Ferries 2009 - Crete to/from Santorini (Thira)

Ferries and dolphins (express catamarans) from Crete to Santorini (Thira)

NEW: See our 16 selected hotels in Santorini, on the caldera, with dreamy views - and our Santorini guide.

There are 3 WAYS of travelling to Santorini from Crete (by sea):

From HERAKLION to Santorini:

By Catamaran: (passengers only, no cars)

•   Hellenic Seaways-Flying Cat 4, in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Daily (except some Wednesdays). This is the fastest way. The catamaran leaves at 09:45 and returns at 19:25 (SUMMER only) > Jump to schedule & more details

•   Sea Jets-SuperJet, in about 2 hours. Daily in the summer only> Jump to schedule & more details

•   GA Ferries-Daliana or Dimitroula ferry, in about 4.5 hours. These are "classic" type older ferries, with a long route and many stops, so dates & times are not so convenient. But if you are coming from another island, or want to board with your car, this route may be helpful (SUMMER only) Note: this route may not be available in 2009 > Jump to schedule & more details

From AGIOS NIKOLAOS & SITIA to Santorini:

Note: This route may not be available in 2009, the Kornaros ferry has been re-assigned to the Crete-Kithira route.
By classic Ferry: LANE Lines-Ierapetra or Vitsentzos Kornaros ferry, in 5 hours. This is a "classic" older ferry that takes both passengers and cars, has cabins (comes from Rhodes and continues to Pireas, so it is less frequent). Leaves Agios Nikolaos at 17:00 and arrives around 22:00 (Year round, but winter schedule is unreliable) > Jump to schedule & more details
 

From CHANIA/RETHYMNO to Santorini:

There are no ferries. You have to go via Heraklion or Agios Nikolaos.

Flying to Santorini:
Except for the SkyExpress flights between Crete and Santorini (in the summer only), there are no direct flights from Crete, you would have to fly to Athens and from there to Santorini. See flights from Crete to Athens.
 

Heraklion (Iraklio) to Santorini (Thira) by Catamaran:

2009 Catamaran Fares (1 person, one-way, including taxes):

Tip 1: It is worth paying extra for business class. It's on the top deck, separate, quiet and you have much more space and comfort.

Note: We do not book tickets. The information provided here is for your convenience. You can book your tickets online with the ferry companies: www.HellenicSeaways.gr and www.SeaJets.gr.

Tip 2: You may try to book, say in early May for June, and find that you get no sailings on the websites mentioned above. It does not mean there will be no ferries. It is because of the ridiculous way the ferry companies do not "open up" ticketing until a couple of weeks before the actual travel date!!! ...and they do not explain as much on their websites. (The fine irony: Hellenic Seaways offers "early booking" discounts!)

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Heraklion to Santorini to Heraklion

Hellenic Seaways (formerly Hellas Flying Dolphins) Flying Cat 4 catamaran (for passengers only, no cars).   Tel: 210-4199100, 4199000, email: info@hellenicseaways.gr, website: www.HellenicSeaways.gr Heraklion agent - Paleologos shipping: tel. 2810-346185, 2810-330598 Schedule effective: 9 April to 31 October 2009.

FlyingCat4 catamaran (passengers only)

9 April to 31 October 2009:

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SeaJets ferry schedule 1 catamaran in 2009, the "SuperJet" , for passengers only, no cars.   Tel: 210-4121001, 4121901, 4121902, email: superjet@hol.gr, website: www.SeaJets.gr Heraklion agent - Arabatzolgou Vasilia: tel. 2810-301398. Schedule effective: 30 April to 31 October 2008. Note: propable start date in 2009 is 11 May. Schedule will be similar.

SuperJet catamaran (passengers only)

30 April - 12 June & 1 September to 2 October 2008:

13 June to 31 August 2008:

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Sitia to Agios Nikolaos to Santorini (to Pireas):

See the schedule in detail here.
 

Daily round-trip excursions:

Golden Sun Cruises offers one-day excursions from Heraklion to Santorini and back, on the "Sea Runner " cruise-ferry (bookable through travel agents in Crete). The service starts from May or June and ends  usually in September. Departure is early morning and return in the evening. These are rather old-looking vessels! Tickets are available for round-trip only.
 

Island hopping - from Crete to other islands

Planning to visit other Greek islands before or after Crete?
You can travel from Crete to Santorini (or Paros, Mykonos, Ios) and from there take a ferry to Folegandros, Sifnos, Serifos, Kimolos, Milos and other islands.

Some of the Aegean Speed Lines high-speed ferries to these islands connect well with the catamarans from Heraklion. Information & online ticketing: www.aegeanspeedlines.gr
 

Other ferries for travelling between islands include Blue Star Ferries (www.bluestarferries.com), and GA Ferries (www.gaferries.gr).

Useful websites for planning your island sailings: www.ferries.gr & www.gtp.gr.
 

Another option is to fly: there are flights from Heraklion to some islands on SkyExpress.

Disclaimer: We try to keep these schedules up to date for your convenience, but you should always call the ferry company to check sailing times.
 

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