Crete to Santorini Ferry Information And Schedules

By Dave Briggs · Published 2019-05-27 · Last updated 2026-09-13

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This travel guide on how to get the Crete to Santorini ferry has all the information you need to make your Greek island hopping planning easier.

How to get from Crete to Santorini

One of the most popular combinations of Greek islands to visit, apart from the Athens-Santorini-Mykonos route, is the Santorini - Crete itinerary.

As there can be up to five daily ferries going from Crete to Santorini during the summer, it's very easy to travel between these two popular islands in Greece.

Crete has a number of ports where you can leave from, although you should note that there are no ferry connections leaving from Chania ferry port. If you are staying in Chania, you should read this guide: How to get from Chania to Heraklion.

In my opinion, it's best to take ferries leaving from Heraklion in Crete. Secondary choices would be a ferry from Rethymnon to Santorini, and occasionally from Sitia.

Crete to Santorini ferry price

Ferry tickets for the Crete Santorini route start from around 92.70 Euro.

The price of the ferry ride will depend whether you use a high speed or slower conventional ferry, and which company you sail with.

Crete and Santorini Travel Tips

This article includes all the Crete to Santorini ferry information you will need to plan your trip in summer. It includes ferry operators, ferry routes, and information about the vessels themselves.

Before we get to that, these tips may make your Crete and Santorini travel planning a little easier.

• Booking is a good site for accommodation options in Santorini and Crete and for booking hotels online.

• For ferry tickets and ferry schedules between the Greek islands, check out Ferryscanner. If you're looking to make the trip the other way, take a look at my Santorini to Crete ferry guide.

• Be at your departure port an hour before the ferry is scheduled to sail from Crete to Santorini.

• Pre-book a taxi to your port in Crete using Welcome.

• Read this guide on how to get from Santorini ferry port to Fira

• To plan what to see when you visit Santorini check out my free travel guides to Santorini.

• Don't want to take a ferry? You can fly from Heraklion Airport to Santorini Airport. Look at SkyScanner for more info on flights.

Crete to Santorini ferry information – Hellenic SeaJet ferries

Hellenic SeaJets is one of the biggest ferry companies in Greece, connecting 26 islands. They serve numerous routes, especially around the Cyclades islands.

During the summer, they run two high-speed ferries a day between Crete and Santorini.

Caldera Vista, also known as Master Jet, departs daily from Heraklion, and takes just under 2 hours to get to Santorini. It then continues on to other Cyclades islands.

This is a medium size (74 metre) ferry that can carry a limited number of cars. It has two types of seats, standard and business class. You can check prices here at: Ferryscanner.

If you want to go on Hellenic SeaJets from Crete to Santorini, your other option is Champion Jet 2.

This slightly bigger vessel departs from Rethymnon on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and from Heraklion on all other days.

It only takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to travel from Rethymnon to Santorini, and is the fastest option between Heraklion and Santorini, at 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Ticket prices for this ferry to Santorini range from 69 to 90 euros, depending on seat class.

You can read more information about these two ferries here. Note that at the time of writing, Caldera Vista appears under its old name, Master Jet.

The SeaJet high speed ferries from Crete to Santorini run from May to October. E-tickets are available for these ferries.

Crete to Santorini ferry information – Minoan Lines

Minoan Lines is one of our favourite ferry companies in Greece. In recent summers, a high speed boat called Santorini Palace has run on most days on the Heraklion – Santorini route.

Typically the same ferry will continue to other islands, such as Mykonos and Paros.

This is one of the biggest high speed ferries to run from Crete to Santorini island. In seasons when it sails, it has kept going past the end of September, but not on a daily basis.

We have no personal experience of Santorini Palace, but judging from our experiences on other Minoan Line boats, we expect high quality.

Crete to Santorini ferry information – Golden Star ferries

For 2021, the Golden Star ferries company operate one daily ferry from Crete to Santorini, Superrunner. The ferry then continues to Naxos and Mykonos.

The Superrunner is a big high-speed ferry, with passenger and vehicle capacity. It takes just under 2 hours to get from Heraklion to Santorini.

The seats are all indoors, and there is no deck option. E-tickets are available, so you don't need to pick them up from the port.

Heraklion to Santorini on the Olympus ferry – Sea Speed Ferries

Budget travellers will be delighted to know that there is a lower priced option connecting Crete and Santorini. This is Olympus, a large, conventional ferry that a company called Fast Ferries has run on the route.

Olympus has sailed from Rethymno on evening departures, taking longer to reach Santorini than the high speed boats do. Ticket prices start at 35 euro for deck seats, and there are no reserved seats.

After Santorini, Olympus continues to Milos and then Piraeus. It's an overall good budget option if you are not in a hurry to explore the Greek islands.

Crete to Santorini ferry information – Prevelis boat, ANEK Lines / Aegeon Pelagos

If you are visiting Crete outside the summer season, you could consider another slow ferry called Prevelis.

It has run from Sitia to Santorini in recent winters, calling at Heraklion on some of those sailings.

It is usually the larger conventional ferry that is the cheapest way to get from Heraklion to Santorini island.

If you want to experience an old-fashioned type of ferry that has sailed through the winter as well as the summer, you will find this option interesting.

On the way from Crete to Santorini, Prevelis stops at a remote, off-the-beaten-track island called Anafi. Few visitors venture out there, so if you want to get away from the tourist crowds, it's a good choice.

How to get to Heraklion port from Heraklion city

Heraklion port is pretty close to the centre of Heraklion town, and it's not too busy, so you don't need to go there long in advance of your trip – a half hour is fine.

There are buses going to the port every 10 minutes, but as the bus website isn't very easy to use. You might just find it easier to pre-book a taxi.

Crete to Santorini Day Trip

Would you prefer to keep yourself based in Crete, and simply take an organized day trip from Crete to Santorini?

This is entirely possible, but you should keep in mind it can be a long day, and time will restrict what you can see or do in one day in Santorini.

It might be best to opt for a Crete to Santorini day trip that also includes a guided tour around the island to maximise your time there.

Day trips to Santorini from Crete leave from Heraklion, Rethymnon, and Chania, but all involved long periods of travel on bus and ferry.

Some examples of Santorini day trips are here:

How long before departure should I be at the ferry port in Crete?

Half an hour before your sailing is usually plenty, as the ports in Crete are small and easy to get around. Leave more time if you are driving down from the other end of the island.

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Dave Briggs
Dave is a UK travel writer living in Athens since 2015. With 20 years of firsthand travel experience and over 80,000 km of bicycle touring across six continents, he's been blogging at Dave's Travel Pages since 2005. Every guide is based on places he's actually been.

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