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The year-round sea link between Athens and western Crete · Two sailings a day, both about eight hours: one leaves mid-morning, one at ten at night
If your Crete plans centre on Chania, Balos or the west of the island, the ferry lands you far closer than a flight into Heraklion would. ANEK Lines runs the route year-round with conventional ships into Souda, the port of Chania, and there are only two crossings a day to choose between: a morning sailing that costs you a day, and an overnight one that costs you a night. Which is better depends almost entirely on whether you would rather sleep on a boat or watch the Aegean go past. Here is what each costs, what a cabin adds, and the one detail that catches people out at the far end.
If you are flying into Athens first, Piraeus is a separate trip from the airport, not a taxi ride from central Athens. The suburban railway and metro Line 3 both run direct from inside the airport to Piraeus in about an hour, for €9. We field-verified every step of that route, including which platform to stand on and where the ticket office is, in our Athens Airport to Piraeus guide.
Day or overnight?
Match your situation, get a pick. There are no wrong answers, these are simply the most common patterns.
Trying to save a hotel night
A cabin costs less than most Chania rooms and you wake up there
It docks at Souda, about 6.5 km south-east of Chania town. Unlike Heraklion, where the boat lands you at the edge of the old town, here you have one more short journey to make. City bus line 13 leaves from a stop right outside the terminal and takes about 20 minutes; a taxi rank sits at the pier. Neither is difficult, but neither is included in your ticket.
06:15 is earlier than your hotel
The overnight docks at quarter past six in the morning. Almost no hotel will give you a room at that hour. Arrange an early check-in in advance if it matters to you, or accept that your first few hours in Chania will be spent with your luggage and a coffee.
Be honest about why you are sailing
Chania has its own airport and a flight from Athens takes about an hour against eight on the boat. The ferry wins on four things and only four: bringing a car, carrying up to 50 kg of luggage, saving a hotel night on the overnight, and the crossing itself being rather good. If none of those apply, fly.
Both sailings, in detail
ANEK Lines — day sailing
Leave mid-morning, arrive for dinner, and see the Aegean on the way
Day sailingFastest
Price
€52.50 on the August sailing we priced; from about €37 off-season
Duration
8 hr
Schedule
Departs 10:00, arrives 18:00
How it works
The Kissamos leaves Piraeus at 10:00 and reaches Souda at 18:00, eight hours later. It is a conventional ship rather than a high-speed catamaran, so it is stable, there is room to walk about, and there are cafés, bars and a restaurant on board. You do not need a cabin for a daytime crossing, though they are available if you want somewhere quiet to lie down.
Booking
Book with ANEK Lines directly or through a booking platform. Foot passengers rarely need to book far ahead outside August; if you are taking a car, book early, since vehicle space goes first.
What you can book, and what it costs
Starting prices published at the time we checked, not a live quote for your dates. The two August sailings we priced were both €52.50. The car packages further down come straight from ANEK's own offers page and are not shown by the comparison sites, so check them before booking a vehicle anywhere else.
Deck / base ticket
From around €37 at the low end of the year. The August sailings we priced were €52.50
Numbered seat
From around €41. Reserved, reclining, in a quiet air-conditioned lounge
Cabin
From around €86. One to four beds, interior or with a window; single travellers can book a bed in a shared cabin
With a car
Two adults plus a car priced at €157.70 when we checked. Vehicle space sells out before passenger space
Car packages, direct from ANEK
ANEK publishes fixed packages for this route that the comparison sites do not show, and for a family driving to Crete they are the best value on the page: one passenger in economy with a car €129; two passengers in a two-berth outside cabin with a car €258; four passengers in a four-berth outside cabin with a car €299; one passenger in a single outside cabin with a car €264
Student car package
One student in economy with a car or motorbike €100.50, rising to €158.50 with a cabin
Compare both sailings in one place
Both sailings on this page can be booked directly with ANEK Lines, at the operator's own price. If you would rather compare dates and cabin availability in a single search, Ferryscanner shows the whole route together. We checked: on 31 July 2026 both of the sailings above priced at €52.50 on Ferryscanner, and at exactly the same €52.50 on a second independent booking platform.
Affiliate link: if you book through this link, The Greek Local may earn a commission from Ferryscanner. The price you pay does not change.
Where your boat leaves from at Piraeus
Piraeus is a long horseshoe of a port with numbered gates from E1 to E12. ANEK publishes the answer on its own port map: the Elyros and the Kissamos, the two ships on this route, both work from Port Gate E3, on the eastern loop of the harbour, alongside the Heraklion ships. Some third-party sources also list E2. Treat whatever is printed on your ticket as the answer, and check the printed sheets at the port entrance as well, since assignments can shift with port traffic.
Aim to be at your gate at least an hour before departure. For the walk from the metro or train to every numbered gate at Piraeus, see our Athens Airport to Piraeus gate guide.
Arriving at Souda
Souda sits about 6.5 km south-east of Chania town and roughly 14 km from Chania airport. There are three ways to cover the last stretch, and a car hire desk at the port if you have booked one.
City bus line 13
A dedicated stop sits right outside the ferry terminal, and line 13 runs directly into central Chania in about 20 minutes. On the operator's own timetable it leaves every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday, from 06:00 until about 22:30, and hourly on Sundays. Souda port falls in the operator's Zone B, so a single costs €1.80 bought in advance and €2.80 bought on board: buying before you get on saves a euro a head, and tickets are sold at the port and at the kiosk beside the stop. Note that this is the Chania city bus network, not KTEL, so it is not the same operator as the intercity coaches.
Taxi
A rank sits at the pier as you disembark, and the run into town takes 15 to 20 minutes. Expect somewhere around €20, and agree the fare before you set off.
Continue your trip
Once you are off the boat, here is where to find things to do.
Sailing times, durations and fares on this page come from live price pulls on the booking platforms and from the operator's published route information, last checked on 31 July 2026. The €52.50 figures are what the 1 August 2026 sailings priced at on that date; the starting prices in the fare table are published figures rather than a quote for your own dates.
Timetables and fares change, and strikes change them faster. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Cabins go first, vehicles go before that
On any Greek overnight crossing the cabins sell out well before the deck tickets, and vehicle space goes earlier still. If your dates are in July or August and you need either, book as far ahead as you can rather than turning up at the port.
Some sailings call at Milos
ANEK runs this as a Piraeus to Milos to Chania line, and its own port map groups the two together. Some sailings therefore call at Milos on the way, which is why published crossing times run from about eight hours to nine and a half rather than being fixed. Check the itinerary on the sailing you are actually booking rather than assuming the shortest figure applies.
Two sailings means little slack
This route runs one to two crossings a day, not the five or six you get to Heraklion. Miss your sailing and the next option is many hours away, so build in more time to reach Piraeus than you think you need.
Weather cancels crossings
Greek ferries are suspended by the port authority in high winds, most often in winter and during a strong summer meltemi. If a cancellation would ruin a connecting flight, do not book the ferry on the same day as the flight.
Best for · not great for
Anyone who would rather not sleep on a ship
Arriving at a civilised hour with hotel check-in already open
Travelling with children who will not settle in a cabin
Tight itineraries — this takes a full day out of your trip
Good to know
•Eight hours is a long time in an airline-style seat. On a day crossing most people simply use the deck and the lounges, which are free to sit in.
•Arriving at 18:00 means the bus into Chania is still running and restaurants are opening. It is the easier arrival of the two by some margin.
ANEK Lines — overnight ferry
Board after dinner, wake up in Crete, and keep the whole day free
OvernightCabins available
Price
€52.50 on the August sailing we priced; cabins from about €86
Duration
8 hr 15 min
Schedule
Departs 22:00, arrives 06:15 next day
How it works
The Elyros leaves Piraeus at 22:00 and docks at Souda at 06:15 the following morning. You board in the evening, and the ship is quiet within an hour or two. Accommodation runs from deck space through reserved airline-style seats to cabins with one to four beds, interior or with a window, plus beds in shared cabins if you are travelling alone.
Booking
Book the cabin as far ahead as you can if you want one in July or August: cabins are the first thing to sell out on any Greek overnight crossing, and the fare classes below show why the gap between deck and cabin matters.
Best for · not great for
Saving a hotel night and a travel day at the same time
Anyone bringing a car who wants to sleep through the crossing
Couples happy to pay for a cabin
Light sleepers without a cabin
Anyone who wants to check straight into a hotel on arrival
Good to know
•Docking at 06:15 is earlier than almost any hotel will take you. Either arrange an early check-in in advance, or plan a slow breakfast in Chania before your room is ready.
•A cabin costs roughly what the base ticket costs again. For two people it often works out cheaper than the hotel night it replaces.
•ANEK allows up to 50 kg of luggage per passenger, which is a different world from a budget airline's cabin bag. If you are moving a lot of gear, this is the reason to take the boat.
Package conditions
The packages are limited in number per sailing and every one of them requires at least one car in the booking. They cannot be combined with the Seasmiles loyalty scheme or any other discount, and partial cancellation of a package is not allowed
The two ships
Both are large ro-pax ferries, so both carry vehicles: the Elyros takes 1,874 passengers and 620 cars across three garage decks with 776 berths, the Kissamos 1,740 passengers and 430 vehicles with 176 cabins, some of them designed for passengers with disabilities and some for travellers with pets. If you see a source claiming this route is foot passengers only, it is wrong
Luggage and pets
Up to 50 kg per passenger. Pets travel free if included in the booking, and there are pet-friendly cabins
Discounts
ANEK publishes reductions of up to 50% for certain categories, including passengers with disabilities and their companions
