Start with the island group, not the island
Greece has more than 200 inhabited islands, and they are grouped by sea area. Each group has its own ports and air links, so the first step is working out which group your island belongs to:
- Saronic Gulf: Aegina, Agistri, Poros, Hydra and Spetses, close to Athens.
- Cyclades: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos, Syros, Tinos and many smaller islands in the central Aegean.
- Crete: the largest island, with ports and airports at Heraklion and Chania.
- Dodecanese: Rhodes, Kos, Patmos, Leros, Symi and others near the Turkish coast.
- North Aegean: Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Lemnos and Ikaria.
- Sporades: Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos.
- Ionian: Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada and Ithaca, off the west coast.
The Athens ports
Most ferries to the Aegean leave from one of three ports in Attica.
Piraeus is the main port and, by its own figures, one of the busiest passenger ports in Europe, handling about 19 million passengers in 2025. It serves the Saronic islands, the Cyclades, Crete, the Dodecanese and the North Aegean. Metro Line 1 ends next to the port and Line 3 also stops at Piraeus, and the X96 express bus runs around the clock from the airport. The port is large; free shuttle buses link the far gates used by ships to Crete and the Dodecanese.
Rafina, on the east coast of Attica, is closer to the airport than Piraeus and is useful for the northern Cyclades, such as Andros, Tinos and Mykonos, as well as Paros and Naxos.
Lavrio, near Cape Sounion, serves Kea and Kythnos and some routes to the western Cyclades and the North Aegean.
The Ionian islands are not reached from Athens by ferry. Boats leave from western mainland ports such as Kyllini (for Zakynthos and Kefalonia) and Igoumenitsa (for Corfu). The Sporades are served from Volos and Agios Konstantinos, and Skiathos also has an airport.
Ferries: types and booking
There are two broad types of ferry. Conventional ships are larger, slower and steadier, carry cars and have open decks and cabins on long routes. High-speed catamarans cut journey times roughly in half on many routes but cost more, have no outside seating at speed and are more likely to be cancelled in strong winds.
Crossings from Piraeus to Crete run overnight on conventional ships, which saves a hotel night. Routes to Rhodes and the outer Dodecanese can take most of a day, which is why many travellers fly to Rhodes or Kos and use ferries from there.
Tickets can be booked on the operators' own websites or through comparison platforms that show several companies on one route. In summer, book cars and cabins well ahead; deck seats on large ships rarely sell out, but fast boats on popular Cyclades routes can.
Schedules for the summer season are often published in spring, and timetables change between seasons, so check close to travel rather than relying on last year's times.
Flights: when they make sense
Many islands have airports, including Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Milos, Syros, Heraklion, Chania, Rhodes, Kos, Karpathos, Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Skiathos, Lesvos, Chios and Samos. Domestic flights from Athens are operated mainly by Aegean Airlines with its regional arm Olympic Air, and by Sky Express.
Flying makes sense when:
- the sea crossing is long, as for Rhodes, Kos, Lesvos or Samos;
- you are going to the Ionian islands from Athens;
- you have little time and only one island to visit.
In summer, many European cities have direct seasonal flights to Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Corfu, Santorini and Mykonos, so you may not need to pass through Athens at all.
Combining ferries and flights
A common pattern is to fly into one island and leave from another. Examples include flying to Santorini and returning from Mykonos by way of ferries through Paros and Naxos, or flying into Heraklion and taking a ferry north to the Cyclades. Within each group, local ferries link neighbouring islands; between groups, connections are fewer and may not run daily.
Weather and disruptions
The meltemi, a strong northerly wind, blows across the Aegean in July and August and can delay or cancel smaller vessels. Port authorities can also suspend sailings in bad weather. Leave a buffer day before an international flight home, and avoid tight same-day connections between a ferry and a flight.
