Greek ferries - are reservations necessary in July?
 

I will be traveling from Santorini to Folegandros to Milos to Sifnos and back to Santorini in July (over about two weeks). I have hotel reservations so will need to travel on specific days. Is it necessary to make reservations ahead of time or can I make them the day before I want to travel once I get there? Thanks

July is Peak Season. I would definitely book ferries in advance. Opt to pick up your tickets at the port office for the ferry you book but give yourself a little extra time do to so as there will be a lot of people trying to do the same.

Last half of July is definitely high season, and most of the ferries on that route (Western Cyclades) are catamarans, which don't hold as many passengers as conventional ferries. Since you need to travel on specific days it would be a good idea to book the ferries online. Book on the company's own website, e.g. https://www.seajets.gr/

Might have been better to carry on from Sifnos to Athens, but perhaps you have a reason for going back to Santorini.

My guess is that Isabel is from the UK and has a round-trip bargain ticket from Britain to Santorini. But she does not give her location, here or on a profile, so we must guess. it would save time for us "answer-folks" if inquirers would share just a teeny bit more.

Actually I'm from the US (I guess the profile got lost when the new site came up, I'll have to update it).

I will be in Germany for a few weeks before Greece (so flying to Santorini from Munich worked out well). I am then flying to London for a while before back to the US. I've been to Athens and am not interested in doing it this trip and looked like getting back to Santorini where there was a desirable flight to London seemed like less hassle then dealing with Athens (airport and port).

travelerjan, heimdall and brotherleelove - you've all given me lots of good advice for previous trips to Greece. So I will take your advice and book the ferry tickets now. The last time I was in the Cyclades was 9 years ago and back then we were able to get ferry tickets the day before travel, even in July. But everywhere is much busier now than even a few years ago.

Question about the catamarans - do they have outside seating or just inside?

Hi isabel, catamarans have no outside seating, and if they did the wind would be too strong anyway. Some, but not all, catamarans have a small outside deck where you can stand for awhile when they are entering and leaving ports.

Regards the ferries, I err on the side of caution when answering questions about booking in advance. I wouldn't want you to miss a connection based on my advice. You will almost certainly have no problem waiting (if you are there in early July) and buy your ticket for the next destination as soon as you arrive on each island. The only time I had a problem getting a ticket was on a weekend in early September when going back to Athens. My mistake was waiting until a couple of days before departure, not realising that many families would be returning home for the start of the school year that weekend.

Isabel, if you are flying from Santorini to London, get back to the island the day before your flight. Sometimes catamarans run late in the Western Cyclades, so you can't count on returning to the island the day of your flight. Also, Santorini Airport is totally inadequate for the number of passengers who transit there in summer, especially when charter and budget flights are leaving for London and other Northern European cities. Suggest you get to the airport 3 hrs before flight departure and be prepared to wait in line. Have a look at the Skytrax airport reviews.

You’ve evidently never seen the prices of air tickets from “Britain” to Santorini if you think they are a bargain.

You got that right, Odin! Not only flights to Greece, either. Recently I paid more for my round-trip BA flights from London to Cape Town than my brother paid for round-trip Minneapolis > Amsterdam > Cape Town flights with Delta/KLM. We arrived within two days of each other, so a good comparison. That's like getting the flight to Amsterdam for free!

Hello! I suggest you book them early. I am going to Mykonos at the end of May and I've already booked hotel and ferry tickets - going with friends. 4 people. Couldn't risk it. ;) Especially if your stay is during weekend it is wise to plan ahead.

I booked my flights and hotels months ago. Don't know if you'd call this a bargain but flight from Santorini to London is €106 which I thought reasonable. Interestingly, when I first started planning the trip way back last fall, I planned on a Ryan Air flight from Germany to Santorini for about €100 but when I went to book it mid winter it was sold out (yes, six months in advance). Ended up paying twice that for a Lufthansa flight.

Yes I have two nights in Santorini at each end to be on the safe side in terms of canceled/delayed flights/ferries.

So based on your advice I have booked three of the four ferry trips I need. I didn't have much choice, seems to be just Sea Jets for most of the trips between those islands, one in the morning, one in the evening.

However, for the ferry from Milos to Sifnos there are two fast ferries in the morning and one 'slower' one mid day (plus two more in the evening). I'll be on Milos for four days before I need to take the ferry so I'm thinking of waiting till I get there. Does that sound reasonably safe? I'd actually prefer the slow ferry.

Hi isabel, €106 is indeed a good price. With easyJet (and I suppose Ryan Air too) the earlier you book the better the price. Interestingly, flights from London are almost always cheaper than those from the same destination back to London. On my last trip to Greece a business class ticket on Aegean Airlines from London to Athens was actually cheaper than an economy ticket on the same airline from Athens back to London.