissa Monastery from the sea, and, on a full-day cruise, the wild south and the Olympia shipwreck, making them among the most rewarding things to do on the island.
How do you get to Nikouria island from Amorgos?
Nikouria is reached by a small shuttle boat from the Agios Pavlos jetty on the north coast of Amorgos, opposite the islet, a crossing of only minutes. In summer the boat runs roughly hourly through the middle of the day and into the evening, with a low-cost return ticket. You can cross over. Enjoy the islet’s clear-water beaches for as long as you like, and return on a later boat.
Where do you book boat trips in Amorgos?
Boat trips in Amorgos are booked with local operators at the ports of Katapola and Aegiali, either directly at the quay. Through travel agencies, or via your accommodation, while diving and snorkelling trips are arranged with the island’s dive centre. Booking ahead is recommended in July and August, when the small local fleet fills quickly. The short shuttle to Nikouria simply runs to a timetable from the Agios Pavlos jetty, with no book.