Ferries in Greece

Ferries from Athens

Athens, Greece’s capital, is also the departure harbour for a number of ferries to the Greek islands scattered around the Aegean. These boats are invaluable when it comes to visiting Greece’s most coveted destinations. Here is a list of the most popular ferry routes that set off from the ports of Rafina or Piraeus:

Athens-Santorini Ferry

The ferry from Athens to Santorini is one of the most travelled, linking the capital to one of the Cyclades’ most beautiful islands. Count on the trip taking around 9 hours, even though certain companies like Blue Star make it in 7. From Rafina you can also take a super fast ferry which will take around 4 hours.

Athens-Rhodes Ferry

A ferry ride between Athens and Rhodes, the most famous of the Dodecanese, will take from 12 to 17 hours. Because of this, it is a good idea to try to travel by night so you don’t have to loose an entire day of your trip. An economy class ticket will cost you 50 euros minimum. In low season, you can catch a ferry on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Piraeus at 19h. The rest of the year, crossings are much more frequent. Head to gate E1, where all the ferries to Rhodes set off.

Athens-Corfu Ferry

To reach Corfu by ferry, you must first take a bus from Athens to Igoumenitsa. From here there are four crossings a day in high season, and it will take anywhere from one to two hours. Many companies offer this crossing and the price of a ticket is low: less than ten euros.

Athens-Heraklion (Crete) Ferry

To get to Heraklion, in Crete, the ferry crossing will take about 10 hours. The fastest boats can do it in 6 hours, but they are also more expensive. Anek Lines is the most popular company but there are others that offer trips from Athens to Crete in high season.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for information about the hours and routes of fairies leaving from Athens.

Ferries from island to island

Travelling to Greece means discovering its islands, a necessary step without which you’ll miss out on a large part of Greece’s beauty. If, for your tailor made trip to Greece you’d like to visit several islands you’ll have to take ferries to get between them. Here is a list of some major ferry liaisons between islands:

Ferry in the Cyclades

Travelling from island to island in the Cyclades can be complicated as there are not routes between all of them. Furthermore, you’ll have to carefully plan which day of the week to leave. The more touristy islands like Santorini, Paros, Naxos or Ios are easy to get to all year long. It will be harder to access islands such as Folegandros, Sifnos, Milos, Serifos or Kimolos. It costs about 40 euros to travel between Santorini and Mykonos in economy class and takes about three hours, often with several stops at other Cyclades islands.

Ferry between Heraklion and Santorini

Plan to spend about 40 euros and 2 hours on the ferry at most. To travel between Santorini and Crete, catamarans are the fastest means of transportation. Ferries departing from Heraklion generally continue on their route to the rest of the Cyclades as well.

Ferry between Rhodes and Paros

Travelling between the Dodecanese and the Cyclades takes a certain amount of patience. The ferry liaison takes around 13 hours. Try to leave in the early evening to be able to take full advantage of your day once you get to your destination.

Ferry between Corfu and Heraklion

From Crete, you can reach the Ionian Islands, notably Corfu by taking a ferry that stops by the Piraeus harbour. Then you’ll have to board a bus taking you to Igoumenitsa from where a ferry will take you to Corfu.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information about the ferry schedules and routes between the Cyclades, Ionians, Dodecanese and Crete.