Greek Ferry Tickets

There is no central Greek ferry ticket-issuing or information authority in Greece, but you will find ticket agents at every port, who can normally be found in offices within buildings or small Portakabin type offices near the port of your departure or somewhere very close to it.

Conveniently, some will also offer additional facilities which can be useful to travellers.

If you are looking for somewhere to sleep for the night, or leave your luggage while you wait for your ferry, you will usually find people to be very obliging.

On more than one occasion, we have found ourselves very low on cash, and we have been more than thankful to the ticket agents for their exchange facilities (even though the commission is a 'tad' higher).

The hours of operation for these facilities is normally co-ordinated with the times of ferry departures (which can be very useful if you need to change money outside of the banking hours). Throughout Greece and the islands, ticket agents will normally open for an hour or so during the night if a ferry is scheduled to leave; however please do not count on this.

Now, with the advent of computer ticketing (which are now reducing the opportunity to buy your ticket on board the ferry) I would strongly recommend that you buy your tickets at the tickets agent during available hours, or preferably, go on-line to a credible supplier of Greek ferry information and tickets.

No single agent sells tickets for every vessel that may call into a port, although they will do their very best to convince you that they do.

Many will tell blatant lies in order to get your business. They will tell you their boat is the fastest, when it's not; they will tell you their boat is the next or only one available, when it's not and there is nothing worse than sitting in a bar - watching a ferry depart for the place you are about to go to - with a three hour wait ahead of you, simply because...'you bought the wrong ticket'.

Once you've parted with your money it's almost impossible to get a refund of any description. so, as they saying goes 'caveat emptor'...let the buyer beware!

Agents will make attempts to snatch every nickel out of your hand by selling a higher class ticket than you want or by selling a return ticket without telling you so.

The easiest way of avoiding problems is to determine which ferry you want to sail on before you approach the agent and simply ask for a ticket for that boat.

In past years it was possible to buy your tickets from various sources; and these would include ticket agents, quayside vendors or on the ferry itself. This is what made island hopping, such a carefree kind of holiday or vacation.

However, this cavalier attitude to travel is what led to the new ticketing systems and levels of safety being introduced. It was not uncommon for a captain to carry more than twice the capacity of passengers than their vessels were licensed for. In fact, it was the arrests of two such captains, which instigated many changes within the industry.

As a result, passengers can no longer board a Greek ferry without a valid ticket. This means of course that you can no longer arrive at the last minute and just 'hop on board' as you could in days gone by. Therefore, it is imperative that you arrive at the quayside with sufficient time to buy your ferry tickets. Alternatively, you can always pop in to an Internet cafe and book on-line.

During the high season it may be considered a little foolhardy to think you can simply arrive at the last moment and expect to get on board. The fact that a ferry's departure is advertised, doesn't always mean that space will be available for you.

Without booking your ticket in advance you may face long delays as a consequence, and if you are expecting to catch a Greek ferry as part of your journey home, it could mean missing your flight. By booking in advance, you are certain of your space. It will also give you sufficient time to alter any plans you may have should your first choice of ferry be full.

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