Boat & Ferry Travel in Athens

Boat travel in Greece is common and relatively inexpensive. Every weekend thousands of Athenians set off on one- and two-hour trips to islands like Aegina, Hydra, and Andros, while in the summer ferries are weighed down with merrymakers on their way to Mykonos, Rhodes, and Santorini. Cruise ships, ferries, and hydrofoils from the Aegean and most other Greek islands dock and depart every day from Athens's main port, Piraeus, 10 km (6 mi) southwest of Athens. Ships for the Ionian islands sail from ports nearer to them, such as Patras and Igoumenitsa. Connections from Piraeus to the main island groups are good, connections from main islands to smaller ones within a group less so, and services between islands of different groups or areas—such as Rhodes and Crete—are less frequent.

Travel agents and ship offices in Athens and Piraeus have details. Boat schedules are published in Kathimerini, sold with the International Herald Tribune; EOT distributes boat schedules updated every Wednesday. You can also call a daily Greek recording (listed below) for ferry departure times. Timetables change according to seasonal demand, and boats may be delayed by weather conditions, so your plans should be flexible. Buy your tickets two or three days in advance, especially if you are traveling in summer or taking a car. Reserve your return journey or continuation soon after you arrive.

To get to and from Piraeus harbor, you can take the green line metro (Line 1) from central Athens directly to the station at the main port. The trip takes 25-30 minutes. A taxi takes longer because of traffic and costs around EUR 12-EUR 15.

Athens's other main port is Rafina, which serves some of the closer Cyclades and Evia. KTEL buses run every 30 minutes between the port and the Mavromateon terminal in central Athens, from about 5:30 AM until 9:30 PM, and cost EUR 2. At Rafina, the buses leave from an area slightly uphill from the port. The trip takes about one hour.

Contacts

Ferry departures. Piraeus. Rafina.