Greece is synonymous with maritime endeavours and with a huge influx of tourists every year, you’ll find ferries departing from nearly every port. Greece has numerous islands and the most popular method of visiting these is by ferry. However, longer ferry journeys will take you across to Italy, Cyprus and as far as Israel.

Located close to Athens, Piraeus is a historic sea port which serves numerous Greek Islands. You will find numerous companies operating out of this port, including ANEK Lines, Bluestar Ferries, Hellas Flying Dolphins, Dane Sea Line and Minoan Lines. These companies provide routes to the Cycldes Islands, Ionian Islands and Crete. Many of the crossings from Piraeus take a long time to complete, with Rhodes taking as much as 14 hours. However, the ferries are comfortable and spacious.

To the west of Greece can be found Igoumenitsa, the large busy port which covers the Adriatic sea. You can get a ferry from here directly to Italy, courtesy of ANEK Lines and several other operators. Journey times to Italy are very long: Igoumenita to Triest in Italy may take 32 hours to complete. However, this is the only option for travellers who need to cross with a vehicle. Fragline Ferries, Minoan Lines and Superfast Ferries offer crossings along the same route.

Also on the west coast lies the city if Patras. You can also travel to Italy from this port but again, the duration of the journey is very long at over thirty hours. However, more local services also operate out of this port, such as Ancona, served by Superfast Ferries, ANEK Lines and Minoan Lines, besides others.

Although Crete has many ports, Chania and Heraklion are among the largest on the island. Several Greek islands can be reached directly from here. ANEK Lines provide a regular service to Piraeus and duration of this crossing is about eight hours.

Tags: ANEK Lines, Athens, Bluestar Ferries, Chania, Crete, Cycldes Islands, Cyprus, Dane Sea Line, Greece, Hellas Flying Dolphins, Ionian Islands, Israel, Italy, Piraeus