Many travelers want to experience both the culturally rich capital of Athens and the stunning islands.

And while there are quite a few islands located close to Athens, Santorini remains one of the most popular vacation destinations in Greece. Most travelers choose it for the incredible sunsets and the volcano views.

If you are also one of those visitors who’d love to mix visiting Athens with checking out gorgeous Santorini, in this article, we’ve detailed the two ways to get between the two popular destinations.

Summary

When you need to travel between Athens and Santorini there are two easily options: by plane or by ferry.

Although the plane takes you there faster, you need to consider getting to/from the airports, as well.

When it comes to the price, thanks to low-cost carriers, it’s not that expensive to fly between the two cities and the airfare ticket (without any luggage) is actually cheaper than the ferry ticket. However, you need to take into account the extras, such as: transfer to/from the airport or port and the luggage allowance and adding extra luggage.

Getting from Athens to Santorini by plane

Santorini is served by Santorini National Airport (JTR), which is located just 8 km (5 miles) SE of Fira. The airport is served by a variety of airlines: Sky Express, Ryanair, Volotea, Aegean Airlines, and Olympic Air.

The flight takes 45-50 min and the fares depend a lot on when you book the ticket.

Even during the high season, prices start at 23 eur/one way on Ryanair or Volotea. Do note that they base price doesn’t include luggage (just the small hand luggage) or priority boarding.

Read more about:
>> Flights to Santorini
>> Flights to Athens
>> Getting from Athens city center to Athens Airport

Getting from Athens to Santorini by ferry

One of the most romantic ways to get to Santorini is by ferry. The ferries linking Athens (Piraeus) to Santorini (Thira) take between 4h 40 min and 11 hours, depending on the company and type of vessel.

During the summer season (June to August) there are quite a few connections per day and three ferries run daily. During the shoulder sound (which is around Easter and in September), there are also quite a lot of option, but only two ferries run daily.

Ferries run throughout the day and the earliest sailing throughout 2023 is at 7 a.m. every day.

On a high-speed ferry operated by Sea Jets, expect to pay from 84.70 eur/one way, per person, one way. On the slow ferry operated by Blue Star Ferries, the single fare starts at 58 eur/one way, per person.

Other ferry companies operating on the route are Zante Ferries and Aegeon Pelagos.

>>Here you can read the detailed schedule for the Athens to Santorini (and return) ferry route.

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Read more about:
>>Getting from Athens to Piraeus

Note:
This article includes links that may qualify as affiliate links. If you book through them, I may earn a small commission.
The article was first published in May 2009 and was updated (prices and schedules) in April 2023.