How do I travel by ferry to the Cyclades?

Getting around by ferry in the Cyclades: here is our mini-guide of transport in the Greek islands!

Greek Archipelago located south of the Aegean Sea, the Cyclades are located between continental Greece and Turkey and consist of 250 islands, of which only 24 are inhabited. Situated on the sea in a circular way around the sacred island of Delos , the Cyclades are a major tourist destination in Greece: every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the Greek islands of Amorgos, Folégandros Ios, Milos , Mykonos , Naxos, Santorini or Sifnos and Tinos . Dozens of ferries carry out daily connections between the islands more frequented and the continent.

Are you going to sail through the islands decorated with immaculate blue and white, overlooked by the ciseled volcanic rocks and shredded literals and plunging into the deep blue of the Aegean Sea? We have set you a mini-guide to optimize your ferry ride in the Cyclades.

Ferries companies in the Cyclades

How does it work?

There are many companies to sail from one island to another and make one boat-trip through the Cyclades.

First, the website Greek Tourism Pages allows you to learn about all possible connections, plan your ferry trip in advance and optimise your trip according to its dates. We tested it for you: the site, in English, is not very easy to use but it allows to choose its Greek island of destination – Mykonos, Santorin, Folegandros, Naxos , etc. – depending on the desired dates and ferry companies (by clicking on the “Find Routes” tab under the pictures). From June 15 to September 10, or in high season, the boats are numerous but the schedules can oscillate according to the "law" of the offer and demand: the bworkshops seeking to fill their boats, so it can happen that your reservation is unilaterally modified.

Attention : the times fluctuate from one year to another, and it is necessary to know that each year, companies disappear or others are newly created, and lines are closed and others are open. Last minute changes, at the discretion of the shipping company – in the way of a onbooking by plane - and the traveller must take into account the various hazards such as the risk of strikes and failures or the weather, which can hold the boat to the port docks.

What are the three main companies?

As discussed in the previous paragraph, the transport companies are numerous. Among the most popular for their destination, their comfort/security and their daily traffic, we selected three of them.

• Sea Jets

Would you like to take a ferry ride from Folégandros to Santorin? Sea Jets is the company offering the most routes, with 226 crossings a day.

• Golden Star Ferries

Among the best known, Golden Star Ferries is also particularly appreciated for its many crossings. And for cause, it still carries 101 trips a day.

• Blue Star Ferries

Blue Star Ferries is the third one with the most connections and lines between the Greek islands, with 69 trips a day. To move from island to island, all inhabited islands have a port where accoster, but comfort, security and punctuality vary widely from company to company.

Plan a ferry ride in the Cyclades with Direct Ferries

In order to plan your ferry route through the Cyclades, we found at least 213 shipping companies, some being more frequented than others. To find the best route without having to compare each ferry company, the most judicious trick is to question a comparison of ferry routes: Direct Ferries .

Direct Ferries, it’s kind of the Ulysses of the marine traffic: the dates of the crossing go and return, the desired times, its means of locomotion (on foot or by car), the number of passengers and pets. Then the Compare compiles the ferry routes available according to the information provided.

For the Cyclades, Direct Ferries offers numerous ferry lines that connect across the Aegean islands, for example:

• Agios Kirikos-Mykonos,
• Agios Kirikos-Syros,
• Chios-Syros,
• Chios-Mykonos,
• Evdilos-Mykonos,
• Evdilos-Syros,
• Fournoi-Mykonos,
• Fournoi-Syros,
• Lemnos-Mykonos,
• Lemnos-Syros,
• Mytilene (Lesbos)-Mykonos,
• Mytilene (Lesbos)-Syros,
• Thera (Santorine)-Paros,
• Vathy-Mykonos,
• Vathy-Syros.

How to book your ferry trip in the Cyclades?

From the ports of Piraeus ( Athens ), Rafina and Lavrio in continental Greece, direct crossings allow you to reach most islands. The destinations for which we find the most departures are Mykonos, Naxos, Paros , Santorini, Ios and Milos : these are the most visited islands of the Cyclades. To book your ferry trip, make sure to check the crossing times, from 45 minutes from Aegiali to Donoussa to more than 6 hours from Anafi to Syros (for example). The comparison of the links can give inspiration to the Greek islands to visit.

To book a ticket, there is nothing simpler.

– Visit the site Direct Ferries to find your ferry ride by choosing its seat and/or private cabin online (this can be useful if the crossing lasts several hours). - The name, first name, telephone number (referred to by the website) and e-mail address should be provided. - Then we reach the payment page, following which you will receive a confirmation email with your electronic ticket.