How To Get From Athens To Santorini – The Complete Guide 2022

Are you planning to get the Athens to Santorini Ferry tickets? We prepared this thorough guide to help you out with all the available options you have.

Read carefully. If you want to book a ferry from Athens to Santorini, then use this: It is the most popular and reliable service.

The ports mentioned in this post are the ones for either visiting a few of the Greek islands and island hopping.

Several destinations or vacation places are easily accessible in the world.

One of the best destinations in Santorini in Greece.

Santorini is one of the most popular Greek islands, it is a straightforward place to access and a fantastic destination point.

Also known as Thera or Thira, Santorini is in the southern Aegean Sea, which is about 120m southeast of Athens.

It is among the favorite of the Cyclades group of islands. How to get from Athens to Santorini?

How to Get from Athens to Santorini?

Flights

When you consider flying from Athens to Santorini, it will take one almost round one hour to reach the town of Santorini.

There are many direct flights available every day and cost a minimum of USD 40 to a maximum of USD 175 (unless you booked all tickets ahead).

Make sure you check prices and book way ahead of your day of arrival.

Ferry

A popular way to get to Santorini is by ferry from Athens, if you land in Athens first and you should do! There are quite a few ferry routes to choose from.

Here are the instructions to help you out getting the Athens to Santorini ferry tickets options.

As with ferries from Athens, there are more than four available ferries every day that travels from Athens to Santorini; that is in the summer alone.

Summer is one of the best days to visit the Greek islands of Santorini to enjoy what nature has to offer at its best.

This ferry trip will end up costing you a minimum of five hours to a maximum of eight hours in the water.

It will cost one an average of USD 50. Prices and availability change depending on high season or not.

Make sure to check prices and book in advance from here.

You will realize that the reason you have decided to visit Santorini is to enjoy the beautiful scenery and enjoy the warm weather.

Note that they are not only the cheapest way to get to Santorini but also one of the ways to enjoy the beautiful island with a remarkable volcanic landscape, spectacular sunsets, and much more.

Athens to Santorini Ferry - Where to Stay in Santorini: Best By Traveler Type

Essentials Before Getting the Ferry

Athens to Santorini Ferry Trip

There are two most common types of ferries, the conventional ferry, and the High-Speed ferry.

Conventional Ferry

It takes around 8 hours to reach Santorini from Athens. There are two ferry companies. These are the Blue Star Ferries from Athens and the Hellenic Seaways ferry from Athens.

The ferry from Athens, runs every day throughout and leave Athens at 7.25 am (make sure to check timetables on your travel period).

This series have the capability of taking automobiles because of the large decks making it ideal for walking around.

Even though it is a much slower ferry, it is the most stable one when you are in the rough sea.

High-Speed Ferry tickets

As for the Seajets ferry company, the ferry ride are pretty fast and take around 5 hours to reach Santorini by ferry; they are said to be the fastest ferries available. The common one is the Champion Jet 1. Hellenic Seaways run them.

These ferries are much faster than the conventional ferries but cost much more.

Unlike the conventional ferries that have large decks to walk around, HighSpeed ferries are much different. They have airplane-style seating and huge windows, covered by the seawater, meaning you will not enjoy much scenery.

They are also very bumpy in rough seas when compared to the conventional ferries.

Tickets Sales of Athens to Santorini Ferry

It is essential to note that the ferry tickets cannot be bought when you are boarding the ferry.

If you don’t book in advance, then you will likely get the tickets from the ticket agents in downtown Athens at the Metro station or the harbor. They are beside the gate E7.

The agents that sell the tickets can also are at the bus stop for the X96 bus that is coming from Athens airport.

Point to note here is that you should always buy your ticket in advance, preferable some days before traveling.

There are no return tickets that are available only the one-way tickets. The best way to go around this is by buying two one way tickets. This will save you some valuable time and pressure.

The other thing to have in mind about the ticket is that you cannot buy a multi-stop ticket is you wish to make stops.

Cost of Tickets for Athens to Santorini Ferry

Usually, the Blue Star Ferries will cost depending on how you might wish to travel. The Economy is around USD 44, VIP is USD 61, and the slightly expensive cabin berth costs around USD 63.

Prices change per year.

The high-speed ferry tickets are the real deal as it costs for USD 70 for the economy, and about USD 73 in business with the VIP going for USD 85.

Athens Ferry Ports to Get to Santorini

There are two major ports in Athens. The main one is Piraeus ferry port (Piraeus to Santorini), and the other one is the port of Rafina. That one is just a secondary port situated on the Northwestern coast of Attica. 

Athens to Santorini from Piraeus

Among the two ports, Piraeus is one of the closest ports to Athens City Centre.

You will realize that reaching the port is quite easy using any of the means available that is the metro, train, bus, and even taxi. These means are available from the city center and also the Athens airport.

Reaching the port from the airport is instead very direct, using the express bus popularly known as the X96 and cost around USD 6. The trip is about one hour and thirty minutes.

The taxi from Athens airport will cost much more than the bus around USD 70, but they are fast, taking only one hour.

Now, from the center of Athens is a different scenario. Here the best alternative is using the train from the metro. The train is much shorter, taking less than half an hour and also cost much lower as compared to the others, around USD 2.

Taking a taxi is more expensive compared to the bus and the train. It costs around USD 35, and the whole journey might take approximately 40 minutes when there is no traffic and over an hour when there is traffic.

The bus ride from the city center has two options, that is from Syntagma square to Piraeus and from Omonia Square to Piraeus.

Both options take you to the Piraeus bus stop that is in Korai square. That is close to the Municipality Theater. From there, it is just a 10 minutes’ walk to gate E9.

Athens to Santorini from Rafina

Rafina port is much closer to the airport, but very far from the center of Athens. It is only convenient for travelers who fancy going to the Northern Cyclades islands of Andros, Tinos, and Mykonos.

This journey is concise and the best if you want to avoid the center of Athens and would want to leave for Santorini very early in the morning. Most of the ferries depart Rafina very early in the morning.

Reaching Rafina from the airport and the city center can be done by the use of the Ktel bus or a Taxi. The buses run one hour ever from Athens airport and will take around one hour to reach Rafina.

As from the center of Athens, the bus will take around one hour thirty minutes and runs after every 30 minutes.

Things to Consider for the Athens to Santorini Ferry

  • Sickness: Some of the mentioned ferries like the high-speed and the sea-jets can be very bumpy during rough seas. The reason why it is wise always to take the large Blue Star if you are prone to seasickness as they are the only ferry ride that is not bumpy.
  • Food: There are plenty of alternatives when it comes to the foods available on the ferries, with so much to pick from that includes the lounges, snack bars, and restaurants. One thing that you will not miss to spot is the fast-food shops that are across gate E6 and are open for 24 hours with much more food to offer for your journey.
  • Ferries cancellations: The ferries can be canceled once in a while, especially in August. It is one of the months that is too windy, except the BlueStar, which is more comfortable to withstand the wind. Some times there are strikes.
  • Ticket Validation: It is essential to validate your ticket, failure to which you will likely get a fine to a sum of USD 70.
  • Double-check the Ferry schedules and when ferries operate per destination. Sometimes, strikes come up.

Advantages of Booking your Ticket in Advance

This ticket is sold out quickly, especially in July and August, so it is a good idea to buy your ticket in advance from a travel agent or a travel agency in Athens.

There is no island so busy throughout the year in Greece as Santorini.

Buying the ticket in advance will save you money as they come with no additional cost.

You will also be ready for your trip without any hitches associated with last-minute bookings. That is most common with the High-Speed ferries that tend to sell out more often.

Booking the ticket in advance will help you take care of the crazy time on August 15, which is a very massive holiday in Greece.

There is a lot of traffic around that date because people are returning to their homes from the islands. The ferries are usually very packed.

The automobile spots on the ferries are fewer, so you need to book your ferry ahead.

Booking the ticket in advance will come in handy if you have a car that needs to be on the ferry.

If you plan to have a sleeping cabin, then you are advised to check your ferry schedule and book the tickets in advance to get the limited spaces available for the sleeping cabins.

Athens to Santorini Ferry Companies Comparison

greek islands - athens ferry port

Depending on which ferry companies you are traveling with the class is very different in their style and settings.

Blue Star Ferries – Athens to Santorini

  • The Blue Star Ferry Deck class is popularly referred to as the Economy class. It gives the passenger access to almost everything that the ferry has to offer, like restaurants and cafeterias. One of the significant drawbacks of this class is getting the sitting space. The best way to beat this is by upgrading your seat to a reserved airplane style seat for 5 US dollars.
  • Business Class offers more comfortable seating and waiter services; It is less noisy and less crowded compared to the economy class. There is also a lounge.
  • Cabins: this is also available in the BlueStar. The cabin usually has a bed that comes in 2-beds and 4-beds kind of arrangement. You will even realize that cabins inside the ship have no windows, unlike the cabins that are on the exterior, which have portholes.

Check ferry prices and availability for tickets and book your ferry from here.

Hellenic Seaways High-Speed Athens to Santorini Ferries

There is not so much difference between the classes on the Hellenic Highspeed ferries apart from the fact that they are separate.

  • Economy: this is at the rear half of the ferry tickets
  • Business: the main difference from the economy apart from the fact that it is in front of it, is that there is much more room in between the seats.
  • VIP: this is slight very different. One thing that is so clear apart from the distinguish leather seats is the waiter service. The VIP is situated in the front of the ferry and has a window that is looking either straight or on the floor, depending on the kind of ferry that you are in.

SeaJets Ferries

  • Economy: The economy class is scorching and crowded.
  • Business Class: it is the best-recommended class to get when traveling as it is not crowded.

Check prices and availability and book your ferry from here.

What to Do When Arriving at Santorini

Athens to Santorini - blue star ferries

When the ferry arrives at Santorini, it is bustling, and so should you, the ferry takes only a few minutes at the port.

You should be up and ready with your luggage and belongings when the ferry is about to reach the port.

You should not be worried about your transportation to Fira as there are buses that meet every arriving ferry.

Apart from the buses, there are always taxis which have to be snatched very quickly because of the demand.

Conclusion for your Ferry Choices

Santorini is one of the most amazing places to go for a vacation in Greece, as a couple or as a family. If you go solo, then you will meet someone special. The island has this unique vibe and energy.

The best way to enjoy yourself is to prepare yourself and know some of the basics. Such will save you money along with your valuable time in the long run.

The above information should be convenient when you are planning for that trip of your lifetime. Especially when you’re planning to take a trip on a ferry from Athens to Santorini.

Make sure to read all our posts for Santorini. While you are in Athens, you have tons of things to experience (apart from visiting the Acropolis museum and archaeological site). You can find all of them here.

Do allocate 2-3 days for Athens before getting aboard your Athens to Santorini ferry.

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