How long does it take to travel from Athens to Santorini by ferry, and how much does it cost? Are hydrofoils available too? Thanks.

The ferry trip from the Piraeus to Santorini takes anywhere from 7 to 10 1/2 hours, depending on ferry and intermediate stops. <BR><BR>It's not clear yet if a catamaran/hydrofoil service will be available this year (as it was the case in the recent past). I bet that there will be a service, starting later this month or in May and through the high season, run by Minoan Flying Dolphins and departing from Rafina. Travel time should be between 4 and 5 hours.<BR><BR>As for cost, long distance Greek ferries usually offer services in several classes, from deck (very cheap) to exterior 2-sleep birth cabins (not so cheap). Catamarans/hydrofoils are usually single class and should cost around $45 (wild guess).<BR><BR>Paulo

It isn't very expensive to fly to Santorini from Athens (I think it was under $100 if I remember correctly) and it doesn't take very long either. Unless you don't like to fly, I would recommend that route instead of the ferry.

<BR>I agree 100% with Shelly. It was worth every penny to fly to avoid that long of a ferry ride. We got to see much more.<BR><BR>We flew to Santorini &amp; then island hopped by ferry back to athens.

I would also suggest flying. i made that decision a few years ago after looking into the schedules of the very long and inconveniently timed ferry trips. The only prob with flying is that flights may be delayed because of very strong winds.

We flew, and it was an under an hour flight, which was great for us, since we didn't have a lot of time on Santorini, the flight was $75.00 per person, on time and convenient.

Can the flight to Santorini be booked in Athens or should I book it before I go to Greece? <BR><BR>Thanks for all your help.

I am sure you can book from Athens, but I booked ours from our local travel agent. The fare was so inexpensive as it was I don't know if it would be less if you got it in Athens. I am the type of person who likes to have a plan when I travel and I liked the security of knowing what time we would be departing from Athens, etc in advance. One thing you may consider is the time of year you are going. The planes Olympic uses are not huge and if you are visiting during the peek summer season you may not be able to get the flight you want.. but on the good side, there are tons of flights leaving every day.

Hi,<BR><BR>We went on an overnight ferry to Santorini. It leaves Pireaus at about 10:00p.m and arrives in Santorini at 7:00 a.m. We got a room with a bath on the ferry. This can be used as a hotel for the night and coming into Santorini harbor by ferry is great. This ferry only runs at the end of June until the season is over. If you fly get your tickets here as the price is the same and the planes do get full douring the season. You can get tickets on line.