How do I travel by ferry to Greece?

Discover the Greek islands, in the middle of the Aegean Sea: how to sail by ferry from island to island during a stay in Greece?

You are in Athens and wondering what Greek island to visit? Between Zakynthos, Santorini, Mykonos, Folégandros, Ios, Milos, Naxos, Icaria, Corfu, Skyros, and nearly 9,000 other islands, the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea seem to be a shattered puzzle of islands sometimes tourist, paradisiacal, volcanic, deserted, authentic: Greece and its archipelagos are among the favourite tourist destinations in Europe. But here it is: how to navigate from island to island by ferry?

Historical heritage at the forefront in Europe, with stunning beaches and unique landscapes, Greece attracts more than 26 million people each year, most of whom visit the islands, especially the Cyclades. It must be said that the Greek islands account for 20 per cent of the country ' s total area, or more than 26,000 square kilometres. There are 169 uninhabited islands among the 9,841 islands identified by the Embassy of Greece in France. The size of the Greek islands varies from the smallest (Delos, 3 km2) to the Crete (8 263 km2).

Are you ready to travel by ferry from continental Greece to the islands of Dodecanese, Cyclades or Sporades? Here is our practical guide to ferry crossings in the Greek islands.

Ferries companies in Greece

How does it work?

There is a plethora of private ferry companies to discover the Greek islands and moving in the Cyclades the Dodecanese, the Ionian Islands, the Sporades, the islands of the Saronique Gulf, the islands of the northeast of the Aegean Sea of the northeast and the Crete. The site Ferries in Greece allows to compare the lines offered by about 20 ferry companies operating in Greece. You can therefore, with this tool, plan your trips in advance according to your dates. Compare the lines is easy thanks to the Ferries in Greece website, as maps allow you to see the departure plan and the trade policy (for booking tickets) of each of the listed companies.

The Google Map also makes it possible to discern the blue dotted materializing the connections between the Greek islands. You don't know where to go to visit the Greek islands? Interactive maps can give you ideas: then learn about Wanderlix, reading our articles about Greece. Then we can consult the Bible of the island traveler in Greece: the site GTP Ferry Connections , which refers all ferry crossings according to the companies and times. All you need to do is to provide the desired link to the desired dates, and the search engine will find you all the time schedules and indicative rates, illustrated by an interactive map that will teach the shipping routes.

The main companies

The main companies in Greece are:

• Blue Star Ferries,
• Sea Jets,
• Anek Lines,
• Hellenic Seaways,
• Fast Ferries,
• Aegean Speed Lines,
• Golden Star Ferries.

Attention : from one day to another, the ticket prices may vary. It is recommended, to the extent possible, to book a ticket as soon as a good offer is spotted, at the risk of seeing the price of the crossing torch and paying unnecessaryly more expensive. This prevails especially if you travel in the summer, the tourist affluence in the Greek islands varying the prices upwards. However, Greece has invested heavily in shipping: you will always find a boat to go Santorini , Corfu, Mykonos , Naxos , Paros in the Ionian Islands, or Folegandros in Milos (for example).

Plan a ferry trip to Greece with Direct Ferries

Direct Ferries is a comparison of crossings around the world, with 3,044 routes and 744 ferry ports, which organizes 1,2 million crossings each year. To travel to Greece by ferry and plan a crossing, it is a very good support, easy to use. We're not all rational agents, gay oconomicus with sufficient time to compare rates and schedules among dozens of existing companies. Sonder this comparison allows to find boats at the desired dates and times (the means of locomotion, the number of passengers, and possible pets).

Without being able to list all possible routes through the thousands of Greek islands, here are nevertheless some ideas of possible links:

• Athens-Paros,
• Athens-Sifnos,
• Athens-Santorine,
• Mykonos-Naxos,
• Paros-Mykonos,
• Folegandros-Milos,
• Santorin-Folegandros,
• Heraklion (Crete)-Paros,
• Heraklion (Crete)-Athens,
• Corfu-Ancône (Italy),
• Bari (Italy)-Corfou,
• Samos-Athens,
• Patmos-Samos,
• Cesme (Turkey)-Chios,
• Athens-Chios,
• Lesbos-Athens,
• Lesbos-Chios,
• Evdilos-Mykonos,
• Evdilos-Athens,

This list is only indicative and is far from exhaustive, it is only a small part of the possible links.

How to book your ferry trip to Greece?

To book your trip and travel by ferry to Greece, you can either buy a ticket on site at the port or buy a ticket in advance, online. This last solution will prevent you from long queues in the summer at the port. There are logically more crossings for the most famous islands of Greece, namely the Cyclades – Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Ios and Milos – and Crete.

Consider checking whether a particular island is served by a direct link, which are possible stopovers, crossing times. For example, if it takes 14 hours of crossing to Vathi (Samos) from the Piraeus of Athens, it takes only 30 to 45 minutes to go from Naxos to Paros: the geographical distance is to be taken into consideration!

To book your ferry ticket, go to Direct Ferries to find the best ferry deals, choose your private seat or cabin online, your civil status information (name, first name), telephone number and email address. An insurance option is offered: for a few extra euros per passenger, the site offers insurance to cancel a trip up to 48 hours in advance, with a full refund of the ticket. It is a choice at the discretion of each, but we never personally opt for this kind of service. An email is sent to you after making the payment. You just have to pack!