As a Greek local living in Athens, I’ve explored many islands—but hiking on Kea (also known as Tzia) remains one of my favorite experiences.
Kea is a premier destination for trekkers, featuring a network of 12 well-marked trails over 81 km (~50.3 miles) of ancient footpaths.
This laid-back Cycladic retreat is rich in history and authenticity—from the ancient ruins of Karthea and the iconic Lion of Kea to the delicious local cuisine and breathtaking beaches.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through my personal trek from the port of Korissia to the capital of Ioulida and down to Otzias beach—a journey of approximately 18 km (~11.2 miles) covering a scenic area of about 25 sq. km (~9.6 sq. miles).
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Plan Your Trip to Kea
Since I live in Athens, I usually do this as a day trip or a quick weekend. Here are the three things you’ll need to figure out first:
The Ferry: Kea is only an hour from Lavrio port. I always use FerryHopper to compare times—it’s the easiest way to book your tickets in advance.
Where to Stay: If you’re staying overnight, Serie Hotel in Ioulida is my top pick. The views over the hills are incredible, and the breakfast is exactly what you need before an 18 km (~11.2 miles) hike.
Where is Kea Island
Kea is the westernmost island of the Cyclades and the closest to Athens. It covers a total area of 131 sq. km (~50.6 sq. miles) and has a coastline of 85 km (~52.8 miles).
How to Get to Kea Island
Bringing a Car: If you’re wondering—yes, the ferries to Kea are conventional and have big garages. You can definitely bring your car along if you want “wheels” to explore the rest of the island.
The Ferry: Boats depart from Lavrio, which is Athens’ smaller, quieter port. The crossing is super short—usually only 1 hour.
Getting to Lavrio: The port is about 60 km (~37.3 miles) from central Athens. If you’re coming straight from the airport, it’s about 37 km (~23 miles).
The Best Way to Travel: Especially if you’re catching an early morning ferry, renting a car is the way to go. It gives you the freedom to reach the port on your own schedule.
Route Overview: Trail 1 or “Leon”
In mid-September, a few friends and I decided to tackle a massive 18 km (~11.2 miles) loop. Was it hot? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
We made our way up to Ioulis, the island’s charming capital, then hiked down toward Otzias beach, and finally looped back to the port — a beautiful route.
Here is exactly how we did it so you can do the same.
Technical information
Trail: Korissia to Ioulis (Trail 2), then Ioulis to Otzias (Trail 1), and back to Korissia via road or trail
Korissia to Ioulis: 4.8 km → 2.98 miles
Ioulis to Otzias: 6.2 km → 3.85 miles
Otzias to Korissia: 7 km → 4.35 miles
Elevation Details
Elevation Gain: 520 m → 1,706 feet
Minimum Elevation: -45 m → -148 feet
Altitude Difference: 337 m – 45 m → 1,106 feet – 148 feet
- Moving Time: 5 hours
- Level of Difficulty: Moderate (due to its length and the hot weather, not to any technical difficulty), 2/5.
- Trail type: Circular
- Terrain: Stone-paved
- Best time to hike: Spring, fall, and winter (avoid July, August, and up to mid-September: too hot to hike).
Participation requirements
- Good physical condition with some basic hiking experience
- No acrophobia.
Kea’s Terrain: Why it’s different from other Cyclades
Before we get into the trail specifics, you should know that Kea (or Tzia, as we locals call it) isn’t your typical barren Greek island.
The island’s total area is about 131 sq. km (~50.6 sq. miles)—which actually makes it the 6th largest island in the Cyclades. It has a beautiful, jagged coastline stretching roughly 85 km (~52.8 miles).
A few quick geographic highlights:
- The Highest Point: Mount Profitis Ilias, which reaches 568 meters (~1,864 ft). You can see it from almost anywhere on the trail.
- The Bay: Kea is home to the Bay of Agios Nikolaos, one of the largest natural harbors in the Mediterranean. It’s so big it feels more like a lake when you’re standing at the port.
- The “Green” Island: Unlike the rocky, dry landscapes of places like Santorini or Anafi, Kea is full of wide valleys, oak forests, and even small flowing streams.
It feels much more “wild” and authentic because it hasn’t been over-developed for mass tourism.
Hike on Kea Island: Trail 1
Hiking Trail 1 on Kea Island starts from Ioulis. However, we decided to make it a bit more challenging.
As soon as we set foot on Korrisia, Kea’s port, we started the uphill hike towards Ioulis (we hiked part of Trail 2 to Ioulis).
The path is wide and easy to walk on, but a large part of it is uphill, as Ioulis is built on top of three hills
As you hike toward Ioulis, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how unspoiled Kea is. Aside from a few taverns and cafes near the port, the rest of the area is remarkably peaceful.
The uphill stretch toward the island’s capital was a bit challenging, especially with the lingering September heat in Greece.
Most of the path is fairly exposed to the sun, and a couple of hikers in our group needed a quick salty snack break to recharge.
We paused for about 15 minutes at the Church of Saint Lucas to rest before continuing to the village.
Ioulis is a beautiful small town, with colorful houses and red bricks, in contrast to the typically austere whitewashed buildings on other Cycladic islands.
Its alleys are narrow, made to fit only humans and donkeys. If you arrive by car, you’ll need to leave it at the entrance of Ioulis.
We purchased additional water for the next leg of our hike and followed the signs for Trail 1, marked with the indicator “Leon.”
The trail leads us through the picturesque town of Ioulis, taking us past traditional houses and “stegadia,” the characteristic Cycladic galleries offering impressive views of the hills on your left-hand side.
As we continued along the trail, we passed a cemetery and a small fountain.
After an impressive curve of the trail and very close to the beautiful chapel of Aghios Spyridon, lies the renowned Lion, the landmark of the island.
The Lion is roughly 500 meters from Ioulida and it’s an archaic sculpture of the 6th-7th century BCE carved on a rock approximately 8 m long.
Getting to the Lion is free, but be prepared to tackle some uneven steps along the way.
After passing the famous Lion, the cobbled path keeps going downhill until you reach the Veniamin fountain — built back in 1863 and tucked under the cool shade of some massive old plane trees.
A little further along, the trail splits — if you take the right fork, you’ll hop onto Trail 10, which eventually takes you to Spathi Beach.
We followed the left fork on the descending cobbled path, heading towards Otzias until we reached a dirt road.
We hiked smoothly through orchards and continued downhill to Diaselli Hill, enjoying unobstructed views of the Gulf of Otzias.
Arriving at Otzias, Kea’s longest beach, with its sparkling green-blue waters, was like reaching paradise.
We wasted no time and dove right into the inviting sea, staying there for quite some time.
September is a great time for hiking in Greece, but swimming is even more delightful as the sea waters are at their warmest across the country.
We chose a fish tavern in Otzias, which also offered majestic views of the bay.
I noticed that there were quite a few yachts in the sea and people were also canoeing, so apparently, Otzias is a great beach if you love sea sports.
After a great but light meal (greens and some small fried fish and a Mythos beer, of course! ), we set off towards Korrisia to catch our ferry.
The distance was about 7 kilometers, taking us through rural roads, picturesque seaside villages like Vourkari (the nightlife hotspot of Kea), and popular beaches such as Gialiskari.
We walked there at a fast pace, and I was happy ( I was quite tired at the time) but also sad to see our ferry getting into Korrisia’s bay.
I didn’t really want to return to Athens, but … I had to.
The Kea Trails
Kea Island has 12 well-maintained and signposted trails marked by the Municipality of Kea.
In addition to these official trails, numerous connecting routes crisscross the island, offering shorter options, particularly in areas like Agia Marina, Karthaia, and Kastriani, home to the majestic Panagia Kastriani Monastery.
In total, this network spans 81 kilometers of pathways, the majority of which are paved with sturdy stone, ensuring ease of navigation.
These trails, often referred to as the ‘donkey trails,’ are the very same paths that ancient Kea residents once used to traverse between villages, steeped in history and culture.
The 12 Trekking Trails on Kea Island are:
- Trail 1, or Leon Trail: Ioulida – Leon – Dosonari – Diaseli – Otzias (6.200 m)
- Trail 2, or Elixos: Ioulida – Roukounas – Komi – Agios Konstantinos – Mylopotamos – Flea – Korrisia (3.100 m)
- Trail 3 or Aristaios: Ioulida – Mesaria – Prophitis Ilias – Astra – Ellinika (intersection with trail 8) – Agios Symeon – Karthaia (11.850 m)
- Trail 4 or Drys: Episkopi Monastery – Sotira – Perameria – Tria Maderika – Sykamia beach (4.450 m)
- Trail 5 or Karthaia: Katomeria – Kalodouka – Vathypotamou stream – Karthaia (3.150 m)
- Trail 6 or Karthaia: Stavroudaki – Vathypotamou stream – Karthaia (2.300 m)
- Trail 7 or Karthaia: Chavouna – Agios Taxiarhis-Pigadaki – Kaliskia – Karthaia (1.700 m)
- Trail 8 or Seirios: Ellinika – Choucli – Vryses – Agios Philippos – Agios Symeon (4.300 m)
- Trail 9 or Artemis: Ioulida – Myloi – Tholos – Kalogerados – Amarathia – Ellinika – Agios Panteleimon – Panagia Loutriani (5.500 m)
- Trail 10 or Ydroussa: Veniamin Fountain – Agios Dimitrios – Spathi beach (4.800 m)
- Trail 11 or Orkos: Prophitis Ilias – Laoudi – Kampouri – Orkos (4.200 m)
- Trail 12 or Poiessa: Sklavonikola – Panachra – Agia Marina – Poisses beach
FAQs for Kea
What are Kea’s top sites?
One of the coolest archaeological sites on Kea is ancient Karthaia — a whole city with an acropolis and walls that stretch over 2 kilometers!
Inside, you’ll find the ruins of the Temple of Apollo (built around 530 BCE), a stone theatre, and another temple that’s likely dedicated to Athena.
Super impressive spot, especially if you enjoy hiking with a bit of history thrown in.
Want to dive deeper into Kea’s best sights? Check out my full post here!
Where to Stay on Kea Island
If I were to stay on the island for a night or two, I’d probably skip the convenience of staying in Korissia (the port) and go for the seafront village of Vourkari instead — it’s more atmospheric, and there are two great places to stay there:
The modern apartment overlooking the Marina of Vourkari (family-friendly) or the 5-star Ydor Hotel & Spa by Sandglass are exceptional.
Ioulida (Chora) is also a fantastic place with pretty guesthouses such as Serie or the 3-level doll house in Kea Ioulida.
How to Get to Kea Island in Greece
Kea is super easy to get to — it’s just about an hour from Athens’ smaller port, Lavrio. The port’s about 60 km from the city and only 27 km from the airport.
The easiest way to get there, especially if you’re catching a morning ferry, is by rental car. And if you’re wondering — yes, the ferries to Kea can take cars, so you can bring yours along if you’d rather have wheels on the island.
What to Pack for Kea Island Hiking
These are some of the essential items I recommend you have with you if you are hiking to Kea or any other Greek island:
Hiking shoes and a sun hat with a wide brim
Organic sunscreen to apply as often as possible
Hiking backpack with good dry back protection
Personal bottle of water (1-2 lt).
What’s the weather like in Greece in September?
September in Greece is mostly quite warm and can be hot on certain days or hours of the day, 28–33°C (82.4–91.4°F.).
The evenings do get cooler, so if you are traveling to Greece in September, get summer clothes but add a couple of light jackets or a long-sleeved t-shirt.
Kea Island Google Map
Find the villages and other places of interest on Kea Island mentioned in the post on the map here.
Hiking in Greece
Greece’s landscape is incredibly diverse, with historical and religious sites scattered along every trail, adding to its charm.
Some of the country’s top hikes are found on islands like Kea, the famous caldera trek in Santorini, or the majestic Samaria Gorge in Crete.
But even on the mainland, there’s no shortage of spectacular trails, from Mount Olympus and Mount Oiti in the north to the Menalon Trail in the Peloponnese, and the breathtaking Vikos Gorge in Epirus, among others.
Did you hike on Kea Island? Let me know what you think about hiking Kea in the comments. I’d love to hear whether I managed to get it onto your bucket list!
Happy Travels! Evgenia
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