How to Get Around Greece By Ferry
The coastal shipping network in Greece Greece has a dense domestic coastal shipping network that no other European or Mediterranean country has. The main ports of departure are Piraeus, Lavrio, and Rafina, and the most frequent destinations are the Cyclades, Crete, the Dodecanese, and the Ionian Islands. Piraeus, which is the fifth busiest port in Europe and the second in the Mediterranean, connects the mainland with:
The Dodecanese (Rhodes, Karpathos, Kalymnos etc.)
The Cyclades (Mykonos, Santorini, Paros etc.)
Crete
The Northeast Aegean islands (Lesvos, Chios)
The Argo-Saronic gulf islands (like Salamina, Aegina etc.)
Evia
Other Smaller Ports in Greece
Apart from Athens, there are other ports connecting mainland Greece with the islands. For instance, if you want to visit the Ionian islands (like Corfu, Zakynthos, etc.), you can take the ferry from western Greece, from Patra or Igoumenitsa. It should be noted that ferries in Greece also connect its western part with Italy, from Patra, Igoumenitsa and Corfu to Italian cities including Ancona, Bari, Brindisi, and Venice. As the largest Greek island, Crete also offers a variety of choices concerning ferries in Greece, as it is connected with many islands in the Cyclades (Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini) and the Dodecanese (Rhodes, Karpathos, etc.) as well as mainland Greece via Piraeus and Rafina. Six ports in Crete accept passenger ships:
The Port of Kissamos (Kastelli), just outside the town. From here, there are routes to Kythira and Antikythira only.
The Port of Souda, 14 kilometers from Chania
The Port of Rethymno
The Port of Heraklion
The Port of Agios Nikolaos
The Port of Sitia
Additionally, Greek ferries from the ports of Volos and Evia lead to the Sporades islands (Skiathos,Skopelos, Alonissos). Ferries in Greece also move between other ports in cities in northern Greece, like Thessaloniki, from which you can visit Lemnos and the northeast Aegean islands. It also has specific routes to some islands of the Cyclades. Kavala is another city in northern Greece that connects the mainland with islands like Thasos, Lemnos, Samothraki and the Northeast Aegean islands. Alexandroupoli also has routes to Lemnos and Samothraki. It is worth noting that travelling between islands is often easy, because the islands in each island group are connected. In total, according to the24th Annual Studyon Greek Coastal Shipping by XRTC Business Consultant specializing in the maritime industry, the country's coastal fleet consists of 153 ships serving 115 islands.