Santorini to Naxos Ferries: All Options Explained

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Written By: Pavlos Inglesis

santorini to naxos ferries
Naxos is very well connected to Santorini by many ferries per day

You basically have 2 ways to get from Santorini to Naxos: by the slow ferry or the fast ferry. To be honest, it’s a very straightforward route but not necessarily practical for a daytrip in my opinion. Santorini to Naxos ferries take less than 3 hours to reach Naxos and this is usually a route that is part of the typical long ferry routes from Piraeus that go through many Cyclades islands (such as Ios, Paros, Tinos, Sifnos, Ios etc).

If you cannot find any available route from Santorini to Naxos on Ferryhopper is because usually the ferry operators announce the available routes and timetables around 4-6 months in advance only every year, so you should better check closer to your dates .

Here are the ferry options you have basically:

How Long It TakesCost*
Ferry (slow)
(from Santorini Athinios port)
2 hours & 45 minutes31 euros
Ferry (fast)
(from Santorini Athinios port)
1 hour & 30 minutes60 euros
*Obviously, the cost fluctuates a lot and may differ; always check Ferryhopper

There is an airport on Naxos island, but there are no available flights between the two islands. Usually the airports on greek islands operate flights between Athens and the island.

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

naxos port island greece
Naxos port can get quite busy during the summer months (May-October)

There are several ferries per day from Santorini to Naxos that take from 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours and 45 minutes (depending on which ferry you choose), and it’s a relatively quick and easy way to travel between the two islands.

  • Ferryhopper is the largest and safest website in Greece to book your ferry tickets from Santorini to Naxos, but you can also use it just for checking timetables and prices between all greek islands.

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

santorini bus athinios port
Local Buses in Santorini waiting at Athinios Port

Keep reading…

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)

SANTORINI TO NAXOS TIPS:

  • Best way To get From Santorini to Naxos: By slow Ferry (1 hour and 15 minutes) Blue Star because it’s simply so much cheaper (half the price)than the fast one and it’s really not worth it in my opinion since the islands are pretty close anyways; even a daytrip between the 2 islands is definitely doable. However, if money is not an issue obviously book the faster Seajets Ferry.
  • Best Website for Ferry Prices & Timetables: Ferryhopper
  • Santorini to Naxos Ferries depart from Athinios port in Santorini.
  • Between April and October there can be more than 4 ferries a day from Santorini to Naxos; there are far fewer ferry options in the winter (November-March) 
  • How long is the ferry ride from Santorini to Naxos: it varies from 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours and 45 minutes depending on the ferry operator; the same obviously applies to the ferry from Naxos to Santorini
  • How much does it cost to take a ferry from Santorini to Naxos: it obviously changes every year but in general, it can cost from 31 euros (slow ferry) to around 60 euros per person (fast ferry)
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 it’s good to have that in mind
  • 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 4-6 months before the actual trips, so if you cannot find any scheduled ferries for your trip 3 years from now, please check again 3 months before your actual trip. Ferry tickets to greek islands never sell out and you will always find a ticket.

Santorini to Naxos Ferry Schedule

seajets ferry greece
The SEAJETS Ferry are usually the fastest ferries from and to any greek island

The Ferry Schedule from Santorini to Naxos 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 January or February 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 Cyclades islands.

Here is an Example of a Ferry Schedule from Santorini to Naxos in July from Ferryhopper:

santorini to naxos ferries
This is a typical Ferry Schedule from Santorini to Naxos in the summer months (May, June, July, August, and September); there are ferries between the two islands all day

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 (5’10”- 1.79m), 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
seajet ferry inside interior greece
This is inside the Seajet Ferry which connects many greek islands
seajet ferry seats inside greece
I had less space inside the Seajet Ferry than I had in the Highspeed ferry, but it was still comfortable

BLUE STAR FERRIES

Blue Star Ferries are the largest but slowest ferries from Santorini to Naxos and they are also the cheapest

Bluestar Ferries are the biggest you can take to go to Naxos from Santorini and are the most stable but also the slowest (2 hours and 45 minutes 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.

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

Where can you book Blue Star ferry tickets from Santorini to Naxos?

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.

SEAJET FERRIES

seajet ferries greece
Seajet Ferries are usually the fastest ferries to and from any greek island but they are also the less stable and by far more expensive

SEAJET Ferries are the fastest you can take to go from Santorini to Naxos and are the less stable and also the most expensive.

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

In my opinion, it does not make a lot of sense to pay double the price only to be 1 hour faster to Naxos. I would rather take the slow Blue Star ferry between these two islands but if obviously if money is not an issue just take the fastest option available.

Where can you book SEAJET ferry tickets from Santorini to Naxos?

I highly recommend you book your ferry tickets online through Ferryhopper.

seajet ferry seats numbers
You are always getting a numbered seat on the Seajet Ferries

FLIGHTS TO NAXOS

Naxos has an airport but it’s only used for domestic flights between Athens and Naxos.

CONCLUSION

You basically have 2 options for the Santorini to Naxos ferries: the slow and the fast ferry. My honest recommendation is to take the slow ferry instead of the fast one because it’s much cheaper and it’s not worth it in my opinion.

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 Santorini to Naxos.

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AUTHOR
Pavlos Inglesis
Greek, born and raised in Athens. I have been to almost every greek island and pretty much in every region of mainland Greece. I have also been eating souvlaki and gyros since the 80s. I love being a dad to my 2 beautiful daughters and also taking great photos of the places I visit. This is my blog to help you out explore the places I have visited with my inside tips as a Greek, knowing the ins and outs of my country and culture. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section under the post you are interested in and I wIll try my best to respond asap.

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