How To Get From Athens to Syros (2024 UPDATE)

You basically have 2 ways to get from Athens to Syros: by ferry or by plane. I am explaining below which one is the best and most efficient method, depending on your situation.

I truly believe that the absolute Best Way to get from Athens to Syros is by taking the fast ferry from Piraeus port.

Here are the 2 options you have basically:

	How Long It Takes	Cost*
Ferry (from Piraeus port)	2 to 3.5 hours	45 to 70 euros
Flight (from Athens Intl. Airport)	35 minutes	100 to 250 euros

*Obviously the cost fluctuates a lot and may differ; always check Ferryhopper for ferry costs and Booking.com Flights for flights

syros port greece island blue star ferry — *Syros port in Ermoupoli town is very picturesque*

There are several ferries per day from Athens to Syros (Ermoupoli) that take from 2 to 3.5 hours (depending on which ferry you choose), and it’s a relatively quick and easy way to travel to the island compared to the check-in process at the airport. As a rule of thumb, if the ferry to a Greek island takes more than 5 hours, then it’s better if you fly to the island.

You can always search directly from here the available ferries to Syros:

Ferryhopper is the largest and most safe website in Greece to book your ferry tickets from Athens to Syros, but you can also use it just for checking timetables and prices between Athens and all greek islands.
Booking.com Flights has all the available options for flights from Athens to Syros (JSY is Syros’s airport code) with all possible airlines (Aegean, Olympic, Sky Express)

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It’s obvious that whatever I am explaining in this post applies to the return trip from Syros to Athens as well.

syros ermoupoli greece island — *Ermoupoli capital town of Syros is one of the most unique and different in Cyclades islands*

If you are wondering how it is inside a ferry to the greek islands then here is my complete tour of the Highspeed 4 Ferry (interior and exterior)

Keep reading…

ATHENS TO SYROS TIPS:

You basically have 2 options of getting from Athens to Syros: by ferry or by plane.

Best way To get From Athens to Syros: By the fast Ferry (2 hours) because it’s simply faster and cheaper; the flight is still worth checking as it’s roughly 35 minutes but you need to consider the check-in process that can take more than 1.5 hours

Best Website for Ferry Prices & Timetables: Ferryhopper

Athens has only 1 port with ferries to Syros: Piraeus (or Pireas – PIR) but there might be ferries departing from another port called Lavrio so you should better check that option too

The ferry port for Syros in Piraeus Port is E7 (on Google Maps)
(but always check your ticket as this may change)

Between April-October there can be more than 3 ferries a day from Athens to Syros (from Piraeus Port) ; there are far fewer ferry options in the winter (November-March) with usually just one or 2 ferries daily

How long is the ferry ride from Athens to Syros: it varies from 2 hours to 3.5 hours ; the same obviously applies for the ferry from Syros to Athens

How much does it cost to take a ferry from Athens to Syros: it obviously changes every year but in general, it can cost from 45 euros to 70 euros per person

You must book your ferry online and you can then enter the ferry with the barcode that will be on the email that will be sent to you. This will be clearly written on the email you will receive from Ferryhopper and it is now the system that most ferry companies use BUT some smaller companies may ask you to get a printout from a kiosk that is outside of the ferry and it is this print out that will allow you to enter the ferry. As a rule of thumb, if your ticket you got through email from Ferryhopper has a barcode then you can enter the ferry directly.

How long is the flight from Athens to Syros: the flight is around 35 minutes long, and checking in is usually quick but you have to be 2 hours in advance to the airport, as with any flight in the world.

Best Way to go from Athens Airport to Athens main ferry port (Piraeus) to take any ferry is by taking the Athens Airport Bus X96 (X96 Bus Route – X96 Bus runs every 20-30 mins) – X96 Bus ticket costs 6 euros (adult) and 3 euros (kids) or buy an ATH.ENA Card

Direct International Flights to Syros: there are no international flights to Syros as the airport serves only domestic flights to and from Athens

The Best Airline to fly from Athens to Syros is Aegean Airlines (Check flights on Booking.com Flights)

Strikes in Greece: strikes can happen anytime in Greece and for any means of public transportation within short notice; usually, they may happen on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays; yes, they may mess up your trip but they are necessary for the hard-working people of Greece so that they can have decent salaries and benefits for their lives. So, get over it and try to find some alternatives for your trip (a taxi is usually the best option).

Strong Winds – Ferries Cancellations: in case there are strong winds (which can be pretty common in August in Greece), then the Greek Port Authorities may stop all ferries from departing, so bear in mind this is also a possibility that can mess up your trip; as an average there might be 4-5 days during the summer months that this can happen so get prepared

Business Seats on Ferries in Greece: in my opinion, they are not worth the extra money as you only get a bit more space and a slightly quiet area to sit but even the standard seats are very spacious

The Ferry Schedule for all greek islands is announced only 2-3 months before the actual trips, so if you cannot find any scheduled ferries for your trip 3 years from now, please check again 2 months before your actual trip.

Ok, so let’s see all the available options from Athens to Syros (that also apply to the return trip Syros to Athens):

Athens to Syros Ferry Schedule

seajets ferry greece — *The SEAJETS Ferries are usually the fastest ferries to any greek island (and Syros)*

The Ferry Schedule from Athens to Syros is only announced a few months before the actual dates of the trips, which means that the times for the busy summer months of May, June, July, August and September are only announced around February or March of the same year.

However, there are not that many changes usually as there are usually ferries that depart sometime in the morning and go through several islands.

Here is an Example of a Ferry Schedule from Athens to Syros in September from Ferryhopper:

athens to syros ferry schedule — *This is a typical Ferry Schedule from Athens to Syros in the summer months (May, June, July, August, and September)*

This is just an example of a ferry schedule!

For the latest Ferry schedule, always check on Ferryhopper.

The winter ferry schedule is less frequent with probably 1-2 ferries a day.

ferry ticket greek islands blue star ferry highspeed — If you book your ticket through **Ferryhopper** you are going to get a link through email where you can download the tickets with the barcode that looks like this (it will open up in your browser, and you can just screenshot it); this ticket will have your seat number as well, and it is individual for every passenger, so kids and vehicles will have their own barcodes and separate tickets

highspeed ferry greece — *Highspeed and Seajet are usually the fastest ferries to greek islands*

ferry greek islands inside — *This is the Economy Class (or regular seats) on Highspeed ferry*

economy class space seat greece — *I am not the tallest guy in the world, but I had plenty of space in the economy seats of Highspeed 4*

business class seats ferry greece — *The business class seats were almost similar to the economy class but this may differ slightly from ferry to ferry; in my opinion, they are not worth it in any ferry*

seat nuimber ferry greece — *It might be tricky to locate the exact seat number that is on your ticket but you can always ask the crew of the ferry*

food ferry greek islands — Unfortunately, there are no restaurants on any of the ferries but there are plenty of options for nibbles, sandwiches and greek pasties in the small shops that are called Everest and are pretty much on every ferry

luggage space ferry greek islands — *There is always plenty of luggage space on board any ferry but you need to be careful as these are unattended*

ferry greece outside space highspeed — There is always an open space on any ferry (smoking is strongly prohibited everywhere) but its size depends on the ferry itself; usually, the slowest ferries (Blue Star) have the largest outdoor spaces and the fastest ones (catamaran style Highspeed and Seajets) have more limited outdoor spaces

BLUE STAR FERRIES

Bluestar Ferries are the biggest you can take to go to Syros and are the most stable but also the slowest (3.5 hours to arrive)

No matter how bumpy or windy it is, you won’t feel much on Bluestar Ferries, but in case there are strong winds the Greek Port Authorities may not allow any ferries to depart for safety reasons.

Almost all ferries from Athens to Syros, visit other islands before they arrive on an island but Syros is usually the first island they arrive at!

The best way to check for the available Blue Star Ferry times schedule is to visit the Ferryhopper website.

They run all 365 days per year and there are basically 2 ferries per day from Piraeus port to Syros: one in the early morning and one in the afternoon.

Check the exact timetables on Ferryhopper.

Where can you book Blue Star ferry tickets from Athens to Syros?

I highly recommend you book your ferry tickets online through Ferryhopper before you even land in Greece. It is the easiest and safest way to guarantee you are going to get a seat. In fact, for July, August and September, I recommend you book the ferry tickets online at least 1 month in advance. To be honest, you will always find a seat on a ferry but if you are planning to get your vehicle on the ferry then you need to book very well in advance as there are limited spaces for cars and motorbikes in their garages.

BE CAREFUL THOUGH:

As long as the email you receive from Ferryhopper has a barcode on it, you will be fine to enter the ferry with these ones. It will be very clear on the email you will receive from them, though. Otherwise, you will get instructions on how to get the printout ticket as some smaller ferry companies don’t have a barcode system on their tickets (very old-fashioned indeed…). This is not a problem however and all you have to do is to go to a kiosk outside of the ferry itself and people there will print out the ticket for you. Ferryhopper will give you instructions on where to go exactly.

How much the Blue Star Ferry ticket cost?

For the latest prices always check the Ferryhopper website.

FLIGHTS TO SYROS

The best and cheapest website to book or search for flights to Syros is Booking.com Flights, as it has all the available options.

syros flights — *This is the type of airplane that will take you to Syros (this is a Sky Express aircraft)*

A few useful info to have in mind when booking your flight to Syros:

Syros Aiport on Google Maps
Athens Airport Code is : ATH (Athens)
Syros Airport Code is: JSY
Every plane that lands on Syros, takes off after 40 minutes to fly back to Athens.
The exact times of the flights change and they are not the same throughout the year, so make sure you get the right times from Booking.com Flights as it will give you all the available flights immediately.
There are more flights from Athens to Syros between April – October (high season)
If you book your tickets well in advance (6 months) you could probably find some very good deals with return tickets.
The cost of the flight from Athens to Syros may come up to 250 euros during the high season (April-October)

The airlines that fly from Athens to Syros (April-October) are:

Aegean Airlines (Olympic Air is basically the same airline with different brand name)
Sky Express

syros airport — *Syros airport is small (as expected)*

There are no direct international flights to Syros as its airport cannot accommodate those.

The only flights that it serves are to and from Athens only.

In my honest opinion, it’s not worth flying to Syros and you should only choose it instead of the ferry, if you get sea sickness. The time you will spend going to the Athens airport (2 hours in advance) and the whole check in process, is not worth it in my opinion. The fast ferries only get 2 hours to get to Syros and they are much hassle hassle-free than taking a flight.

HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO PIRAEUS PORT

*X96 is the Athens bus that will take you from Athens Airport to Piraeus ferry port*

The easiest and cheapest option to get to Athens ferry port called Piraeus is by taking the bus X96 that stops just outside of the Athens airport.

X96 bus takes between 50 mins to 80 mins (depending on the traffic) to go to the Athens ferry port (Piraeus) and the X96 bus route to Piraeus ferry port is the following:

This is how to get from the Athens Aiport Exit to the X96 and X95 bus stops just outside of the airport:

Syros Ferries depart from E7 Port Gate so you have to stop at the bus station which is called: STATION ISAP (this is also a metro station).

Or in greek : ΣΤΑΘΜΟΣ ΗΣΑΠ

In case you feel lost you can just ask the bus driver (they always speak english if you speak with a very clear accent like an italian mafioso in a away… 😉)

But in reality you will find some brand new GPS screens showing you where you actually are:

*There are GPS screens showing you where you are on the X96 Athens bus*

The X96 bus runs 24/7 and there is a bus every 30 mins roughly (in Greece time runs in a very strange way…so never expect something to be on time…that’s just a small tip from greeks…you’d better get used to that unfortunately).

But there is a X96 bus every 20-30 minutes, so there will be one for you too!

Click here to see all the stops of X96 Bus (from Athens Airport to Piraeus Ferry port to Syros) and the live timetables

For the X96 bus, you have to buy tickets from a kiosk which is just outside of the bus stop (and also just outside of the airport, just follow the “Bus” signs in the airport).

For adults the Athens bus ticket (called “ATH.ENA) costs 6 euros and for kids (under 6) it costs 3 euros.

*The Athens Bus Ticket for X96 Bus (and X95 bus that goes to the center of Athens – Syntagma Square)* *is called ATH.ENA ticket*

*You have to validate your tickets once inside the X96 bus but you can actually use the same ticket everywhere for 90 mins*

You can also take a taxi from the Athens airport to the Piraeus Ferry port which costs 50-60 euros but it’s really not recommended because it’s not worth it in my opinion…

The X96 bus is pretty fast and it costs only 6 euros!

Also, BE CAREFUL:

Sometimes the X96 Athens Airport Buses say: “AEROLIMENAS-PEIRAIAS”

Don’t get confused.

This is a greek version of saying: “Airport – Pireaus” , so it’s the same really…

HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO CENTRAL ATHENS

*X95 is the bus that will take you from Athens Aiport to Syntagma Square (central Athens) but you also have the option of taking the metro (subway)*

To go from Athens Airport to Syntagma Square (the most central point in Athens), you have to take either the metro from the airport (it’s actually overground for some stations and then it goes underground) or the bus X95 which will take you to Syntagma Square within 30-40 mins.

The X95 bus stop is next to the X96 bus stop and the tickets are exactly the same and are sold from the same kiosk.

This is Bus X95 route (from Athens airport to Syntagma square – central Athens):

You can also take the metro line 3 to get to Syntagma Square from the Athens Airport.

Check on this link the timetables for Athens metro lines

These are the timetables of Athens Metro Line 3 to and from the Airport (there is a train every 36 minutes):

athens metro line 3 timetables — *Athens Metro Line 3 (Piraeus Port – Central Athens – Airport) – Click to Enlarge*

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long is the ferry ride from Athens to Syros?

The ferry ride to Syros is usually 2 hours with the fast ferry (Seajet from Piraeus) but it can also be up to 3.5 hours with the slower but cheaper ferry (Blue Star Ferry).

What is the best way to travel from Athens to Syros?

The best way to travel from Athens to Syros is by the fast ferry because it is relatively quick, easier and cheaper than going through the hassle of another flight.

Is it better to fly or ferry to Syros?

It is better to take the fast ferry to Syros because the fast ferry takes around 2 hours, which overall is probably less time than you’d spend with the plane (including the check-in process and security) and after all flying is way more expensive.

CONCLUSION

You basically have 2 options to get from Athens to Syros: by plane or by a ferry. My honest recommendation is to take the fast ferry instead of flying because a flight costs around 2 times a fast ferry ticket and you won’t be saving much time, to be honest.

If you do take the ferry, make sure you have plenty of movies loaded on your tablet, crosswords and books in hand… (it’s also a good idea to have some food with you because even though there are some snack shops they might not have everything…).

For me, the best way to check timetables and even book your ferry tickets online has been Ferryhopper for the last few years, and I highly recommend it to everyone looking to get a ferry to Syros from Athens.

How To Get From Athens to Syros