UKC

Hi all,

Trying to plan our first trip to Kalymnos in April, flying from Bristol to Kos arriving at 12:15 and leaving 13:05 (so be at the airport ~10:30).

Getting the Ferry to Kalymnos shouldn't be a problem on the day of arrival, my concern is getting an early ferry on the depature day. I can't seem to find a timetable that is up to date for 2023 in April.

So I guess my question is, is there an early ferry and how reliable are they for leaving on time and being available?

Cheers

Given you aren't going to get any climbing in on your departure day, I'd make the crossing the evening before your flight.

You should be fine. There's early morning fast and slow ferries.

The only thing that stops them is really high winds..

Never really thought of that to be honest. Good shout

I've never had a problem getting to the airport in time from the first ferry in the morning, but if you're feeling nervous you can as JLS said travel over the evening before and stay on Kos for a night

And remember the ferry company like to change the timetable when it suits them.

One thing to watch out for, is easter. They take it pretty seriously over there. I think there's less ferries on those days/weekend. 

I agree with the others, just head to Kos the night before and stay at a hotel there if your flight is early. 

There's also the issue with rough seas/wind in April. Last time I was there, someone almost missed their flight because a storm came in. The ferries stopped for a bit, but luckily he managed to get one. 

So going the evening before gives you a bit of leeway in that regard. 

Our flight gets in to Kos at 2110 on Sat 1st April.  Is it possible to get to Kalymnos straight away or will we have to wait to the Sunday?

Considering that ferries are something nearly every visitor to Kalymnos will want to know about, it is never that easy to find clear information on ferry timings. 

The weather can and does impact sailings, and you will get there, sadly but true, your return will be important, but when you are there you will see what the weather is doing, so will be able to act accordingly, so for the moment, put it from your mind.

Haa well said  !  I can think of far worse places to be stuck at 😃

Also not necessarily the same w/e as here: a quick google suggests the Greek othodox Easter is Sunday 16th.

Getting information on Kalymnos ferries isn't easy.  Most of the online ferry websites don't seem to include the local service by Anem Ferries.

https://www.anemferries.gr/en/

The Climb Kalymnos website also has ferry timetables.

https://climbkalymnos.com/

Currently they are only showing sailings to the end of March. Hopefully they won't change much in April. It's always worth checking beforehand as the ferries can be affected by the weather. You can usually ask at the Glaros Bar.

It's what I've done in the past, when either arriving late or leaving early. Loads of cheap accommodation on the Kos side and it saves the stress.

Once we arrived in the evening and the wind was high so the ferry was cancelled - just dossed in a place near the port and crossed the next morning. But much less stressful that way than when trying to catch a flight home!

I'm on the same flight

Normally the ferry waits for people to shuttle from the airport, and if I was on my own I'd gamble. The friends I'm with are more cautious and so we've got a cheap place for the night and will cross in the morning. Cost like £12 each or something.

And so get ready for A LOT of explosions. It's really quite nuts.

Once got stuck waiting for a bag at the airport (pre-expansion) and sent everyone else ahead to catch the ferry, I got left behind so had doss to on a sun lounger on the beach. 

Wasn't too bad, but bit chilly as the bag only had gear in and was dressed very lightly eventually realised I could use the rope tarp as a bedsheet!

Got caught out by the wind (which was hardly noticeable on the crag) at end of October many years ago, and missed our flight.

It was end of season and we ended up flying Olympic business class to Athens, Olympic to Heathrow, then one-way car hire to collect car from MAN airport. Amazingly Snowcard insurance paid out for cancellation of scheduled public transport.

Bloody hell, that’s a result with the insurance!

To others - would always recommend checking    in at the ferry office in Masouri a couple of days prior to leaving to see how it’s looking. They can give you accurate info on what’s been running, how the weather’s looking and what ferry they suggest you should book. They’re very helpful, have all the info and can book you a ticket if it’s looking tight on numbers 

Well this is interesting. I'd not even considered trying to claim. Good to know!