Review of the Ferries to Greek Islands – Athens to Santorini to Naxos

This is an unsponsored review of the ferries to Greek islands.

The ferry experience between each Greek island was quite a good value for the money you pay! I wanted to discuss what it was like, considering I was extremely curious as well when I left to island hop around Greece. I ended up spending 3 nights in Santorini and 4 nights in Naxos. Initially I was going to spend 2 nights in Santorini and 3 nights in Naxos, but the trip lasted longer than expected because of unforeseen circumstances.

Review of the Ferries to Greek Islands (Athens to Santorini to Naxos)

Here are what the ferries look like:

The structure of each ferry depends on which company you ride with. I rode with Seajets and Blue Star Ferries, and both contained different amenities.

Seating

In general, if you choose economy seats you won’t get an assigned seat on the ferry. It is strange, but you will basically have to scavenge for an empty seat on the main floor.

Here are what the upgraded “airplane seats” look like. There are outlets around the walls next to the seats so you can charge your phones and other devices:

If you’re riding on an overnight ferry, I would recommend booking a cabin instead. I don’t have images of the cabins, but it basically looks like a small dorm with bunk beds. It’s hard to sleep on the ferry with economy and even airplane seats. With my overnight ferry to Santorini, I tried sleeping on the airplane seats but was up all night because of the discomfort. The TV screens and passengers were loud and the lights were on at all times.

Amenities

These amenities were provided on the Blue Star Ferries. On the ferry you’ll see a travel shop:

A cafe, where you can score baguettes and pizza slices for around 3-5 euros:

A bar:

In the restaurant, you can get entrée dishes for around 8-12 euros:

Outside you can lounge out on the deck to enjoy the views. I didn’t get pictures of the Blue Star Ferries deck which had seating, but here’s a look at the Seajets Ferry deck:

Tips/Conclusion

For 20-60 Euros, I was surprised that the ferries contained more than just a couple of seats on a boat. Here are a few tips I’d recommend for your next ferry experience:

• As mentioned previously, book a cabin if you want good sleep on an overnight ferry. But go with economy if you care more about price than comfort.
• Beware that the ferries are quite cold! I brought nothing but thin, sleeveless/short-sleeved tops, tanks, and shorts. Next time, I would wear long-sleeved clothing especially if I were on a 3+ hour ferry ride.
• You have to pay for Wi-Fi. But if you have mobile data you’ll most likely be able to go online, even when you’re at sea.
• The airplane seats have outlets on the walls next to the seats (as mentioned earlier).
• You can book your tickets online on viva.gr. If you’re a Greek student you can get tickets for half off. The costs I believe are actually more expensive if you book in person with an agency because they may incur a fee (we checked one out and they required a fee).
• If you need to change the date of your ferry you can do so online or in-person for a fee of 2-3 Euros.