Greek Island Ferry Schedules

Thanks to the Athens News and the amazing Giannis Smyrnis who had been sending me the weekly ferry schedules like clockwork every Wednesday. Unfortunately the Greek Ministry of Merchant Marine stopped sending them out so until they start again, if they start again, you won't find the weekly schedules on my website or in the Athens News.

It is best to book hotels with a reliable Greek travel agency and let them work out the ferry schedules. They can call the ferry companies and get accurate information and won't book you into a hotel that you can't reach on a particular day. They will also be informed of cancellations and be able to reschedule you, where if you book on your own you may not find out until you are standing on the dock waiting for a ferry that never comes.

For information on purchasing tickets see www.greecetravel.com/tickets

For more information on getting to the port of Pireaus, where the ferries are and everything you need to know about booking ferries in Greece including some things you may not want to know see Greek Ferry Information

For information on the Greek Islands see my Greek Island Synopsis
You can always e-mail me for more information too.

For those going to the Saronic Islands,there are lots of boats every day. From May there are at least 10 boats a day to Hydra.

For those looking for the elusive 'overnight ferries' to Santorini it is a misnomer. They leave at 8 or 10pm (not every night) and they arrive at 4 or 5 am. Not really convenient when you realize you are stuck in a little port or at the bus station with all your luggage till things open up or you can check into your hotel at noon. To me an overnight ferry is one you get on at 7pm and you arrive at 7am refreshed after a nice sleep in a comfortable cabin. Overnight ferries go to Lesvos, Crete, Kalymnos, Leros, Kos and Rhodes which are all at least 12 hour trips. The Crete ferries in particular are the newest and the best with beautiful cabins, large lounges with non-smoking areas and some even have pools, like the Superfast which only takes 6 hours from Pireaus to Heraklion.

The port of Pireaus is wireless though how well it works depends on where you are, what computer you use, how the system happens to feel that day and any number of factors. There are places to store luggage in the cafeterias and waiting areas which are generally open 24 hours.

Crete-Santorini-Mykonos

If you are looking for the Connection between Crete and the Cyclades, Hellenic Seaways Flying Cat 4 leaves Heraklion, Crete at 9:45 and stops in Santorini, Paros and Mykonos and returns to Heraklion. Obviously this is useful if you are trying to get between Mykonos and Santorini as many people are. This is a summer schedule so don't count on it from late September on. The Mega-Jet also leaves Heraklion for Santorini but despite the name this is the smallest highspeed boat in the Cyclades. By the way neither boat takes cars or motorbikes. The Seajet2 and the Superjet also buzz around the Cyclades connecting Mykonos and Santorini to several others. If you have a car you are out of luck because both of these boats are for passengers omly as well. If you are using this info so you can book individual hotels on your own remember that if they are wrong or change and you can't get to that hotel you will still br responsible for the booking and that is why I encourage you to coordinate ferries and hotels with a reliable Greek travel agency like Fantasy Travel or Dolphin Hellas. If there are any schedule changes they will know and make the necessary changes to your itinerary at no charge. Having said that if you are still intent on booking the ferries and hotels yourself try my Greek Island Hotel Booking Site, made for me by Booking.com which has low rates and hotel descriptions and photos. Plus if you really like my site and want to show your appreciation this site gives me a small commission and enables me to keep doing what I do.

If you are looking for other ferries from one island to another you can e-mail me and I can see what I can find. But I need specific dates and the island you want to leave from and the one you want to go to. Don't send me e-mails asking for all the boats leaving a certain island because I have to look them up by island and date. e-mail me

If you e-mail me I may be able to find the Lavrion-Kea-Lavrion schedule.

About Ferry Strikes

I am not expecting 2012 to be like 2011 when Greek merchant seaman blocked passengers from boarding ferries so that the government would cave to their demands. The practice was just not all that effective. Nor was it the nightmare it appeared to be. There were not enough strikers to keep all the boats from leaving and once they got tired and left the boats loaded up and sailed off to the islands anyway. Though travelers were inconvenienced they were usually people who went to the port with no idea anything was going on. If you have booked with a Greek travel agency and there is a ferry strike or any kind of ferry problem they will change your hotel reservations and you will leave the next day or later that same day and they will find something for you to do and a place to stay and keep your luggage. It is not a big deal. If you are booking on your own then you need to take responsibility for knowing if there is a strike. The Kathimerini which comes out 6 days a week with the International Herald Tribune will list planned strikes and slowdowns and service disruptions for ferries, the metro, buses or whatever. Often a planned strike will be called off too and that may not make it to the paper but you can ask at any ticket agency if the ferries are running. If you are on an island and there is a strike it is the same thing. The travel agency will make the necessary changes to your itinerary. If you are worried about losing your flight home you shouldn't be. Yes airlines can seem heartless and cold but not so much that they would leave you in a foreign country after you missed your flight because of a ferry strike.

Ferry Booking Sites

There are now a number of ferry booking sites, some of which advertise on my site through google. (There may be some among the google links below or at the top and bottom of this page). Though I don't know which are the best you should choose the one you use by finding out whether there is a sir-charge, if they deliver your tickets, use e-tickets or you have to go pick them up and where. Some you can get your tickets right at the boat. As for the accuracy of these sites, generally they won't list a ferry they are not sure of since refunds are more paperwork for them. If you want to be certain that you can reach your island destination book hotels and ferries with a reliable travel agency. There is no better way to bust your budget than paying for two hotels for the same night and a ferry that does not exist. And if there is a strike you probably won't get an e-mail informing you from the ferry company so it will be up to you to keep on top of the situation and to make the necessary changes to your itinerary that a strike or bad weather can cause. Try www.greecetravel.com/create-an-itinerary and Fantasy Travel can put together an island itinerary based on availability of ferries and give you a price. You are not obliged to book. you can get ferry information and book tickets through Dolphin Hellas Ferry Booking Page

Ferry Schedules

From Piraeus

Sorry. When I get the schedules I will post them but who knows when that will be? If you are worried about the frequency of a boat or a connection e-mail me at matt@greecetravel.com or you can get ferry information and book tickets through Dolphin Hellas Ferry Booking Page

More Ferry Information

Remember to get a copy of the Athens News when you get to Greece for important information even if they don't have the ferry schedules. It is sold at most newspaper stands, in the airport and around Athens and it is a good way to find out what is going on around Greece.

For recommended Greek Travel Agencies see www.athensguide.com/agency.html

For a step-by-step guide on how to go to a Greek island see www.greektravel.com/lesson1

For information on the Greek Islands see my Greek Island Synopsis

You can get to the port of Pireaus from the airport on the X96 bus. For Airport information see www.athensguide.com/airport.html

From Athens take the Green-line metro to Pireaus. You can also take the train from the airport to Monastiraki and change there for the Green-line to Pireaus. You can also take the Proastaos (Suburban Rail) from the airport to Pireaus but you have to change for the Pireaus line or you may end up in Corinth. You can also connect to the Green line at Neraziotissa: See the Metro Map

The easiest way to get to Pireaus is by taxi. Either a pre-arranged transfer with George the Famous Taxi Driver or from your hotel concierge calling a radio-taxi.

Budget travelers should stay in hotels within walking distance of the metro in Athens. For Hotels in Pireaus that are convenient to the ferries see the lower section of www.hotelsofgreece.com/athens or go to Pireaus Hotels

If you plan to book hotels without a travel agency you can find them by price, location, popularity etc by using Matt's Hotel Booking Search and if you are looking for cheap rooms, apartments and inexpensive hotels go to www.hotelsofgreece.com and for each island they are in the white section. But book ferry tickets first, not hotels first.

For Bus Schedules, train schedules and other practical information see Athens Practical Information

See also Matt's Itinerary Suggestions and Fantasy Travel's Create-an-itinerary page which are both very useful for planning your trip to the islands.

Any questions you can e-mail me at matt@greecetravel.com

You can find hotels in Greek Islands by location, price, whether or not it has a swimming pool or is on the beach, and see photos, maps and customer reviews by using this link to booking.com. Excellent prices and many hotels you can book and then cancel with no cancellation fee. For those who want to book without using a travel agency this is the best way to do it.

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