Kefalonia and ferries to Italy

There are direct ferries from Kefalonia to Italy. But not all year, so October or May can be a bit risky.

Yes, it is a lot of travel, figure three nights each place, roughly, giving you two full days each place.

If you are planning a ferry to Italy, probably the best option, then I would look at budget flights to and from Santorini, maybe even just flying Santorini to Kefalonia, then I think your plan works well. A ferry one way to Santorini is about 8 hours, unless you want to risk the faster ferries, then to Kefalonia, you are looking at that same trip back to the Athens area, then train or bus to Patras (3 hours) and then ferry to Kefalonia, plus wait times, probably looking at spending a night in Athens or Patras; so flying would save you a half day going to Santorini, and a whole day to Kefalonia.

Look at Aegean Airlines for your timeframe, all flights pretty much go to or from Athens, so your Kefalonia flight will connect in Athens.

Very helpful, thank you Badger and Paul.

What do you mean by "if you want to risk the fast ferries"? I thought a fast ferry would be better for us because it's faster ;-)

The fast ferries are hydrofoils or catamarans and are smaller, they clip along at a good rate and are a wonder going across glass smooth seas. However, if seas are choppy, or rough, they can be hell, or may be cancelled all together. The larger ferries are slower, more stable, and more dependable.

I have had good and bad passages on both types, but one passage on a fast ferry definitely ranks as my worst one. Maybe others have advice specific to the Piraeus-Santorini run, but this is just my impression.

Paul, that makes sense. Thanks for the details.

Reminds me of my trip across Sydney Harbour in the 80s. I did the regular ferry across to Manly, and the fast one back. The hydrofoil was pricier, but I'd never been on one so I tried it. As a tourist, I was in no hurry, and was disappointed at not being able to see anything out the window except spray. The regular ferry was much more scenic and enjoyable. I hear that the ferry trips in Greece can be tediously long though.

With Greek ferries, they can cover long distances (Santorini is about 200 miles from Athens) and if there are stops on the way, docking and loading is time consuming. Greek ferries are also not cruise ships, they are everyday working vehicles. They may have some amenities, but it is usually limited to cafeteria food and the "casino" is a couple video slots.

To comment on one of your points, most of the fast ferries are completely enclosed, no deck access, and when seated, there are limited "views".

Overall, this is why for a long jump, I prefer to fly, especially between Athens and a far flung island, but do enjoy shorter ferry rides, even with stops, where I can get out on the deck, bring a lunch, and relax.

For your flight, you can connect in Europe as you say (Frankfurt, London, Paris). Or you can fly Air Canada to Toronto or Montreal from where they have direct flights to Athens. Just another option in case the times work better for you.

We took Air Canada Rouge from Montreal direct to Athens. Great overnight flight. But if you do take Rouge, splurge for the preferred seating as the regular seats are a bit crammed.

Darrenbois - we avoid making our changes in North America because it adds about 5 hours to the trip. We've done it too many times, and now we usually have the flexibility that we can ensure a direct flight to Europe, and then make changes there. We're partial to Lufthansa and they have daily flights from Vancouver (or did pre-COVID, anyway)

Paul - you're selling me on the short flights around Greece. I dislike flying so I thought ferries sounded nice, but now they're looking less nice. My daughter ferried around the Greek Islands and it wasn't a great experience, and she said when she finally left on a plane, she was so relieved.

I do believe there is a ferry from Ancona or Brindisi, Italy to Kefalonia or Zakynthos. We were also thinking of doing this next year so let us know if you figure it out? We flew into Corfu (lots of direct flights there) and took a quick ferry to Paxos last time we were there and it was tiny but lovely.

I've gone down so many rabbit holes tonight trying to figure out how to reduce our travel times and fuss for this . . . it seems I've chosen some awkward destinations.

Paul - I'm now thinking that connecting through Toronto or Montreal might not be so bad after all. Going to western Europe it is, but Greece is pretty far east, and that does change things. You've made me reconsider . . .

TheSoups - more ideas! Yes, there are all sorts of ferries, but whether they run on our days or not is the issue, I'm discovering. I did learn though that there are fast trains running down the east coast of Italy though, so whether we land at Bari or Brindisi isn't too important. We just need to cross.