• HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • HOME
  • DIGITAL NOMAD
  • WORK ONLINE
  • TRAVEL
  • DESTINATIONS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT

Two Tickets Anywhere

Digital Nomad Couple

  • DIGITAL NOMAD
  • WORK ONLINE
  • TRAVEL
  • DESTINATIONS
    • Colombia
    • Croatia
    • Greece
    • Guatemala
    • Mexico
    • Portugal

Athens To Santorini Ferry: Booking, Prices, Schedule & Info

Category Greece, Athens, Travel Updated on March 27, 2023

athens to santorini ferry
"This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support."

Thinking about taking the Athens to Santorini ferry?

It can be a confusing thing to navigate with all the different ferry companies to consider, the timetable, the prices and so much more.

We’re here to help clear all of that up for you!

Matthew and I absolutely love Greece. We spent our honeymoon in Greece and we have been almost every single year for the last 4 years – no joke! The culture, the people, the food and the natural beauty keeps us coming back, regularly might I add.

Taking the Athens to Santorini ferry isn’t as complicated as it seems. However, there are some things you need to consider before you go ahead and book tickets.

Here’s everything you know about taking the Athens to Santorini ferry.

How To Take The Athens To Santorini Ferry – Step By Step

Thinking about getting the Athens to Santorini ferry?

There are several ways to get from mainland Greece to the beautiful islands along the Mediterranean Sea.

You can take direct flights from Athens International Airport to Santorini which is the fastest way to get there. It only takes around 1 hour and you can get flights for as low as 20 euros (with Ryanair obviously).

white houses santorini

But one of the most popular ways to get from Athens to Santorini is via the ferry. Why?

The hassle of getting to the airport, going through security, waiting at the gate and flying through isn’t that fun. A ferry ride on the other hand is very exciting and adds to the experience of your Greek adventure, right?

Here’s how to take the Athens to Santorini ferry.

Ferry Companies Serving The Athens To Santorini Route

You have a few ferry companies to choose from when traveling across the islands in Greece. The most popular routes like Athens to Santorini have a more frequent ferry schedule than others.

Here’s the most popular ferry companies that you should look for:

  • Blue Star Ferry
  • SeaJets Ferry
  • Minoan Lines Ferry

There are lots of differences between the companies. For example, SeaJets is known for being the fast ferry to the islands, cutting the journey time almost in half. Blue Star Ferries is known for being the popular, slow ferry that’s a decent cheap option that does the job of getting you from A to B without being uncomfortable on the journey.

view arriving in santorini

All ferry companies in Greece have their own ferry routes. Not all companies will go to the Greek islands, some will only do certain routes from island to island. This is why sometimes it’s actually better to book through third-party sites because they show all the ferry companies that serve your exact routes.

We have personally been on Blue Star Ferries and SeaJets! They are both great in their own way and both companies are the most popular options for people taking the Athens to Santorini ferry.

Which Websites To Book Your Athens To Santorini Ferry?

There are tons of third-party websites to buy your ferry tickets from Athens to Santorini. You can trust most of them, we have booked through them before and it’s worked out well for us.

You can also book directly through the ferry companies’ websites too. Just depends on what’s easier for you.

Here are the links to some third-party sites:

  • GreekFerries.gr
  • Ferryhopper.com
  • Ferries.gr

If you want to book directly through the ferry companies, here’s the links:

  • Blue Star Ferries Website
  • SeaJets Ferry Website
  • Minoan Lines Ferry Website

If I remember correctly, we booked the majority of our ferries on the “GreekFerries” site. This worked perfectly fine for us as we checked in at the port. For one of our ferries, I remember booking directly with Blue Star Ferries which is actually a user-friendly website.

Which Is The Best Port For The Athens To Santorini Ferry?

Trying to figure out which port to add to your search? That’s one of the questions that I had when I was booking all the ferries for us.

I’ll make it simple: From Athens to the Cyclades, the best port to depart from is Piraeus.

This is why it can be confusing – there are 2 ports you can choose to depart from in Athens. And that’s the Piraeus port and the Rafina port.

taxi pickup from port

If you’re traveling to Santorini, Piraeus is the port that travels all the way to the Cyclades. It’s also much closer to the city center (around 25 minutes depending on traffic) than the Rafina port.

When you arrive in Santorini, there’s only one port where all ferries arrive in Santorini which makes it easy! The port in Santorini is closest to Thira which is one of the main cities where people stay.

Is The Athens To Santorini Ferry A Direct Trip?

No. There’s not a direct trip from Athens to Santorini!

You might have to have a quick stop in nearby islands such as Ios, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, etc. There are very quick stops as the people get off and new people get on!

crowds on greek ferries

Make sure you don’t get off too early or too late! Keep an eye on your location on Google Maps or you can listen for the announcements. If it’s an unusually huge number of people getting of the boat, you’re probably in Santorini!

Traditional vs. High-Speed Ferries – Which Is Best?

Which ferry should you take – the high-speed ferries or the traditional ferries?

Well…it’s not so simple.

There are good and bad with both options for taking the Athens to Santorini ferry.

Traditional Ferries

Traditional ferries are much slower. If you take the Athens to Santorini ferry, it can take anywhere from 7 to 12 hours. Yes, you read that right! If you don’t have any time to waste, the traditional ferry might not be the best option for you.

blue star ferries boat

If you don’t mind spending a couple of extra hours on the traditional ferry, you’ll be able to save some money too! It’s much cheaper to take the traditional ferry by around 20-40 euros depending on the deal you get and the time of year you travel.

High-Speed Ferries

The high-speed ferries are much faster. They can get you from Athens to Santorini in under 5 hours – that’s a lot of time saved (almost half, in fact) if you’re willing to take on the extra cost. The high-speed ferries (ie. Seajet Ferry) will cost more than the traditional ferries as they do get you there much faster.

seajets fleet

However, with great speed comes great motion. The high-speed ferries might not be the best for those that are sensitive to motion sickness! As they travel faster, they will break through the waves a little more and it may make you more nauseous than your conventional ferry.

The high-speed boats could also be worse if there are bad weather conditions. Obviously, you’d also feel that in the traditional type of ferries but it’s much less on such a huge ship compared to a smaller type of vessel.

What’s The Timetable For The Athens To Santorini Ferry?

It all depends on which company you choose!

Some people decide based on the company, the speed at which they can get to Santorini and others will decide based on the timing – for good reason.

You need to watch the timetable for the Athens to Santorini ferry because they operate at some insane hours and the last thing you want on your adventure in Greece is to arrive in Santorini at 3 am!

Here’s the timetable of the SeaJets ferry timetable. The other companies haven’t posted a timetable. It does change depending on the season, always go their websites to check the latest timetables.

SeaJets Ferry Timetable

seajets timetable

You can always double-check each company’s website for the latest timetables as you book.

Which Seat Should You Book On The Athens To Santorini Ferry?

The better question is…how much are you willing to spend on your ferry rides?

Remember – you’re on this boat for 5-9 hours and that feels even longer while you’re on the ferry. Being comfortable is very much worth it if you can splash the cash!

We took the economy seats because it wasn’t worth it to us. It was around more than double the business class seats! However, I must admit that once we saw what the ship was like – I was wishing we booked business class seats. 😋

greek ferry interior

There are like ‘airplane seats’ but with a little more legroom than actual airplane seats. The economy seats do have a table that folds out for your food and drinks but it’s nothing fancy. We found people just moved around to whatever seats they liked so you could probably do the same.

The business class seats looked really nice and it was much less chaotic than the economy herd of people. The price can vary but it is usually double the cost of an economy ticket but also double the comfortability aspect.

It’s totally up to you what you choose! We went with the cheaper option and we played a little Mario Kart on Matthew’s Nintendo Switch to pass the time. If you want the luxe experience, business class seats are definitely worth the extra cost for the convenience, comfortability and fewer crowds of people!

How Much Does The Athens To Santorini Ferry Tickets Cost?

The price of the ferry tickets can vary from as little as 20 euros all the way up to 90 euros, depending on several things like:

  • the time of year you book
  • the type of ferry (traditional vs high-speed)
  • the kind of seat you book
  • low season vs high season

If you’re planning to visit during the summer, it’s best to book as soon as possible. The Athens to Santorini ferry is very popular especially during the summer and it fills up quickly.

blue star ferries ticket price

The schedule does change pretty frequently which is why you should check regularly and book if you need peace of mind! The price only increases closer to the date and if you want the cheapest, book early.

We paid around 50 euros for our economy seats on the Blue Star Ferries. The price doesn’t always vary based on the schedule you choose so just the daytime ferries if you can. You don’t want to arrive at 2 am and paid the same as someone that arrived in the afternoon.

Quick Tips For First-Timers Traveling On The Athens To Santorini Ferry

If it’s your first time taking the Athens to Santorini ferry, like we once were…

matthew ashley santorini view

…Here are some tips we wish we knew before:

  • It takes a long time to get there. You might think “Oh 5-9 hours, I think I can hack that”. But it feels even longer, trust us! The Athens to Crete ferry is up to 9 hours – now that’s a long time on a boat! Our tip would be to download your favorite shows, bring your books and settle in for the ride.
  • Business class might be worth it to you. If you take the regular economy seats, you don’t necessarily get assigned a seat which means you’ll need to get on first to get a good seat by the window. Don’t want the stress of being herded into the ferry – pay the extra cost for the business class seats and enjoy the ride instead!
  • Get to the ferry port early. We were about 30 minutes early which is more than enough. If you don’t want to rush, get there early so you have ample time to put your suitcases away and find a seat.
  • There’s coffee, drinks and sandwiches on board. If you get hungry, there are multiple stations where you can buy drinks (even Starbucks) and some snacks. Don’t worry if you couldn’t pack as they don’t cost an arm and a leg (which we thought they would).
  • Pack some Dramamine if you have motion sickness. Need a little help to manage motion sickness? I used Dramamine for motion sickness when we were traveling from San Cristobal to Guatemala which has pretty windy roads. I just have to put a disclaimer – not advising anything just saying what has worked for us – you choose how you want to manage your motion sickness.
  • Have transport booked in advance for your arrival. One of the best things we did was sort out transport from the Santorini port to our hotel. After a long ferry across the sea, you don’t want to be haggled as soon as you step off the boat. Instead, we simply found the guy with our name and stepped onto our minivan, whisked away to rest at our hotel!
  • Take a photo of where your bags are & mention your end destination. It’s a big ship and there are literally thousands of people on it – you don’t want to lose your bags. Take a photo of where you placed them so you can easily find them again. When you put your bags away, they will ask for your last destination and make sure to say Santorini – or else it could end up in Naxos!

luggage storage ferry

Remember: Just enjoy the ride – you’re in Greece! Don’t worry too much about how you’re going to get from Athens to Santorini and just go with the flow. Everything will sort itself out!

Is Getting From Athens To Santorini By Ferry A Good Idea?

Yes! We absolutely loved the experience because we felt like we were really in Greece.

It does take much longer than the 1-hour flight from Athens but we felt it was all part of the adventure. However, if you are crunched on time – the flight might be a better idea for you.

Otherwise, we highly recommend taking the Athens to Santorini ferry! Download your movies, books and games to pass the time.

And don’t forget to stand on the deck as you reach Santorini – the views are absolutely breathtaking!

In: Greece, Athens, Travel

Sunday Suitcase Newsletter

A newsletter for digital nomads! Each Sunday you'll receive an email with the latest nomad news, digital nomad lifestyle tips, new destination guides and work online tips to ease you into your week.

You’ll Also Love

thessaloniki airport busHow To Take The Thessaloniki Airport Bus (Prices, Schedule, Info)
genki insurance review 2023Genki Insurance Review: Our Experience Using Genki in 2023
sim card greeceSIM Card Greece 2023: Which Is The Best One To Buy?
Next Post >

How To Get From Athens To Crete: Prices, Transport, Info

Welcome!

We’re Matt and Ashley, the American-Aussie couple behind this blog. In 2018, we realized we could take our work with us…anywhere in the world. We packed our bags, sold our stuff and bought two tickets to Bali. Today, we slow travel full-time, run our business from our laptops and embrace life one adventure at a time. We’ve completely fallen in love with the freedom that comes with this lifestyle and we hope to inspire you to join us on the digital nomad journey!

Two Tickets Anywhere Newsletter

A newsletter for digital nomads! On the 1st and 15th of every month you'll receive an email with the latest nomad news, digital nomad lifestyle tips, new destination guides and work online tips.

say hi on instagram

Follow The Journey In Real-Time @TwoTicketsAnywhere_

better than the movies…💭🌴⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #trav better than the movies…💭🌴⁣
⁣
⁣
#travelreels #funnytravel #travelgram #exploretheworld #travel #chasingsunsets #sunsetlover #travelblog⁣
#digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle
3x UNDERRATED digital nomad destinations in europe 3x UNDERRATED digital nomad destinations in europe ✈️ (to visit this summer) - add these to your travel plans in 2023 (or 2024🤓)⁣
⁣
🇭🇷Croatia - stunning coastline, good wifi, growing DN community, beautiful nature and lots of cafes! ⁣
⁣
🇷🇸Serbia - friendly locals, low cost of living, fast wifi, plenty of activities, great cafes to work from & great dining scene. ⁣
⁣
🇨🇾Cyprus - great weather year-round, mountains + beaches, delicious food, growing community, good coworking spaces, endless outdoor activities.⁣
⁣
Have you already been to these countries? Which was your favorite? Share below! 👇⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#digitalnomaddiaries #workfromwifi #fulltimetravel #workandtravel #digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle #workanywhere #digitalnomadlifestyle #travelblog #digitalnomadlife #blogger #twoticketsanywhere #digitalnomadblogger #livethedream #maketheleap #passportcollective #digitalnomadgirl #exploretheworld #worldnomad
living, not surviving 🤝 ⁣ ⁣ why stay in an living, not surviving 🤝 ⁣
⁣
why stay in an office when you can travel + work remotely from anywhere ✈️⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromwifi #fulltimetravel #workandtravel #digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle #workanywhere #travelreels #funnytravel #travelgram
plus you get free access to paddle boards and kaya plus you get free access to paddle boards and kayaks 👀❤️‍🔥⁣
⁣
📍Free Cerveza, Lake Atitlan ⁣🇬🇹
⁣
⁣
⁣
#visitguatemala #lakeatitlan #travelreels #uniquestays #traveldestination #digitalnomadlife #exploreguatemala #digitalnomad
Flying out to Cyprus just made sense! 🇨🇾⁣ Flying out to Cyprus just made sense! 🇨🇾⁣
⁣
The weather in Europe started to get colder in October and if you know us, you’ll know we chase the sunshine ☀️⁣
⁣
The best part is that we were joining a coliving space with some friends we made back in Zagreb! We spent an awesome month together - exploring the country, getting work done together and getting to know each other better!⁣
⁣
We love coliving because you get to have an instant community as soon as you land. A nomadic life gets lonely (yes, even as a couple) and coliving spaces usually create great communities with like-minded people!⁣
⁣
⁣
@tohani_coliving was especially great at creating events for everyone. During our first week, we had a community design meeting to discuss and plan the kind of things we wanted to do together. I'll share more about our experience on coliving soon ✌️⁣
⁣
Here are some of the highlights:⁣
🌊 Swimming in the ocean with friends⁣
🚗 Weekend getaway to northern cyprus⁣
🎳 Bowling night with the coliving fam⁣
🍼 Meeting good friends (+ their cute baby)
🚤 Jet skiing with my girl @jbabbage 
🥟 Monday dinners at home with the coliving fam⁣
🏖️ Exploring the many beaches Cyprus has to offer⁣
⁣
Would you ever try staying in a coliving space?⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#digitalnomadcyprus #colivingspace #tohanicoliving #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #traveltheworld #coliving #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #traveladdict #twoticketsanywhere #travelblogger #travelawesome #digitalnomadlifestyle #fulltimetravel #passportcollective #travelcouple #cyprusdigitalnomad #cyprus
Is Skopje, North Macedonia on your destination lis Is Skopje, North Macedonia on your destination list? 🇲🇰⁣
⁣
On our Europe tour, we decided to make Skopje home for a few weeks! One of the main reason is because I needed to renew my passport which is much faster outside the country.⁣
⁣
Other than that, we didn’t really know what to expect. There weren't many blogs or videos about being digital nomads here. We could only find 1 coworking space in the area but there were plenty of cafes to visit! There’s a huge cafe culture which is always nice.⁣
⁣
We had a really nice, modern, comfortable apartment in Skopje for $580 USD which was 5 minutes walking from the city center. The cost of living is pretty affordable and it’s very safe! ⁣
⁣
If you’re looking for a city to get some work done, explore the surrounding destinations and establish some routine or even simply go to the BEST gym I've ever been to (@fit_in_performance) - Skopje could be that place for you!⁣
⁣
Would you visit Skopje, North Macedonia as a digital nomad?⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadskopje #skopje #skopjedigitalnomad #skopjenorthmacedonia #visitskopje #visitnorthmacedonia #europedigitalnomad
Lisbon, Portugal is the top digital nomad destinat Lisbon, Portugal is the top digital nomad destination in Europe! 🇵🇹Why?⁣
⁣
One word: community!⁣
⁣
According to some digital nomad statistics, loneliness is the #1 reason people leave this lifestyle. When you’re traveling alone (or even as a couple), you easily feel all alone. Thankfully, the digital nomad community is very strong, open and welcoming!⁣
⁣
Lisbon is also a popular spot because of the fast wifi (we had speeds of 500+ Mbps), endless coworking options and a relatively affordable cost of living (except the rising rental prices, of course let's be real). ⁣
⁣
Our month in this wonderful city wasn’t long enough! It’s got all the simple things we love:⁣
 ☕ specialty coffee⁣
🍷 delicious food & wine⁣
🥑 bustling brunch scene and ⁣
👯 friendly people & community⁣
⁣
We can easily see why digital nomads keep coming back to this city and we hope we can explore more of Portugal (Porto, Algrave, etc).⁣
⁣
Have you been a digital nomad in Lisbon before? What were your thoughts?⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadportugal #lisbon #lisbondigitalnomad #lisbonportugal #visitlisbon #visitportugal #europedigitalnomad
We embarked on another 6-hour bus journey to our n We embarked on another 6-hour bus journey to our next digital nomad destination on this Europe tour.⁣
⁣
Zagreb, Croatia has been on our minds for a while. While most people think of Split or Dubrovnik, we wanted to visit the capital and see what it’s really like for digital nomads.⁣
⁣
These are some things that we think of before choosing a destination:⁣
- Is there an active digital nomad community?⁣
- What’s the wifi speeds like?⁣
- Are there good coworking spaces?⁣
- Is the cafe culture buzzing?⁣
⁣
And so much more! Our biggest concern was the community part. After traveling Serbia alone - we were starting to feel quite lonely! We joined an FB group and found someone had set up a weekly coworking day.⁣
⁣
It’s always nerve-wracking going to events where you don’t know anyone but as digital nomads, you get acquainted pretty quick! TLDR, we had a pretty close group of 8 working from cafes together, exploring Zagreb and getting to know each other.⁣
⁣
Zagreb is a great destination in Europe for a digital nomad wanting a more affordable cost of living while still exploring Croatia! 🇭🇷⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadcroatia #zagreb #zagrebdigitalnomad #zagrebcroatia #visitcroatia🇭🇷
Never did we think we would visit Serbia…⁣ ⁣ Never did we think we would visit Serbia…⁣
⁣
…but we are SO glad we did!⁣
⁣
Serbia surprised us in so many ways, we honestly didn’t know what to expect! ⁣
⁣
That’s one of the ways we like to approach some of our travels - not judging the country by its cover. You can hear some positive (or negative) things about countries but you never truly know until you experience it for yourself. ⁣
⁣
We spent a month living in Belgrade, Serbia and it wasn’t long enough! With such limited time, as digital nomads you have to hit the ground running to get settled into your new home. We used our first 3 days to find (good) cafes to work from, sign up for a gym membership and plan our travel across Serbia.⁣
⁣
Here are some reasons we can recommend Belgrade to fellow digital nomads:⁣
- friendly, welcoming people⁣
- they have delicious food⁣
- high standard of living⁣
- relatively low cost of living⁣
- fast wifi with tons of cafes to work from ⁣
⁣
We ate countless bureks, drank copious amounts of coffee and worked from some of the coolest cafes. We can’t wait to get back to Belgrade!⁣
⁣
Serbia, you stole our hearts!⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadserbia #belgrade #belgradedigitalnomad #belgradeserbia #visitserbia
European Digital Nomad Summer 2022, incoming ✨⁣
⁣
After 4 months in Medellin, Colombia - we decided to head to Europe for the rest of the year!⁣
⁣
Travel planning just becomes part of your lifestyle as digital nomads - it almost becomes a side hustle. When we're not working or exploring, we are researching/booking our next destinations!⁣
⁣
What countries did we decide on?⁣
🇬🇧 England⁣
🇦🇹 Austria⁣
🇭🇷 Croatia⁣
🇷🇸 Serbia⁣
🇫🇷 France⁣
🇳🇱 Netherlands⁣
🇵🇹 Portugal⁣
🇲🇰 North Macedonia⁣
and finally, a last-minute decision to visit...⁣
🇨🇾 Cyprus⁣
⁣
We found flights for only $400 to London from Colombia! My lovely friend and her husband were the best hosts and showed us around their new home. We spent a week in London exploring, acclimating to this continent and working from Pret! ⁣
⁣
TTA TIP: If you're in London, Pret has a subscription service for only about £30 and you get 5 drinks per day plus a cafe space to do a little work!⁣
⁣
*I'm going to be recapping the rest of our 2022 as digital nomads for the next few posts, we are currently in Asia🤪 ⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #locationindependent #freedomlifestyle #fulltimetravel #digitalnomadeurope #remotework #workonline #workfromanywhere #workandtravel #digitalnomadlifestyle

CATEGORIES

  • DIGITAL NOMAD
  • TRAVEL
  • WORK ONLINE
  • DESTINATIONS

Sunday Suitcase Newsletter

A newsletter for digital nomads! Each Sunday you'll receive an email with the latest nomad news, digital nomad lifestyle updates, new destination guides and work online tips to ease you into your week.

NAVIGATION

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT
  • DISCLAIMER
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright © 2023 Two Tickets Anywhere