You basically have only one way to get from Athens to Tinos: by ferry since the island does not have an airport. I am explaining below which one is the best and most efficient ferry.
In all honesty, I believe that the absolute Best Way to get from Athens to Tinos is by taking the fast ferry from Rafina Port (it takes about 2 hours to arrive on the island).
Here are all the options you have basically:
| How Long It Takes | Cost* | |
| Ferry (from Piraeus port) | 4.5 hours | 49 euros |
| Ferry (from Rafina port) | 2 – 3.5 hours | 35 – 76 euros |
There are several ferries per day from Athens to Tinos that take from 2 to 4.5 hours (depending on which ferry and port you choose), and it’s a relatively quick and straight forward way to travel to the island. 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.
- Ferryhopper is the largest and most safe website in Greece to book your ferry tickets from Athens to Tinos, but you can also use it just for checking timetables and prices between Athens and all greek islands.
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It’s obvious that whatever I am explaining in this post applies to the return trip from Tinos to Athens as well.
Keep reading…
ATHENS TO TINOS TIPS:
- You basically have only 1 option of getting from Athens to Tinos: by ferry
- Best way To get From Athens to Tinos: By the fast Ferry from Rafina (2.5 hours) because it’s simply faster than any other ferry from Piraeus
- Best Website for Ferry Prices & Timetables: Ferryhopper
- Athens has 2 ports with ferries to Tinos: Piraeus (or Pireas – PIR) and Rafina (RAF). Piraeus is the largest port with more ferry options in general, but Rafina is closer to the Athens Airport (El. Venizelos) and it may have ferries that suit your schedule better; in my honest opinion, you should choose Rafina port because the fast ferries to Tinos depart from there
- The ferry port for Tinos 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 7 ferries a day from Athens to Tinos (from Piraeus Port or Rafina Port) ; there are far fewer ferry options in the winter (November-March)
- How long is the ferry ride from Athens to Tinos: it varies from 2 hours to 4.5 hrs ; the same obviously applies to the ferry from Tinos to Athens
- How much does it cost to take a ferry from Athens to Tinos: it obviously changes every year but in general, it can cost from 49 euros to 76 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 Tinos: there are no flights to Tinos, as the island does not have an aiport
- 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
- Best Way to go from Athens Airport to Rafina Port is by taking another bus (which is called KTEL) that runs around every 1 hour from the Airport.
- Direct International Flights to Tinos: there are no flights to Tinos as the island does not have an aiport
- 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 ferry options from Athens to Tinos (that also apply to the return trip Tinos to Athens):
Athens to Tinos Ferry Schedule
The Ferry Schedule from Athens to Tinos 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 many ferries that depart sometime in the morning and afternoon and go through several islands.
Here is an Example of a Ferry Schedule from Athens to Tinos in September from Ferryhopper:
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.
BLUE STAR FERRIES
Bluestar Ferries are the biggest you can take to go to Tinos and are the most stable but also the slowest (4.5 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 Tinos, visit other islands before they arrive at Tinos, which can give you a very good glimpse of some other greek islands too before they arrive at their destination. You don’t get to see much but it’s nice to feel like you are on a small cruise!
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 is basically 1 ferry per day from Piraeus port to Tinos.
Check the exact timetables on Ferryhopper.
Where can you book Blue Star ferry tickets from Athens to Tinos?
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 does the Blue Star Ferry ticket cost?
For the latest prices always check the Ferryhopper website.
FLIGHTS TO TINOS
There are no flights to Tinos Greece because simply there is no airport on the island.
HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO PIRAEUS 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:
Tinos Ferries depart from E9 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:
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!
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.
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 RAFINA PORT
The easiest and cheapest way to get from Athens aiport to Rafina port is by taking a KTEL bus.These are different buses than the blue ones (like X96 or X95) and the bus stop is just across the street from the airport exits (see picture above). You can buy the ticket on the bus from the driver and it costs around 3 euros (there might be a slight difference every year).
The timetables for the bus Athens Aiport to Rafina are on the following table but you should always check the official website of KTEL Buses for the latest timetables:
HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO CENTRAL ATHENS
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):
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long is the ferry ride from Athens to Tinos?
The ferry ride to Tinos is usually around 2.5 hours with the fast ferry (Golden Star Ferries from Rafina port) but it can also be up to 4.5 hours with the slower but cheaper ferry (Blue Star Ferry).
What is the best way to travel from Athens to Tinos?
The best way to travel from Athens to Tinos is by the fast ferry from Rafina port because it is relatively faster than any other ferry from Piraeus port.
CONCLUSION
You basically have lots of options to get from Athens to Tinosos: by ferry from Rafina port or by ferry from Piraeus Port. My honest advice is to take the fast ferry from Rafina (the one that takes about 2.5 hours)
A general advice for ferries in Greece is you need to 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…). You also get to see some other greek islands before you arrive in Tinos (ok…it’s just the port but you can still take a selfie with another greek island on the background).
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 Tinos from Athens.
