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If you journey across the Greek islands, generally the ferries are unavoidable—BUT there are alternatives and issues to remember. I’m sharing my trustworthy opinion of ferry journey in Greece, together with which ferries are good and which of them are…not so good.
Spoiler alert: I nearly known as this weblog publish, “Why You Shouldn’t Take Ferries in Greece,” however that appeared a bit too…pessimistic.
Except you’ve had the distinct pleasure of taking ferries in Greece earlier than, then you definately may simply agree that the choice nearly title is wholly correct.
I digress.
If you happen to’re planning a visit to Greece and going to perform a little island hopping via the Greek Islands (which I HIGHLY advocate)—Santorini, Mykonos, and Milos are private faves—right here’s what it’s good to find out about taking Greek ferries.
Don’t ebook a ticket for a Greek ferry with out studying this information first. Right here’s all it’s good to find out about ferries in Greece!
Ought to I Fly As a substitute of Taking a Greek Ferry?
After I posted on Instagram about my nightmare ferry expertise, somebody replied to me and stated one thing like, “you possibly can’t price range to not fly.” And actually, I couldn’t agree extra.
Even when a ferry is the cheaper possibility, it’s nearly all the time price it to look into flying.
Take into account the next:
- How lengthy does the ferry take (versus how lengthy a flight can be)?
- Will you be capable of deal with extraordinarily uneven waters?
- Are you able to deal with feeling sick after deboarding and the way a lot will that reduce into your journey?
Remember that even individuals who don’t sometimes get seasick can oftentimes get seasick on Greek ferries. The waters are severely uneven and extremely uncomfortable at instances.
Ferries can generally take thrice longer than flights do.
If potential, I’d say completely fly!
I extremely counsel checking to see if there are flights accessible between the islands you need to journey to. As a observe, if you happen to’re flying to a moderately distant Greek island, chances are you’ll want to attach in Athens and make your option to the island. If that’s the case, the journey time to fly could also be longer than a ferry…nevertheless it’s nonetheless probably price it.
Take into account your price range, time constraints, willingness to endure seasickness, and issue accordingly.
Useful Tip:
Which Ferries to Take and Which to Keep away from
Is it an enormous ferry or a small ferry?
Within the likelihood that you simply *HAVE* to take a ferry, dimension issues.
Why? As a result of the larger ferries (that actually seem like cruise ships) are large, and since it’s so massive, you don’t actually really feel the bumps of the waves.
The smaller ones, properly, you’ll really feel each hop, bump, and skip from every single wave. And also you’ll end up second-guessing when you’ve set foot on land as a result of every part will nonetheless be rocking.
The ferry we took from Santorini to Naxos was very nice. And guess what? It was one of many massive ones — the Blue Star Delos through Blue Star Ferries. On this case, Blue Star Ferries is a sure from me.
On the flip facet, we took the Superjet ferry from Naxos to Milos and that was a mistake.
Huge mistake. Huge. Big.
We selected to take Superjet as a result of it was *barely* cheaper per individual (an entire $30…and let me inform you, it was not price it).
For one, the ferry from Naxos to Milos was delayed (over 2 hours not on time). Two, the ferry was a lot smaller than Blue Star Delos — you might really feel EVERY bump. And it simply so occurs that the waters have been *EXTRA* uneven that day because of sturdy winds (a standard incidence for the world).
I counted SEVEN folks round me shedding their lunch, together with a pair that appeared like they have been on their honeymoon. My recommendation: Blue Star Delos is the one ferry I’d take once more. Superjet—by no means once more.
Naxos, Greece
Easy methods to Put together Your self for Greek Ferries
A.Okay.A. What may presumably be the worst expertise of your life.
Okay, okay, I is perhaps a *tad bit* dramatic, however actually, I don’t need you to be shedding your lunch after which having a horrible expertise in Greece. There are means too many stunning Greek meals to try to islands to discover in Greece, and I need to set you up for achievement.
Right here’s what it is best to know:
- Giant ferries over small ferries, any day
- Ferries oftentimes run off schedule
- In the summertime months, it may be extremely windy — which implies ferries can’t function as a result of the waves are large
- OR, if they’re working throughout windy circumstances, it’s going to be a severely bumpy experience
If you happen to’re touring outdoors of those months, it won’t be as dangerous, however simply not preferrred.
Use the FerryHopper App
The Ferryhooper web site lets you browse routes and see what’s accessible to ebook. You possibly can test which ferry operators are working and make your resolution accordingly.
Wish to observe Greek ferries in real-time?
Remember to obtain the app because it gives ferry monitoring data — which is tremendous useful if the ferry is operating late.
Easy methods to Take care of Sea Illness on Greek Ferries
Think about your self fully surrounded by people who find themselves upchucking into paper luggage. I’ve by no means seen so many individuals vomiting, in desperation, or full and utter discomfort.
Even if you happen to aren’t liable to seasickness — take a pill.
It’s such an uncomfortable expertise if you happen to’re taking a smaller ferry and also you’ve bought nothing to show, take a pill proactively.
Issues to Know About Taking Greek Ferries
Most ferries don’t promote out, however if you happen to’re making an attempt to plan, you possibly can go forward and ebook 2 to three months upfront. Take into account that some ferries are seasonal and don’t run all yr lengthy.
Sadly for individuals who are island hopping, there isn’t a ferry move for the Greek Islands.
As for the price of Greek ferry tickets, it actually will depend on the route—each vacation spot is totally different.
A simple mistake to make if you’re going from one Greek island to a different is to imagine that it is just going to be a brief journey by boat. The truth is that the a whole bunch of inhabited islands are literally unfold over an enormous space.
In truth, there are some journeys that may take ten hours or extra by ferry, notably if you’re beginning the journey from the port in Piraeus (the principle ferry port for Athens).
Lastly, it is best to plan to reach on the ferry port about 30 to 45 minutes earlier than departure — the ferry won’t await you if you happen to’re not there.
My Expertise with Greek Ferries
My first Greek ferry expertise was again in 2012 after I took the ferry from Mykonos to Athens. I used to be a penniless backpacker and on the lookout for each means to save cash.
I believed the ferry can be scenic. It wasn’t.
I additionally wasted half a day to get to Athens, whereas, if I had budgeted to fly I’d have had extra time to spend on the subsequent vacation spot. Even again then, I bear in mind pondering the cash I had saved taking the ferry over flying was not price it.
Apparently, I hadn’t realized my lesson and I returned to take the ferry in 2021.
And in 2021, practically everybody round me was going via 5 paper luggage, every. I used to be traumatized. Don’t do that. I’ve stated it earlier than and I’ll say it once more: do as I say, not as I do.
All of that’s to say — I hope you’ve got a beautiful journey across the Greek islands! It truly is price it to go island hopping, however the popular mode of transportation can be a flight over a ferry, palms down.
Wish to share your expertise with Greek ferries? Please expose all the small print within the remark part beneath!
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