Mytilene International Airport to Skala Eresou
The longest run on the island at about 90 km and two hours; transfers are €120–150 and the coach involves a change plus a sparse village service.
A long dark-sand beach at the island's far western end, below the village where Sappho was born — a low-key, famously welcoming resort with tavernas along the sand and the petrified forest a short drive inland.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Skala Eresou, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €115). Travelling light on a budget? The bus is cheapest (from €12) but slower, with a change in the city.
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus (per person) | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €12 | €115 | Bus |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €24 | €115 | Bus |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €48 | €115 | Bus |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Bus | From €12, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Private transfer
Splits reasonably between four people. Arrange the return at the same time — Skala Eresou is as far from the airport as it is possible to be on Lesvos, and a same-day dawn pickup is not something to leave to chance.
Where to catch it: Two hours across the island, so the fare reflects a genuinely long drive rather than a hop.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsBus / shuttle
Under fifteen euros and up to four hours. The western services are the thinnest on the island; check the current KTEL timetable before relying on this, because on some days there simply is no onward connection after early afternoon.
Where to catch it: Airport bus into Mytilene, then a western coach via Kalloni — occasionally requiring a second change depending on the day.
Best for solo & budget travellersCar rental
The strongest case for hiring anywhere on Lesvos. Once you are out here the nearest supermarket of any size is in Eresos village up the hill, and the coach back east goes once a day.
Where to catch it: Two hours west across the island, past Kalloni's gulf and the petrified forest road.
Best for travellers who want to exploreTaxi
Establish the price and the driver's willingness before you rely on it. On a small island the taxi fleet is limited and a return leg from here needs booking rather than hailing.
Where to catch it: Possible but expensive, and drivers may be reluctant to take a two-hour fare that leaves them far from base.
Best for small groups in a hurrySkala Eresou & Mytilene in photos
Buying tickets in Mytilene
Lesvos is Greece's third-largest island and its bus network is built for residents rather than arrivals. KTEL Lesvou runs the airport service into Mytilene for about €2.10, taking around 25 minutes, with the last departure near 21:30 — evening flights from Athens routinely land after it. Everywhere else means changing at the KTEL station in Mytilene onto a village coach that may run only once or twice a day: Molyvos and Petra in the north, Plomari over the mountain to the south, Skala Eresou two hours west. Tickets are bought at the station or from the driver in cash. Because of this, most visitors beyond the capital either pre-book a transfer or hire a car — and the island's rental fleet is small enough that August sells out, so reserve before you fly.
Taxi scams & safety in Mytilene
Mytilene is a small airport with a correspondingly small taxi fleet, and the practical risk here is not overcharging but simply finding no car — on the last arrival of the day the rank can empty once a full flight disembarks. Booking ahead for a late landing is sensible rather than cautious. Verified transfer prices are around €65 to Molyvos or Petra and about €99 to Plomari; note that some booking sites quote figures several times higher for these routes, so if you see a number in the hundreds for Molyvos, check elsewhere before accepting. The short run into Mytilene should be about €15. One geography note that saves money: if you are travelling from the Turkish coast rather than Athens, the Ayvalık–Mytilene ferry takes about 90 minutes and lands in the harbour, removing the airport transfer entirely.
Getting from MJT to Skala Eresou
Ninety kilometres and two hours. Skala Eresou is at the far western end of Lesvos, and reaching it is the longest single transfer in this guide — a drive right across the island past the Gulf of Kalloni, through the petrified forest country, and down to a beach that faces south into open sea. A transfer costs €115 to €155; the coach route can take four hours and on some days does not connect at all.
The western coaches are the thinnest on the island
State this plainly before anything else. KTEL's western services run once or twice a day, sometimes requiring a second change at Kalloni, and the last useful departure is often early afternoon. Take the airport service into Mytilene — €2.10 — then whatever western coach exists that day — total perhaps twelve to fifteen euros and up to four hours. It is genuinely cheap and it is genuinely unreliable as an arrival-day plan. Check the current timetable before you count on it, because on some days there simply is no onward connection after lunchtime.
Sappho was born here, and it shaped the place
Ancient Eresos, on the hill above the modern village, was the birthplace of the poet Sappho in the seventh century BC. From the 1970s onwards that drew women travellers from across Europe, and Skala Eresou became — and remains — one of the Mediterranean's best-known lesbian holiday destinations. The village today is mixed, low-key and notably welcoming, with a beachfront of tavernas and bars, a bookshop, and a season that runs from May to September and then closes almost entirely.
Two hours means arranging both legs
The practical consequence of being this far out. There is no realistic same-day solution if a transfer falls through, no passing taxi trade, and the nearest town of any size is Eresos village up the hill. Book the return with the outbound, confirm it a day or two before you leave, and if you are flying out early, expect a departure in the dark. This is the one destination on Lesvos where improvising the journey home is a genuinely bad idea.
Dark sand, and a headland at each end
The beach is long, wide and volcanic grey-brown rather than golden, shelving gently with usually calm water and a small islet offshore. Behind it is a single row of buildings and then hills. It is the sort of beach where you can walk for twenty minutes and be alone at either end even in August, which is not something that can be said of the northern resorts.
The petrified forest is on the way
Western Lesvos is a fossil landscape: twenty million years ago volcanic ash buried a subtropical forest and the trunks turned to stone where they stood. There are two main sites near Sigri, north of Eresos, with a museum, and scattered trunks visible from the road. If you are driving yourself from the airport, it breaks the two-hour journey usefully; by coach it is a separate expedition that is hard to arrange.
A car is not optional out here
At €25 to €45 a day, hiring is close to a requirement rather than a convenience. Once you are in Skala Eresou the shops are limited, Eresos village with the bakery and the larger supermarket is a couple of kilometres uphill, and Sigri, Antissa and the forest sites are all a drive away. The coach east goes once a day. Reserve before you fly — the island's rental fleet is small and this is not a place to discover on arrival that nothing is available.
Who should make this journey
Worth being direct. Two hours each way from the airport, in exchange for a long quiet beach, a village with a particular and welcoming character, and a corner of Greece that most visitors never see. People who want that consider the transfer a reasonable price. People who want convenience and a range of restaurants should look at the north coast, which is half the distance and twice as well connected.
The summary: €115–155 for a car and two hours, booked both ways in advance. The coach route costs a fraction of that and may not exist on the day you need it — check before you rely on it.
