Arki
3.0/5A fishing hamlet of 44 in the Dodecanese — sheltered bays, no cars, total quiet
3.0on its own→3.9with the Patmos & Lipsi groupThe one harbour village, the Tiganakia turquoise coves, and a boat to Marathi.
Part of the Patmos & Lipsi group
Tiny, sleepy and connected by the same local boats. Strung together off Patmos they add up to a proper slow-travel week; visited singly they are half-day stops.
Base3.6Patmos4 daysWhy 3.0: good value, some of the best sailing water in Greece and nothing you need a car for — but there is very little to see beyond the landscape and there is no nightlife at all.
Arki is a speck of an island east of Patmos — one small settlement around the harbour, a handful of tavernas that also rent rooms, no cars, no bank and no ATM. It is reached by the small Dodecanese ferries that call between Samos, Patmos, Lipsi and Kalymnos. The draw is the near-total silence, the shallow turquoise coves of the south coast, and the neighbouring islet of Marathi with one of the finest beaches in the eastern Aegean. This is an island for travellers who genuinely want to disappear for a day or two.
Good for
- Travellers who genuinely want to disappear for a day or two — one village of 44 people, no cars
- Swimmers happy with shallow turquoise coves — Tiganakia is a walk from the harbour, with no sunbeds and no bar
- Island-hoppers already on Patmos or Lipsi — the crossing is about an hour on the small boats
Maybe skip if
- If you want anything beyond swimming and eating — little to see, no nightlife at all and no ATM
- If you travel outside June to September — ferries thin out sharply and most rooms and tavernas are shut
Getting there
No airport. Small Dodecanese ferries and the Patmos–Lipsi day boats call at Arki several times a week in summer; the crossing from Patmos is about 1 hour. Very limited service outside June–September.
Tip: Pair Arki with Lipsi or Patmos — few people come out here as a standalone trip.
Best time to visit Arki
Arki is a summer-only island — most rooms and tavernas open roughly May to September. June and September are ideal: warm sea, calm bays and almost nobody around. Ferries thin out sharply outside summer.
Top beaches of Arki
Tiganakia
Shallow turquoise coves on Arki's south coast — the island's best swim, reached on foot from the village. No sunbeds, no bar, total peace.
- Type
- Sand & rock coves
- Length
- Series of coves
- Depth
- Shallow — crystal clear
- Wind
- Avoid visiting when the wind blows from the southeast to southwest at over 5 Bft. South-facing — sheltered from the meltemi (the summer N/NE wind); calm in summer, exposed only to rare southern winds
- Facilities
- None — bring everything.
1-day itinerary for Arki
Read the day-by-day plan on its own page →
Day 1: Harbour, Coves & Marathi
- 10:00 · Port Augusta (Arki village)
The island's only village wraps around a deep natural harbour — three or four tavernas with rooms, a tiny church, a couple of shops. Boats from Patmos and Lipsi tie up right in front of the tables. - 11:30 · Tiganakia Coves
A cluster of tiny shallow coves on the south coast with astonishing turquoise water over pale sand — the island's signature swim. Reached on foot or by small boat; no facilities, so bring water and shade. - 🍴 Stop for lunch · Port Augusta — see Eat & Drink below
- 14:00 · Marathi islet
A ten-minute boat hop to a near-uninhabited islet with a wide sweep of pale sand and two summer-only tavernas. One of the best beaches in the whole eastern Aegean, and almost always empty.