Reserving ferry tickets Greece during high season
 

Hello experts!

I have to admit I have read countless posts on this topic but still feel rather unclear about what to do. We (my boyfriend and myself) are going to Greece at the end of August until the beginning of September for a total of 2 weeks. We are flying into Athens -> Paros -> Koufonissi -> Naxos -> Santorini.

Since we are trying to keep the expenses to a minimum and to make the most of our time on the islands, we already have all the ferries lined up. My one confusion, and where I hope (and am sure) you can help me out on, is how on earth do I book the ferry tickets beforehand! I'm aware it is best to book them directly on the ferry websites, but after that how can I pick them up?

Some of the older forums suggest websites which are no longer working. Is it possible to reserve all the ferries on the ferry website and then go to any travel agency to pick them up? If I, for example, go on the openseas.gr website and reserve all the tickets via one of the agencies, is that best?

I am a tad confused!
Please help :)

Very excited and grateful to hear your responses! Also, any cool tips are also appreciated.

Cheers,
Gaia

Usually during the online booking process you will come to a point in the process where you are shown your choices for ticket pickup. You may not see it unless you make a 'trial' booking, but it's there. This ability to choose is offered on the ferry company websites as well as through the 3rd-party online ticket vendors. The simplest solution is to opt for picking your tickets up at each ferry port before departure. Give yourselves an hour.

In case you didn't already know, each "leg" of your ferry journey has to be booked separately. There is no multi-stop ticket available.

You book a ticket direct with the respective Greek ferry company and pickup paper tickets in the ports/islands it's as simple as that.
You can do that at any time prior to your departure.

No need to complicate things. The local island ticket agencies know what's going on.

I can't think of a reason I would want to book tickets in advance for Athens > Paros at the end of August, because that's the time more people are returning to Athens than leaving from it. I would choose Blue Star, and there is a ticket booth right next to the ferry. If you wish, you can buy tickets at the airport or from any Blue Star agent in Athens.

This season there have been some adjustments to the highspeed ferry timetables, with a couple of Hellenic Seaways breakdowns and new vessels added to the Sea Jets fleet. Some of the Sea Jets schedules are for ferries that haven't even seen service with the company yet.

The other islands on your list are intermediate stops, mostly ferries leaving from Piraeus or Rafina. After they drop off passengers at the first stop there are extra seats available. Best to wait and buy tickets for those intermediate stops when you get to the islands.

You weren't clear in the original post if you are leaving Greece from Santorini or returning to Athens first. If returning to Athens by ferry, advise buying those tickets as soon as you arrive in Greece.

Thanks everyone. I think we will just wait and buy everything when we get there.
We are flying back from Santorini to Athens and then taking our flight home a few hours later.

I appreciate your help!