Ferry Boats & Ferry Schedules at a Glance

Hi: We're back from Greece and I want to thank you for all your help and advice.  We had a great time-you have a very beautiful country.  If you need any more testimonials, I would be glad to give you one.  Having your help with hotels and ferries made planning the rest of my trip very easy. Thanks again. Lynne Dempsey More testimonials

Greetings: We would like to thank you for our vacation. We had a wonderful time. Your people are very efficient. Too many islands in too short a time though. . We will be back to see Crete and Rhodes. Milos is beautiful, but I'm glad we stayed in Santorini. That was our favorite.The slow boat to Milos was fun. We saw 5 more islands and talked to people who stayed on each.
Thank you again, Michael Steinberg More testimonials

BOOK YOUR GREEK ISLAND ACCOMMODATIONS
THROUGH HARRY'S GREECE TRAVEL GUIDE for 3 reasons!

• Our Greek Island Hotel prices are 15% lower to begin with
• With Greece Hotel Booking we check all the ferry schedules for you to make sure you can make all your connections .... We wont book you in a hotel on such and such a date if you cant reach it that day.
• We will reserve your choice of ferry tickets (or Flights) in advance for you

You'll save money because of our huge selection of over 800 Greece accommodations and unquestionably lower rates... We already know where the best value and places to stay are too! Its our business to know!

And you know what? We don't work with just any hotel We get local hoteliers e-mailing us their hotel info all the time and before we work with them we visit their hotels. We carefully and objectively use tough criteria before suggesting them to you, our valued customers. Is it clean? is it fairly priced? Is the breakfast good or a rip-off? Is it near the town or in the middle of no-where? Do those air conditioners really work? Is the beach walking distance. Is there a disco right next door? And a whole lot more besides!

PLUS, after you decide how you wish to travel by ferry, we obtain/reserve your ferry tickets for you in advance and include them to your welcome package all at no extra charge.

Minimize your Athens hotel expenditure? Want to catch the boat to your Greek Island the same day you fly in? Then arrive ATH as early as possible in the morning.. but read this page first. Some destinations are much easier to reach than others and you learn why and a lot more too.

Booking with us saves you money and its a lot simpler than fretting, its a free service and we accept major credit cards!Think about it and Contact us!

Dear All: Sorry we didn't get a chance to hook up with you in Athens. Our time was very rushed and we had a lot of things to see and do. You did a great job of selecting hotels and making our arrangements for this trip. The hotels were all in great locations. Overall we had a wonderful vacation in Greece . Lloyd & Bobbie Ferguson More testimonials

Dear All: We returned from our trip to Mykonos about a week ago and just wanted to write and thank you for your assistance with the booking, etc. We were very happy with the hotel and the location in general and will surely return to Mykonos again. Thank you again for your assistance. Tasha Linden - Austria More testimonials

Ferry Extras

Greek Ferry Schedules

TIP: Read this brief overview below to get a good idea of Greek Island ferry schedules and the several types of Greek Ferry Boat available to you. You can then make the choices suitable to your time and budget constraints!

Click to see Greek islands map I | Greek Islands map II in a new window.

Its pretty simple and the Meltemi winds and occasional mechanical breakdown your only real worry. But book in advance for late July and August especially with a vehicle or looking to book an overnight cabin for a longer journey such as to Rhodes or Crete.

Ferry Schedules May Change Without Notice!

The weather and technical problems can cause boats to be delayed or cancelled and so called "definitive or official" ferry schedules that you see on-line are only posted two weeks in advance and subject to over booking in high season!

I live here in Greece and know what I am talking about!

Thank you for your assistance in making our trip to Greece one of the most awesome experiences we will have in our lifetime. Please to let you know that we are very delighted with the service you have provided us. We look forward to seeing all of the sites you have outlined for us while we are in Athens. Best Regards-Pamela More testimonials

August is the worst time to be un-prepared. August 15th is the festival of the Virgin Mary (Greece's second biggest holiday, after Easter) and the worst weekend to travel in Greece; August 15th is analogous to the day before Thanksgiving in the USA.

However, the rest of the summer there are over 7,000 ferry trips scheduled monthly servicing the Greek island groups of the Saronic Gulf, Cyclades, Dodecanese, N.E. Aegean, Sporades and Ionian Islands as well as Crete, Turkey, Israel, and Italy and plenty of opportunities to reach your Greek island destination weather permitting.

What follows is some basic background information to help you prepare to go to the Greek islands and a few avenues of approach to consider as alternatives to the typical Mykonos - Santorini visit to the Greek islands.

Booking direct with Greek Island Hotels on line
can be penny wise and pound foolish

If your Greek island ferry boat gets cancelled, for whatever reason, and you can not reach the Greek island hotel you booked on-line yourself, many hotels will gleefully charge your credit card no-show fees of 100% even if its not your fault. Hotels have varying policies on this depending on their location, but in general, the more popular the destination the harder they come down on no-shows or late arrivals.

Book though Harry's Greece Travel Guide and minimize this risk. We have an excellent working relationship with our many hotel partners who treat our clients very well (unlike walk-ins who always pay more in the end). Why? Because we/they hope you will become repeat customers and spread the word about the many free benefits we can provide you for free!

1st Time Travelers to Greece: Mykonos & Santorini?

"First timers should go to Mykonos and Santorini and haven't really "seen Greece" if they haven't."

I said that and I stand by it too! These two islands are among the best serviced by ferry of all Greek islands with several boats a day leaving for each from Athens area.

As for must see's you'd be surprised how many Athenians have never been to the Acropolis either much less Mykonos and Santorini so visiting these two is a personal choice. Both are wonderful islands if pricier and busier.

Give each 2 to 3 days and return to stay longer if you like them. See Santorini first if possible then Mykonos, even though the ferries from Athens do it in reverse. Start off in Crete (7 hrs from Santorini) to solve this problem.

Both Cycladic islands, Mykonos and Santorini are about 6 hrs journey apart on a typical Greek ferry. Mykonos is 6 hours from Piraeus and Santorini 11 by typical Greek Ferry. Less by the newer, faster, more expensive boats you'll read about below. You can also fly to these and several Greek islands but not all.

For more info see the port authorities - tourist police - airports in Greece & on Greek islands and air travel restrictions (luggage) pages.

Hello - I wanted to thank you for arranging such a great trip. Everything went like clockwork. The tour, the cars, the hotel -- all were great and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We also ate a ton of great food! Thank you so much. Regards, Sabrina Stanley More testimonials

Flexible Athens & Greek Island Hopping itineraries

Or make up your own! Change anything you please:
islands, dates, durations, or even hotel category!

Or simply Contact us for free Greece travel quote without obligation.

• Cycladic Caprice Greece Itinerary 1
  7 Days: Athens - Naxos - Athens
• Cycladic Adventure Greece Itinerary 2
  10 Days: Athens - Mykonos - Delos - Naxos - Athens - Sounion
• Phoenician Pirates Greece Itinerary 3:
  7 Days: Athens - Mykonos - Delos - Santorini - Athens
• Cycladic Caress Greece Itinerary 4
  10 Days: Athens - Syros - Mykonos - Delos - Paros - Santorini
• Minoan Magic Greece Itinerary 5:
  8 Days: Athens - Crete - Santorini by air and ferry w/ car rental in Crete

~ Santorini's Caldera (Volcano) Views make it unique

One of the top ferry destinations in Greece

On Santorini, I recommend that you stay in a Caldera View Hotel or Traditional Cave house with pool if affordable in Santorini's Thira town.

That way you are in the heart of town and can swim and enjoy the view at the same time. Thira town is perched on the cliff face overlooking the volcano or caldera. The beaches don't offer caldera views. Many go to Santorini to get married, honeymoon or share with a special someone or pet. Click the map for the Guide to Santorini.

Santorini's black volcanic sands are island hopping hot (in the literal sense and flip flops highly recommended) and don't reflect the suns rays from the sea bed making the waters dark, and although wonderfully clean, make you feel as if you are swimming in the Atlantic and not the crystal blue and clear seas that Mykonos and many other Greek islands enjoy.

IMNSHO, Santorini is about the CALDERA views, its wine and is very dramatically romantic. While Thira town, which defines Santorini, is a family style island capital, there is also a vibrant heterosexual singles bar scene. 

However Mykonos is probably a bit better for that type of activity straight or gay. So do not go to Santorini for its beaches alone. Stay by the beach and you miss the whole point of Santorini the caldera views! If there is availability stay in Thira town also called very commonly called Fira or Fira town.
Pronounced: Theer-a and Feer-a.

~ Mykonos' proximity to Delos, many beaches and 'anything goes attitude' make it uniquely loved by straight and gay Greek and foreign visitors alike!

One of the top ferry destinations in Greece and the shopping is good too!

In Mykonos stay in Mykonos town's: near outskirts; preferably (to avoid festive noises at all hours), and rent a car/scooter to get to the several beaches. That way you can enjoy Mykonos town in all its splendor and its beaches too.

Mykonos is about late night bar hopping and dancing and long afternoons and sunsets at the beaches. For a lot of people, its also about sex. The sun goes down at 9 pm in high summer but the party never stops. Click the map for the Guide to Mykonos.

Delos is a very important archeological site and an island just a 25 minute boat ride from Mykonos. You have to go to Mykonos to get to Delos where smaller boats leave hourly and paid tours may be signed on for at your discretion. Delos is uninhabited. and overrated.

Once you have visited these two islands you can really discover for yourself how great the other Greek Islands & sea side can be too! Don't feel like seeing Mykonos or Santorini? No problem, there are some alternative suggestion below. But first ...

Greek Island Ferry Realities to plan for

Availability

In late July and all of August cabin and car reservations are nearly impossible to get and the costlier, faster boats difficult to book in third class even for passenger tickets. This applies to everything else too, especially accommodations! In winter there are fewer boats scheduled.

Mother Nature

Winds reek havoc with Greek island ferry schedules and may prevent certain types of boats, including but not limited to: older ferries and Flying Dolphins from departing as scheduled.

Sometimes up to 3 or 4 days. Winds are not confined to winter in Greece and Meltemi Winds are notorious for boat delays and cancellations in July and August.

Sea Sickness: buy Dramamine

Buy Dramamine, an inexpensive sea sickness remedy available at Greek Pharmacies and even harbor kiosks. It deadens stomach muscles and is highly recommended if you are prone to sea-sickness. Take it before you feel bad... not after! Before boarding even.

Missing Your Flight Home or
Plan to see Athens your return leg from Greek Island's

Many travelers have missed outbound flights home through no fault of their own because their boat was cancelled due to Meltemi winds. This happens without fail every summer. What is your air-carriers policy?
A night or two in central Athens prior to departure is prudent and costs as little
as from 50 eu per night per couple.

Athens New Airport 'ATH'  to the Ferry Boats and back

Athens has a new airport (internationally abbreviated ATH when entering your destination info) locally known as (say this 5 times); Eleftherious Venizelous or E.V.

WARNING: The new airport is much further away than the old airport Helinikon. So if you haven't been to Greece for awhile be aware that in traffic, its at least 2 hours away by airport bus from Piraeus or downtown Athens on a normal day.

Click here for some tips on using the Athens airport transport services to your full advantage. The blue line oof the new Athens metro connects the Airport with Syntagma aand Monastiraki Stations! If you want to go straight from the Airport to Piraeus you have to
change lines from Blue to Green in Monastiraki Station!

Greek Harbor and Port Authorities
Within Athens Dial 1440
What do you mean? Its in only Greek?

Before embarkation Piraeus, find a ticket seller, buy an Athens news newspaper (weekly) or International Herald Tribune (daily Kathimerini edition) and check the ferry departure listings or if you have a Greek speaker among you Dial 1440 in Athens for recorded departure times in Greek only!

After you get to to your island and particularly if its windy, always contact the Harbor Police to see if your scheduled departure boat is on schedule.

In a few larger Greek Limania (ports) The Limanarhio (Lee-Man-Ar-Hee-O) or Harbor Police SHOULD have Telephone Services in English and other languages but they don't! Ticket agents are who to ask.

Tourist Police are required to know some English and other languages. Click below for a list of their branches and more helpful info.

For more info see the port authorities - tourist police - airports in Greece & on Greek islands and air travel restrictions (luggage) pages.

Wise travelers will enquire of, upon island arrival, the responsible Port Authorities and how to reach them by land line/cell-phone.

Look for white uniformed officials summers and black uniforms in winter some carry weapons, a sure giveaway!

Under windy conditions (MELTEMIA) there will be delays and departures will be forbidden (APAGHOREFTIKA).

The Greek Islands are windy as a rule! Greece is the official wind-surfers capital of the world and a yachts persons paradise for this reason, among others.

Click to see Greek islands map I | Greek Islands map II in a new window.

Piraeus, Athens Main Port

Most voyagers embark for the Aegean Islands of the Cyclades, Dodecanese, N.E. Aegean and Crete from Athens' Harbor Piraeus. See Map Piraeus Harbor

Piraeus also has 2 smaller harbors: Marina Zeas where Flying Dolphins moor and depart and Tourko-limano, where fishing boats moor and many pricey, but excellent sea food restaurants contend for your tourist dollar. The latter is particularly charming by night.

Rafina and Lavrion, Athens secondary Ports

Greater Athens boasts additional embarkations ports such as Rafina and Lavrion an hour or two by car depending on traffic. These ports are most busy during the summer months and reach highest departure rate during August.

Rafina services, by Flying Dolphin, the following Cyclades Islands: Andros - Tinos - Mykonos - Ios - Amorgos. In summer larger boats depart from here to more destinations. Also visit how to get to ports of Rafina or Lavrion.

Lavrion serves among others, Kea, the closest Cycladic island.

Also see map bottom of page.
Click to see Greek islands map I | Greek Islands map II in a new window.

Straight from the airport departing from these ports can save you a trip into Athens and Piraeus but remember you will spend money and time to reach them too and they are less of a sure thing.

Ferry Schedules all year long running every day Maybe

Routes 1, 2, 6 and 8 depart Piraeus pm hours for overnight trips. Routes 3, 4 and 5 depart Piraeus early morning and return to Piraeus the same day via the same ports.

Aegean Islands

• Piraeus to Heraklion, Crete (1)
• Piraeus to Hania, Crete (2)
• Piraeus to Syros-Tinos-Mykonos (3)
• Piraeus to Paros-Naxos-los-Santorini (4)
• Piraeus to Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos (5)
• Piraeus to Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Rodos (6)
• Piraeus to Ikaria-Samos (7)
• Piraeus to Hios-Lesbos (Mitilini) (8)

Sporades islands

• Agh. Konstantinos/Volos to Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos
• Kymi on Euboea (Evvia) for Skyros (take bus from kalimarmaro)

Ionian Islands

• Patras to Cephalonia-lthaka
• Igoumenitsa to Kerkira (Corfu) 2. Piraeus to Hania, Crete

Types of Greek Ferries

Unfortunately all these boats are big polluters of the environment!

Old Style Ferry Boat

For many years, the mainstay of the system, offering cabins, vehicle transport and three levels of ticketing, deck class or third class being the least expensive and including interior areas.

Slow and faster vessels exist in this category too! The 'Express' is preferred if available and even those have slower and faster vessels for well traveled routes. These Greek ferries schedules' cannot cut your travel time in half!

All ferry boats ETD & ETA 's are erratic to some extent regardless of type. Several Ferry companies may ply the same routes and have various competing boats of differing age and speed in service.

Old style ferries are however the freest to move about in and the most fun, allowing you to rub shoulders with your fellow passengers in a more congenial environment as well as sun-bathe and stretch out. By far the least expensive, easiest to get tickets for and most prolific.

Here (left) is the F/B Marina preparing to load. Passengers board aft through huge hydraulic doors and ascend gangways to upper decks. Keep your ticket on your person for Ticket Control Procedures.

After backing in, passenger cars, motor-bikes and consumable laden trucks transit below.

Super fast Ferries vs High Speed Ferries (one is a little faster)

Super fast and High speed Ferries come in several styles and shapes and are suitable for vehicles as well as passengers.

Some have cabins; ideal for longer voyages but pricey.

These boats can cut your travel time in half! But they cost more!

Flying Catamarans

Larger Flying Cats depart from Piraeus' main harbor and Rafina and service the Cyclades routes of: Naxos, Paros, Ios, Santorini and a route all its own: Heraklion, Crete.

And also service the islands of the Saronic Gulf: Aegina, Hydra, Poros, Spetses, usually departing Piraeus Marina Zea.

TIP: Flying Catamarans are stable; therefore less likely to be kept in port and fast if you are cutting it close.

Super fast  Ferries now go almost everywhere but used to primarily service the Greece - Italian/ Ionian Sea Routes

• Ancona, Italy - Igoumenitsa (on mainland just across from Corfu, Greece) only 15 hours
• Ancona - Patras, Greece only 19 hours
• Bari, Italy - Igoumenitsa, Greece only 9,5 hours
• Bari - Patras, Greece only 15,5 hours

Exterior Deck Space is located aft and far more limited than a typical Greek Ferry with interior seating restricted to lounge areas whose comfort varies with ticket cost.

Video games and TVs are common as well as canteens and small concession stores permissible to your ticket zone. Smoking in designated areas only likely.

High Speed Ferries and Flying Cats now serve the Cyclades Islands such as Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Santorini and more and can cut your trip time way down!

They are expensive and have assigned seating which is rather ridiculous as well as smoking and no smoking areas. Cost Piraeus - Mykonos 22.70 Eu, Mykonos - Thira (Santorini) 25.10 Eu

Flying Dolphin Hydrofoils

For passengers and their baggage only (F.D.'s were originally designed as a Russian made Volga riverboat) suitable for calm seas and shorter journeys between adjacent Greek islands and also costlier.

On calm days, these Greek ferries speed past holding about 25 passengers each and can cut your travel time in half although they are prone to wind cancellations. Exterior deck space minimal.

Also known as Delfinia Flying Dolphins depart primarily from Marina Zeas in Piraeus ('pie-Ray-oose'), Athens main port; for the Saronic Gulf Islands of Aegina, Hydra, Poros and Spetses as well as nearby points on the Peloponnese.

Flying Dolphins also depart from Rafina daily for the Cyclades islands of Mykonos, Tinos, Ios, Naxos and possibly Amorgos. Cost Rafina - Mykonos about 30 Euro. Other larger types of ferries leave from Rafina too.

Flying Dolphin Catamarans: are stable in calm seas, faster and more expensive than regular ferries.These Greek ferries can cut your travel time in half! Once again exterior deck space is limited and they cost more.

Click to see Greek islands map I | Greek Islands map II in a new window.

Other alternative Itineraries that Flying Dolphins are integral to include: Crete & the Peloponnese and Saronic Gulf Coast Hopping

In a Rush, want to see a lot in a few days, but move at your own unstructured pace?

If time is short and a combination of culture and sun-fun are in order then consider famous sites on the Peloponnese near Athens such as Ancient Corinth, Epidavros, Mycenae or even medieval Naufplion and modern sea-side Tolo....

You may quickly and easily ferry to a Saronic island and take a land based form of transportation to return to Athens via the nearer Peloponnese by car-bus-train in under 4 hours or so.

From Spetses Flying Dolphins enable you to coast hop the eastern most finger of the lower Peloponnese: one of the three tips of the Balkan Peninsula. Sunning on pristine Elafonissos islands' naturalist beaches is a commensurate reward. As is the fabulous local Greek country-side cuisine you'll enjoy away from the large tourist enclaves.

Visit lovely Medieval Byzantine Monemvassia, and then Neapolis. Where you'll have to decide:   Onward to Crete via Ionian Kythira and all the other islands of the Aegean via various connections from Crete's 4 major ports?     

OR remain Peloponessus bound and see even more famous sights?  

Like the brooding austerity of The Mani and its Diros caverns? Finikounda's small intimate beach awaits you on the westernmost appendage of the Peloponnese and in between lays Kalamata and its airport back to Athens or to Sparta and Tripolis.

Coming the other way ie. from Crete and landfall in Gythion will enable you to turn north up the Peloponnese towards Athens by road via Sparta and Tripoli. An 8 to 10 hour dive depending on traffic and tourism levels. Extra patience is required in late July & August. Until Tripoli and the Greek National Highway, roads hug majestic precipices, are narrow, winding, up and downhill and not suitable for drivers in a hurry.