Next week I will be traveling to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete (in this order)for 11 days. Due to limited time, I am interested in the high speed ferries between islands. Should this be purchased before I leave the states or wait until I get to Athens? I realize that the price will not fluctuate but will the ferries fill up at this time of year?
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3335 posts
No, do NOT purchase beforehand. If you are jumpy about it, you can stop right in the airport at one of the 2 always-open agencies -- Amphitrion or Pacific Travel -- and purchase your tickets then. But before you do so, please devote some time to study of the ferry possibilities on a good website such as gtp. gr. You can see the MOST possibilities, if you put in "May" as the Month but leave the day at "any". Then u will see ALL the sailings, which you cannot if you state an exact day.
Also, Pam, be aware that on May 1, Labor Day, ferries probably will not sail, and on May 5 there is also a major strike announced which probably will affect ferries. Plan to be in place on those days, not trying to travel.
Further be aware of 3 things: fast ferries cost 2x as much as regular ferries... on short runs they don't save that much time, and they are closed-in ferries with o decks and salt=obsured window vision. Thus, for Santorini, either coming or departing, consider a "regular" ferry which has decks for the caldera view.
I assume u are flying back from crete; be cautious about flying back on the same day as your US-bound flight; best to schedule a night in Athens unless you llike to live dangerously.