Piraeus Port → Heraklion (Crete) by Ferry

How it works

Minoan runs this as a single line branded 'Piraeus – Milos – Heraklion,' calling at Milos on the way, shown as one stop in the booking engine. Minoan's own timetable page states the standard, year-round pattern is 21:00 to 06:30 daily in both directions, with arrival times given to the pilot station. On the sailing we checked in the booking engine, the ship was Knossos Palace, departing Piraeus at 21:00 and reaching Heraklion at 06:30 the next morning, 9 hours 30 minutes including the Milos call.

Good to know

• •The €35 deck fare we saw carried a 'Minoan Club Offer' tag, part of Minoan's free loyalty scheme, and it showed for every date we checked from 30 July to 5 August 2026. Confirm it is still on offer when you book.
• •Free unchecked baggage is 56 × 45 × 25 cm per seated or cabin passenger, plus one small bag, per Minoan's published conditions. Luggage inside an accompanying vehicle carries no extra charge.
• •The Milos call adds time but not much drama: expect the ship to sit still for a while mid-crossing rather than a proper stop you can get off at.

How it works

The same Piraeus–Milos–Heraklion line, run in daylight. Minoan's timetable page describes this as a summer addition to the year-round overnight pattern, running on select dates from June to September rather than every day. On the sailing we checked in the booking engine, Festos Palace left Piraeus at 09:30 and reached Heraklion at 18:45, 9 hours 15 minutes, with the same one stop at Milos.

Good to know

• •The from-€35 deck fare matched the overnight sailing on the dates we checked, so price alone will rarely decide between the two Minoan options.
• •Because it only runs on select summer dates, check the live timetable before building a plan around it rather than assuming it sails every day.

How it works

Run jointly by Blue Star Ferries and ANEK as part of the Attica Group, this is the other big overnight cruiseferry on the route, and the one with the fullest published fare card. On the sailing we checked in the booking engine, Nissos Rodos left Piraeus at 21:00 and reached Heraklion at 06:50 the next morning, 9 hours 50 minutes, with one intermediate call at Serifos.

Good to know

• •When we checked on 30 July for a sailing twelve days out, every cabin class on this ship, from the smallest shared inside cabin to the top Deluxe suite, was already sold out. Only deck and airplane-type seats were left. Book a cabin weeks ahead if you want one in high season.
• •Blue Star's own 'Super Economy' offer drops the fare to €25 for this exact route, economy class only. It is a limited-ticket promotion, non-refundable and non-changeable, and it is sold only through port agents rather than online.
• •Full published fare card for the sailing we checked: Special Economy €33 (sold out that date), Economy deck €41, airplane-type seats €45.50, cabins from €59.50 to €184 depending on size and class, car €122.50, motorcycle €28.50.
• •Not every Piraeus boat that calls at Heraklion is this overnight ship. Blue Star Chios, for instance, departs from Gate E1 on a long multi-stop run via Santorini and Anafi to Heraklion and onward to Sitia, Kasos, Karpathos, Chalki and Rhodes. Check the full itinerary, not just the destination port, before you book.

How it works

A high-speed catamaran that routes Piraeus to Heraklion via multiple Cyclades stops rather than sailing direct. On the sailing we checked in the booking engine, Champions League Jet 2 left Piraeus at 09:30 and reached Heraklion at 17:20, 7 hours 50 minutes. It is a genuinely fast boat, but the island stops eat into the time saving, so it lands only about two hours ahead of the big overnight ships despite the higher fare.

Good to know

• •Treat this as an island-hopping option that happens to end in Crete, not a shortcut. The big overnight ships cost less than half as much for a broadly similar total time.