Ferries from Chania

Chania's ferry terminal is at Souda, on the south shore of Souda Bay about 7 km east of the city. The address is Leoforos Soudas, Souda 732 00. It is a working commercial port and a NATO naval base, so the ferry quay shares the water with military traffic and the setting is industrial rather than scenic.

One of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean

Souda Bay is a long, sheltered inlet that can take vessels no Cretan harbour of the old town could handle. That geography is why the commercial port ended up here and why the Old Venetian Harbour in Chania itself, seven kilometres west, takes no ferries at all — it is a shallow basin suited to fishing boats, kaikia and yachts, and has been out of the ferry business for generations.

What sails from here

The port's core service is the overnight link to Piraeus, operated under the ANEK Lines and Blue Star Ferries brands of the Attica Group. It is a conventional car-and-passenger sailing designed to be slept through, which is why cabins rather than seats are the normal booking. For departure times, fares and cabin classes see the Piraeus to Chania route page.

Getting between the port and the city

City bus route 13 connects Souda with central Chania roughly every 20 minutes, taking about 20–25 minutes and costing a couple of euros; it sets down near the Agora. A taxi is around 15 minutes and €15–20. Long-distance KTEL coaches also call at Souda for onward travel across Crete. Chania International Airport is 14–17 km away on the Akrotiri peninsula.

Not to be confused with Kissamos

Western Crete has a second ferry port: Kissamos (Kastelli), about 40 km west of Chania, which handles the seasonal services to Kythira, Antikythira and Gythio on the Peloponnese. Tickets for those routes are not interchangeable with Souda departures, and the two ports are an hour apart by road — check which one your booking names.

For a full guide to reaching the city by sea, including which ticket class to choose and when to book, see our Chania ferry guide.