Ferries from Italy - Greece

There are many ferry companies operating on various ferry routes from Italy to Greece. You can book your ferry tickets to travel with Anek Superfast, Minoan Lines Grimaldi Euromed and Grimaldi Lines on the routes Ancona-Igoumenitsa, Ancona-Patras, Ancona-Corfu, Bari-Igoumenitsa, Bari-Patras, Bari-Corfu, Bari-Sami, Brindisi-Igoumenitsa, Brindisi-Corfu, Venice-Igoumenitsa, Venice-Patras and Venice-Corfu. There are ferry departures from Ancona, Bari and Brindisi in Italy to Patras and Igoumenitsa  in Greece on a daily basis throughout the year. Departures from Venice to Igoumenitsa and Patras are not as frequent but depending on the time of year there are 3-5 ferries per week. It is also possible to travel by ferry from Italy directly to the islands of Corfu and Kefalonia, but only during the summer months.

The fastest ferry from Italy to Greece can vary depending on the departure and arrival ports. The shortest routes are from Bari-Igoumenitsa and Brindisi-Igoumenitsa, and the duration of the trips are approx. 8-9 hours from Bari and approx. 7-8 hours from Brindisi. From Bari you will find mostly overnight sailings, while from Brindisi there are usually alternate day and overnight ferries.

Prices for ferry reservations vary depending on the route, the type of accommodation, the date of travel as well as applicable discounts. Based on official catalogue prices for low season, the cheapest ferry ticket would be 8€ for a simple deck ticket on the route Brindisi-Igoumenitsa, but even this price could be lower if booked during the Early Booking season (usually between December until the end February) or if you are entitled to additional discounts as a senior, student etc. The Ferries-Greece booking engine evaluates all your travel criteria and gives you the best possible price for your ferry reservation. 

There is no direct ferry from Italy to Crete but it is quite common for travellers to book a ferry from Italy to the port of Patras in Greece and from there travel by car to Piraeus port in Athens (appox 210km) to get the ferry to Crete (either Piraeus-Heraklion or Piraeus-Chania). The car drive from Patras to Piraeus is about 2.5h but we highly advise having at least a 4-5 hour gap to get there in case your first ferry is delayed or you encounter traffic on the way.
Tip: The ferry companies Anek Superfast and Minoan Lines Grimaldi Euromed operate on Italy – Greece routes and offer additional discounts on the Piraeus-Crete tickets if you book with their partner companies. The additional discount is offered only if the international and domestic ferry tickets are booked at the same time.

There are some direct connections from Venice-Corfu, Ancona-Corfu and Bari-Corfu but they are very limited and only available in the summer months. The most common way to get to Corfu from Italy is to travel from Venice, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi to Igoumenitsa in Greece and then get one of the many local ferries from Igoumenitsa-Corfu. The duration of the latter ferry trip is 1-1.5h and you can count on a departure every 30’ to an hour tops from early in the morning to late at night.

Camping on board was a very popular service provided by to camper and caravan owners travelling from Italy to Greece. The camping vehicles were parked on the open deck and provided access to 220V electricity. Passengers only had to pay the price of a normal deck ticket but had access to their camping vehicle throughout their trip, making their ferry crossing quite comfortable as well as economical. The service was provided from 1st April until 31th October on all Anek-Superfast ferries on the Ancona and Bari lines, and certain ferries on the Venice line. The offer was available only for vehicles that were officially registered as a camper or caravan (eg. modified minibuses were excluded). Pets were allowed to stay with their owners on the open deck as long as they did not disturb other passengers and hygiene regulations were followed. Unfortunately this service was discontinued for the Italy – Greece routes at the end of October 2024. The Camping on Board service is currently available only on the Brindisi-Vlore route with Starlines.

There is no direct ferry connection from Italy to Turkey, but travelling by ferry from Italy to Igoumenitsa in Greece and then by car over the Egnatia motorway is the preferred travel option to get to Instanbul. If you are looking to go further south, you can also travel from Italy to Patras in Greece, from there drive to Piraeus to get the ferry to the Greek islands of Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Lesvos and Chios. From there you will find daily ferry connections to the Turkish ports of Ayvalik, Bodrum, Cesme, Fethiye, Kusadasi and Marmaris.