Heraklion Ferry Guide: Overnight to Piraeus, and the Islands in Season

Our Heraklion ferry page lists the routes from Crete's main port. The Heraklion Port Authority's general information page, dated 21 October 2026, says the port is linked every day with Piraeus by two ferry sailings, is also linked with the Dodecanese, and in the summer months has daily sailings to many Cyclades islands by high-speed craft. This article adds what the port and the operators say about using those sailings.

1. Where the ferries leave from

The same page says all ships depart from the western part of the port and from Piers I and II. It says passengers can buy tickets at the offices of the ferry companies inside the passenger terminal, in the port or, for the high-speed boats only, next to the departure areas.

The port authority's passenger terminal page, dated 28 August 2026, gives the terminal as 2,500 square metres, with passport control, a check-in and baggage-control area, shops and cafes, an information point, free Wi-Fi and an ATM. It lists car rental, taxi and open-top tour buses among the services. It says there are no luggage lockers and that passengers wanting baggage collection, storage, transfer and delivery can use LUGGit, which it describes as an independent provider. We saw no price for it.

Separately, the port's cruise section says a new cruise passenger terminal was built at Pier IV-V in 2017. If you arrive on a cruise ship, find out from your ship which berth you will be at, then compare it with the ferry departure area above. We found no distance or transfer information on the port's pages.

2. What Ferryhopper lists from Heraklion

The table gives the shortest crossing as Ferryhopper, a booking site, lists it, in the direction shown. The page says its figures are the shortest listed and can vary by sailing and weather. Treat it as a guide to scale, not as a timetable.

Two things stand out. First, the port authority says two sailings a day to Piraeus, while Ferryhopper lists three operators on that route; we cannot say from these pages how the two fit together. Second, Ferryhopper's figures differ by direction on almost every route, as the table shows. We did not open SeaJets' own site (it blocked us), so the Santorini and Cyclades fast-boat lines rest on the booking site's listing and the port authority's summer statement alone.

3. The overnight boat to Piraeus

Minoan Lines' help pages say it operates daily and nightly ferries to and from Heraklion, and that Heraklion has been its headquarters from the year of its establishment. At Piraeus, Minoan says its main gate is E2, that the exact gate can vary, and that you should check your booking details and always arrive at the port of embarkation earlier than the departure time. Our Piraeus ferry guide covers getting to the port.

Overnight boats do not always sail straight through. As dated examples only, from notices for a strike day (30 October 2026): Minoan's notice of 26 October 2026 set one sailing as Piraeus 23:00, Milos 03:00 to 03:20, Heraklion 08:00, and the return from Heraklion at 21:00 via Milos to Piraeus 06:30. Blue Star Ferries' notice, last updated on 26 October 2026, listed the ship Ariadne leaving Piraeus at 23:00 via Serifos to Heraklion at 08:40. Neither is a standing timetable. Read the stops on your own ticket.

4. Tickets and check-in

Minoan Lines says that after online payment you receive a booking number, and with it and your details on its web check-in page you can download an e-ticket or have it emailed to print; you can also collect tickets from an agency. For other operators, read the booking confirmation to the end and see our guide to booking confirmations and boarding passes. We did not find check-in times for Heraklion on the pages we read.

5. Assistance, luggage and cabins

On its page for passengers with reduced mobility, Minoan Lines says, for its domestic lines, that such passengers can book only by phone, by email to reservation@minoan.gr or through a travel agency; that the number of cabins for them is limited and buying them in advance is highly recommended; and that the request for assistance, with a copy of a valid identity document, must be sent after buying the ticket and at least 48 hours before departure. It also says its ships' decks can be reached by elevators and that equipped cabins for disabled people are available in accordance with the law. These are the operator's statements for its own ships; we have not checked any specific ship or cabin. For Blue Star and SeaJets, we found no accessibility details.

The port authority's pages we read do not mention assistance for people with reduced mobility, so ask the operator who meets you and where. Our access questions guide lists what to ask in writing. For a long night crossing, see the comfort checklist.

6. Keeping a margin

Strikes are one reason to keep slack. As one dated example, on 29 October 2026 the Blue Star Ferries and Minoan Lines sites both carried notices about a strike on 30 October 2026; Blue Star's said one ship's Cyclades itinerary from Piraeus was cancelled and ticket changes were required. That is an example, not a rule for other dates.

If you are joining a ship, a published sailing time is not a margin by itself. Read why separate tickets need a buffer and, if a sailing is cancelled, our plan B guide. We have not checked any ship's schedule, so we cannot say that any of these crossings fits a port call. For the next island, see our Santorini ferry page, then return to the Heraklion ferry page.