The domestic ferry lines between the Greek islands are operated by the Attica Group of Blue Star Ferries and Hellenic Seaways with plenty of daily departures starting from Piraeus Port, Athens. Detailed timetables and travel times are available on their websites: bluestarferries.com and hellenicseaways.gr.
The following islands can be reached with the Greek Islands Pass *:
Cyclades: Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Donoussa, Folegandros, Ios, Iraklia, Kea, Kimolos, Koufonissi, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Schinoussa, Serifos, Sikinos, Syros, Tinos
Dodecanese: Astypalea, Karpathos, Kastellorizo, Kalymnos, Kasos, Kos, Leros, Lipsi, Nisyros, Patmos, Rhodes, Symi, Tilos
Sporades: Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos
Saronic Islands: Aegina, Agistri, Hermioni, Hydra, Poros, Porto Heli, Spetses
North & North-East Aegean Islands: Ag. Efstratios, Chios, Fourni, Ikaria, Lemnos, Mytilene, Oinousses, Psara, Samos
Crete: Chania, Heraklion
* Please note that not all crossings are daily.
When travelling with a Greek Islands Pass, a seat must be reserved for each ferry you will be travelling on. This can be done free of charge. Make sure to do so as early as possible to ensure there are still seats available. It's recommended to book your seat at least a day before departure in high season.
Reservations on International Routes
You can make seat reservations for the Attica Group (Superfast Ferries, Blue Star Ferries and Hellenic Seaways) online as well as by phone and email:
Call center in Athens: +30 210 8919700 or +30 210 8919800
Email:
[email protected] or
[email protected]
Online: superfast.com
Reservations on Domestic Routes
You can make seat reservations for the Attica Group (Blue Star Ferries and Hellenic Seaways) by phone and email:
Call center in Athens: +30 210 8919800
Email:
[email protected] or
[email protected]
When making a reservation, a booking reference number will be provided. With this number you will be able to collect your boarding pass at the embarkation port (Ancona, Bari, Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Patras, Piraeus and Venice, as well as the Attica Group Port Agencies on the Greek islands).
Seat Reservations
You can hop and off most trains as you please with your Interrail Pass, however, Seat Reservations are not included with an Interrail Pass. For a small fee, a Seat Reservation guarantees you a comfy seat on busy high-speed routes across Europe. Trains that require mandatory reservations normally save you time and have lots of extra features, such as streaming WIFI, entertainment portals, onboard restaurant & bar, power sockets or sleeping facilities, plus you can bag a space next to your friend traveling speeds of up 320 km/h.
If you do not fancy purchasing a seat reservation, not to worry you can usually travel by regional train where seat reservations are not required. The journey by regional trains can take longer and the need to change trains to connecting trains is greater. However, where time allows you might get to connect and visit a destination for a few hours while you wait for your next train that you had not thought about visiting before!
On high-speed & InterCity trains that are not requiring mandatory seat reservations; it can only be recommend in making a seat reservation on journeys over 3 hours to save you changing seat many times throughout your journey.
Journeys requiring Seat Reservations can always be checked & booked within the RAIL PLANNER app, online, and down at the local station.
Night Trains
In certain areas of Europe it is possible to travel by a night train. Board the train in the evening or late afternoon and wake up in a new destination the following day. Traveling with the night train is a great experience. Taking the night train at least once during your Interrail Trip can be highly recommended. Night trains with sleeping facilities always require a reservation for an additional fee, however you will save on hostel or hotel costs traveling by night train! You can usually pick between Seated Class, Couchette - a small compartment with bunk beds, pillow, and a blanket usually in a configuration of 4 or 6 and shared with other members of the public, or a Sleeper Compartment that offers more comforts such as a mattress and duvet in a configuration of Single, Double, 4 or 6 the larger compartments often shared with other members of the public and usually of the same gender. Both Couchette & Sleeper compartments can normally also be booked for more privacy. Each compartment comes at a different reservation cost but is discounted with an Interrail Pass. To see if a route has a night train it is worth searching late afternoon in the Rail Planner app where some are also bookable. Otherwise, it is possible to book the reservation at the station or often on the train operators’ website with the option of inputting your pass during the booking.
Using a travel day on the night train - If for example the train departs at 19:00 and arrives the following morning at 10:00am then only one travel day from the pass is used. If you do not change train after midnight only one travel day is used.
No Pass for kids aged 3 or younger
Children under 4 on the date you choose to start your trip do not need a Eurail Pass. On crowded trains, parents or caregivers may be requested to put the child on their lap, as they are not guaranteed their own seat. If you would like a seat for your child you must reserve a seat in advance; however, a free Eurail Child Pass is required to make a seat reservation. You can get 2 free Eurail Child Passes (for children aged 0-11) per Eurail Adult Pass. On night trains, it is necessary to reserve and pay for a separate couchette or sleeper if you would like your child to have their own bed.
Free Pass for kids aged 4 to 11
Children aged 4-11 on the date you choose to start your trip can get a free Child Pass. This Pass can be ordered together with an Adult Pass, Youth Pass, or Senior Pass (applies to all Eurail Passes). When ordering your Eurail Pass, add the number of Child Passes you need to your cart from the Pass tables. A maximum of two children can travel for free with one adult, youth aged 18 years or older, or senior. The adult, youth, or senior they travel with does not have to be a family member; this can be any adult over the age of 18 at the time of travel. If more than two children are traveling with one adult, youth, or senior, a separate Youth Pass needs to be purchased for the additional children.
Please note: Booking in advance cannot guarantee seats being assigned together. If this is the case for your reservation, please contact the train carrier to arrange seating swaps or request assistance from the conductor on board on the train.