Cyclades ferries and the 2026 cruise passenger fee: tickets, ports, Santorini

Updated: 10 November 2026

Most visitors reach the Cyclades by ferry from Piraeus, Rafina or Lavrio, and many arrive in Santorini and Mykonos on cruise ships. This guide brings together what we could check on 10 November 2026 in official sources (the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, the Piraeus Port Authority and the joint ministerial decision on the cruise fee), with the year of each fact. Anything we only read in the press or on a company page is labelled as such, and anything we did not find in an official source is marked "not confirmed". We give no timetables or ticket prices and recommend no companies.

Tickets and fares: what the Ministry publishes

The Fare Price Observatory shows the net fare (without charges) and the gross fare (final ticket price) for around 1,000 port-to-port connections, with weekly, monthly and yearly averages for passengers and vehicles.
The data come from the ΗΣΚΘΕΕΑ, the Greek seat reservation and ticketing system. For 40 sample connections, prices are also published in press releases.
The portal has a section on passenger rights in sea transport and a complaint form addressed to the carrier, ticket seller or terminal operator. Contact: +30 213 137 1700, contact@yna.gov.gr.
Rules on e-tickets or passenger identification in 2026: not confirmed. We did not find them on the Ministry portal; ask the ferry company or agent before you travel.

Departure ports: Piraeus, Rafina, Lavrio

What we found:

Piraeus: according to the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP, copyright 2026), the 14541 line gives 24-hour departure information and the "Arrivals & departures" page on olp.gr shows ships online. OLP buses inside the Central Port are free. The port handles around 20 million passengers a year.
Which gate (E1-E12) each Cyclades ferry leaves from: not confirmed. OLP does not publish it as text; check your ticket or the port's interactive map.
Rafina and Lavrio: we found no official port authority website with passenger information. Access, parking and buses: not confirmed; ask the ferry company.
Minimum check-in time before departure: not confirmed in an official source; the company sets it on the ticket.

Cruise fee (decision 3133.1/45989/2025)

In force since 21-7-2025, it applies to cruise passengers who disembark, not to ferry passengers or hotel guests:

Santorini and Mykonos: €20 (1 June-30 September), €12 (April-May and October), €4 (1 November-31 March) per passenger and port of disembarkation.
All other ports: €5, €3 and €1 for the same periods.
It is borne by the passenger, with no VAT, but paid by the cruise company and the shipping agent (jointly liable) through an electronic fee slip in the Ministry's application, every quarter.
The decision (Government Gazette B' 3343/30-06-2025, under article 27 of law 5162/2024) sets no end date and mentions no exemptions (e.g. for children). Exemptions: not confirmed.
2026: that it applies with the same amounts is stated by Greek City Times (press, 9-6-2026) and MSC Cruises (company page, no year in the table). We found no amending decision. In September 2025 the Mykonos Port Fund asked for it to be suspended or cut to €5 (Powergame, press, 9-9-2025).

Santorini: cruise passenger cap and getting up to Fira

What we found, mostly in the press:

According to Greek City Times (press, 9-6-2026), Santorini has a daily cap of 8,000 cruise passengers, calculated in 2026 on 100% ship occupancy; scheduled calls fell to 595 in 2026 from 728 in 2025. The article cites no decision: not confirmed in an official source.
From the old port to Fira you go up by cable car or by the steps (610, according to Athens Voice, press, 2019). Cable car hours and price: not confirmed; we found no municipal source.
Donkeys: in 2018 the Ministry of Rural Development announced that riders over 100 kg, or over one fifth of the animal's weight, would not be allowed (Horse & Hound, press, 13-10-2018). The current text of the rule: not confirmed.

If you run a property in the Cyclades

What travellers often ask AI assistants:

Which Attica port is most convenient and how to get from the island port to the property.
Whether they pay the cruise fee or the climate resilience fee: the first only applies to cruise passengers, the second is collected at the property.
Stating this clearly on your website, without promising ferry times or prices, helps AI give more accurate answers.

How iQuota helps

iQuota makes independent properties available to AI assistants with direct booking, payment at the property and 0% commission, at the price and terms each property sets. Cyclades properties can be listed on iQuota; we cannot guarantee that an AI assistant will recommend them.

Run a property in the Cyclades and want AI to give your real prices, terms and how to get there from the port, with direct booking and no commission? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

How much is the cruise fee in Santorini in 2026?

Under decision 3133.1/45989/2025: €20 per passenger from 1 June to 30 September, €12 in April, May and October, €4 from November to March. That it still applies in 2026 is stated by the press (June 2026) and MSC; we found no amendment.

Do ferry passengers pay it?

The decision covers cruise passengers who disembark. We found no equivalent fee for ferry passengers.

Where can I see ferry fares?

In the Fare Price Observatory on the Ministry of Shipping passenger portal, with net and gross fares for around 1,000 connections. For departures from Piraeus: 14541 (OLP, 24 hours).

Is there a weight limit for Santorini donkeys?

In 2018 a limit of 100 kg, or one fifth of the animal's weight, was announced, according to the press. We could not confirm the current text in an official source.

Sources

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