Ferry Trip Planning, Booking & Useful Info

How can you book a ferry? Find all the answers about planning your ferry trip here and focus on finding the perfect destination for your holiday.

Ferry schedules and tickets usually become available 3-6 months before the departure date. However, new ferry routes and extra itineraries are often added, so tickets can sometimes become available much closer to the departure date. During the off-season – i.e. November to February in most countries – ferry schedules are often released just a few weeks before the departure date, which can be as late as the end of October. Ferryhopper updates its search results after every change of itinerary by ferry companies. So If you cannot find ferries running on a specific date, please try searching again later. You can also check our blog for the latest information on ferry crossings and schedules.

Ferryhopper collaborates with ferry companies operating routes throughout the Mediterranean. We currently offer ferry crossings with more than 100 companies and the number is constantly increasing. On Ferryhopper you can book tickets for all Greek destinations (islands and mainland), the whole of Spain (including the Canaries and the Balearic islands), the French island of Corsica, Turkey, Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Albania, as well as for ferry routes from continental Europe to North Africa (Algeria and Morocco).  

You can book ferry tickets online on Ferryhopper in just a few quick and easy steps. Booking a ferry has never been simpler! Here’s how it works:

  1. In step 1, you choose departure and destination ports, one-way or return tickets and travel dates. You can also select the number of passengers, and vehicles that you would like to transfer on the ferry. Please note that you can revise the number of passengers and vehicles in step 3. Click on the 'Search' button to proceed to step 2.
  2. In step 2, all available ferry crossings and itineraries will be displayed. Please select the itinerary(ies) that you prefer (outbound and inbound journey) and click 'Continue'. You can search for both indirect and direct ferry routes. If there are no direct ferries available on the selected dates, we will show you direct trips for alternative dates as well as indirect ferry routes for the selected dates.
  3. In step 3, you choose ticket type and any discount that you are eligible for. If you are a registered user you can have your saved passenger details filled in automatically to save time. Click 'Verify prices' to check availability for the selected seat type and to update the total price according to your selections. If there are tickets available, click 'Proceed to booking' to continue.
  4. In step 4, you will be asked to enter the passenger and vehicle details (if applicable). If you are logged in as a registered user, you can have your details filled in automatically. You will also have to provide contact details for the lead passenger and choose a collection option for your tickets. Make sure that you read our 'Terms & Conditions' and that you agree before you tick the box! Please review your trip details and click 'Book and pay' to proceed. You are almost there!
  5. In the final step, you will be redirected to our bank’s secure payment gateway to complete your booking. Select card type, enter your card details and make your payment. Your ferry tickets are booked! We will send you a booking confirmation email with your booking details and all the necessary information for your trip. Enjoy your holidays!

The vehicle options differ based on the route, ferry company, and type of vessel. Some of these options and their respective dimensions are:

  • Small car: < 3.5 meters in length and up to 2 meters in height
  • Medium car: < 4.25 meters in length and up to 2 meters in height
  • Family car: > 4.25 meters in length and up to 2 meters in height

Kindly note that a family car is defined as a regular car with a slightly bigger size, but with a height of up to 2 meters.

Recreational vehicles (motorhomes, campervans, caravans, camper trailers), and vehicles of more than 2 meters in height, are considered different types of vehicles and cannot go under the "family car" category.

In case a ferry operator offers some of the aforementioned options, there will be a separate category on our website.

For additional gear such as roof racks & trailers, you should contact our customer support team directly, since there may be extra charges.

Regarding professional vehicles such as buses, trucks, vans, and minivans, you should contact the ferry operator to issue your ticket.

Yes, we recommend that you book your ferry tickets in advance.
Ferryhopper suggests that you buy tickets as soon as you’ve made your travel plans and ferry schedules are released. Ferryhopper will have all the available ferry crossings! Booking your ferry tickets in advance means that you will not have to worry about availability, which can become very limited as the departure date approaches. If your holiday plans change, you can easily change your booking through our website.

You can book ferry tickets through our website up to the very last minute before departure. Please note, however, that some ferry companies do not offer last-minute online booking (e.g. Minoan Lines).

When you are traveling to the Greek islands, you will often be required to have a paper ticket, as many ferry companies do not offer e-tickets. In this case, you have two collection options: you can either pick up your ferry tickets from our offices (Ferryhopper, Thessalonikis 147, Moschato 183 46, Athens, Greece) or from the port.

If you book an e-ticket (in case they are available for the ferry route you are looking for), you will of course not be required to pick up your tickets before the trip. Instead, you will receive the boarding pass on your mobile device after the online check-in.

Once you have made a payment and your booking has been successfully completed, you will be redirected to the booking confirmation page, where you will find a summary of your ferry trip as well as your booking details. You will also receive a booking confirmation email with all the necessary information for your trip. To view your trip details you can also access My Booking on our website. You just need the email address you used for your booking and the Ferryhopper code you will find in the booking confirmation email.

If there is a problem with your booking, an error message will appear explaining why your booking has failed. If you are not sure why your booking failed or if you don’t understand the error message, please contact our customer support team and they will be happy to answer your questions. Copying and pasting the error message will make it easier for us to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and to provide the appropriate advice on how to proceed.

No, it is not necessary to confirm the departure time of your ferry, as it is uncommon for ferry schedules to change.
If there is a schedule change that affects your trip, Ferryhopper will notify you immediately via e-mail or SMS, as soon as we are notified by the ferry operator. We thus recommend that you check your email once on the day before your departure and once on the day of your ferry trip. Most ferry companies also inform their passengers directly via text message in case of schedule modifications. You can also contact the local port authority on the day of your trip to get the latest information on schedule changes and delays.

Yes, you can.

In order to book a whole cabin for you and your travel companions, you will have to select the same accommodation type for all passengers. If the 'whole cabin' option is available, please select 'whole cabin' from the drop-down list. In case the 'whole cabin' option is not available, you can select the 'single bed' option and if all passengers fit in one cabin, they will be placed in the same cabin automatically.

If you select the same accommodation type for all passengers, you should see the phrase 'whole cabin' in the trip summary (on the right hand side, just below 'Seat selections & prices'). This verifies that you are booking a whole cabin.

Ferryhopper allows you to book up to 4 ferry journeys at once for up to 9 passengers traveling with up to 4 vehicles. If you are traveling with more people, wish to transfer more vehicles or if you wish to book more journeys, you will have to repeat the booking process.

Ticket prices, discounts and special offers are provided by ferry companies and can change throughout the year according to each ferry company’s pricing policy. Ferryhopper guarantees the best price for you and your travel companions by constantly updating its ticket prices to include all new offers and discounts.

If you are visiting Ferryhopper’s website directly and not through an affiliate website, no extra or hidden fees will be added to your booking. Otherwise, additional charges (clearly mentioned before pricing) may be applied to cover the affiliation fee and the transaction costs.

Group rates are usually available for 20-25 passengers, depending on the ferry operator.

You can directly contact the ferry operator you have selected for your trip to get information and proceed with this type of booking.

If you wish to proceed through our website, you might need to make more than one booking, depending on the number of passengers. Each booking can have up to 9 passengers, traveling with up to 4 vehicles.

Looking for something else?

Haven't found an answer to your question? Please do not hesitate to send us a message or give us a call. Our customer service team will be happy to help.

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