Greek Islands Ferries to Turkey

The easiest way to travel between Greece and Turkey is on a ferry from a Greek island to the Turkish mainland (or vice-versa).

Ferries (motorboats and hydrofoils) depart from at least six Greek islands to ten ports in Turkey. The busiest, most convenient Turkish ports are Bodrum, Marmaris, Kusadasi and Çesme; those in Greece are Rhodes, Kos, Samos and Chios. (For ferries from these Greek Islands to other Greek Islands, click here.)

The most uncertain and expensive ferry (for what you get) is and always has been the one between Lesvos (Mytileni) and Ayvalik.

Here are maps: Izmir region (showing Kusadasi and Çesme) and Bodrum-Marmaris region (showing Bodrum, Marmaris, Kos and Rhodes).

A good travel agency that can provide information on sailings and fares, and make reservations for you, is Anker Travel. They can also book ferries among the Greek islands, ferries between Turkey, Greece and Italy, and travel services in Greece (hotels, tours, rental cars, etc.).

Here is a summary of frequencies and fares (port taxes NOT included!) Fares and port taxes are subject to change without notice. For up-to-date schedules, fares and reservations, please contact Anker Travel in Kusadasi.

Greek Island Port	Turkish Port	Frequency (June-Sept.)	Voyage Duration	One-way Fare
Chios	Çesme	Daily	1-1/4 hours	US$32
Kos	Bodrum	Daily except Sunday	20 min. (hydrofoil)	US$38
Kos	Bodrum	Daily	50 minutes (motorboat)	US$32
Lesvos (Mytileni)	Dikili	Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday	1-1/4 hours
Lesvos (Mytileni)	Foça	Daily except Thursday and Saturday	2 hours	US$56
Lesvos (Mytileni)	Ayvalik	6 days a week? (uncertain)	80 minutes	US$50
Rhodes	Bodrum	Monday & Saturday	2-1/4 hours (hydrofoil)	US$63
Rhodes	Fethiye	May, June, Sept: 3 days a week July, August: daily except Saturday	1-1/2 hours (hydrofoil)	US$82
Rhodes	Marmaris	Daily	45 minutes (hydrofoil) 2-1/4 hours (motorboat)	US$39
Samos	Kusadasi	Daily	1-1/2 hours	US$38

Important Note: Port taxes can be surprisingly high—equal to 30% to 62% of the fare on some voyages! (For example, the port tax on the voyage between Rhodes and Marmaris is US$24!) Port tax is usually not levied if you're only on a day excursion; that is, if you make the voyage over and back in the same day. If you stay overnight, you must pay the tax.

Make your reservation at least one day in advance of the voyage. You may have to submit your passport overnight for registration, whether you embark from Greece or from Turkey.

You can often get a same-day round-trip ticket for little more than the standard one-way fare, meaning that you can make the voyage over in the morning, see the sights in the port, then return to your original port in the evening. An open-date round-trip ticket, meaning that you can make the return voyage at some date of your choosing in the future, will be more expensive, but it's usually less expensive than two one-way fares.

Off-season (November-April), service is less frequent. In winter there may be only one boat a week, or a boat may leave if there are enough passengers to make it worthwhile, or there may be no service at all.

The most reliable off-season service is Bodrum-Kos; second-most reliable is Marmaris-Rhodes.

Before depending upon a boat in winter, confirm departure dates and times carefully, in advance, and remember that bad weather can cause cancellation of winter voyages. (Weather is not usually a problem in summer).

Up-to-Date Information & Reservations: Anker Travel

Ferries from One Greek Island to Another, and to Athens (Piraeus)

Turkey-Italy Ferries

Turkey-Cyprus Ferries

Sea of Marmara Ferries

Istanbul-Izmir Ferries

Black Sea Coast Ferries

Transport by Ship & Ferry to & in Turkey

Transport Homepage

Maps of Turkey

Aegean Turkey

Mediterranean Turkey

Where to Go

Turkey Travel Planner Homepage

Bodrum-Rhodes hydrofoils, Bodrum harbor, Aegean Turkey

Sleek hydrofoil ferries zip between Bodrum and the Greek island of Rhodes two days per week in summer.

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