Georgie's Guide to All Things Greek | Tavernas in Laconia

High-speed ferries: Are they worth the extra cost?

[fa icon="calendar"] Feb 21, 2015 6:31:00 PM / by Grandma's Taverna


For many travelers, time is money. When you're booking trips to the islands, being pressed for time can be one of your worst enemies. Greek ferry schedules are a bit odd, as most boats leave in the wee hours of the morning from the mainland ports and return back from the islands very late at night.


Travelers have a couple of options: the cheaper, longer, larger ferry boat ride and the more expensive, faster, high-speed ferry is another.


Though I've traveled to the islands too many times to count, this past summer was my first experience on the high-speed ferry. 
It's a good thing I was absolutely exhausted after having woken up at 3:30am to catch a ride to our final destination of Milos. The ferry boat arrived and I awoke when we knocked up against the port. Not such a bad ride, I thought. 

The winds had picked up, the locals told us, so much of the southern side of the island was off limits for swimming and laying out, unless of course, you happen to enjoy sand particles being whipped at you in the wind while getting burnt by the hot summer sun. We decided to take one of the sailboat rides for our last day to check out Kleftiko, and it was absolutely worth it.

That night, as we boarded the high-speed ferry, I started to feel a bit nauseous, but I chalked it up to just having spent the entire day at sea.

I won't get into the details here, but as you can infer, what happened next wasn't pretty. And I wasn't the only one who wasn't enjoying the ride.


High-speed ferry boat rides are attractive because you get to your destination faster, but with the risk of high winds and choppy seas, you're better off choosing a slower boat and enjoying the view of the Mediterranean as you traverse your way across Greece's magical seas. 


You can see the schedules for the two main carriers here:


http://www.bluestarferries.com/


http://www.hellenicseaways.gr/

Want to learn how to pronounce the name of your next port?

Check out our Beginner's Guide to Greek Pronunciations!

Topics: Travel by boat, Travel

Grandma's Taverna

Written by Grandma's Taverna

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