Heraklia to Schinoussa Ferry

Iraklia and Schinoussa sit only a few nautical miles apart in the Small Cyclades, and the crossing between them barely counts as a sea voyage at all -- it's more like stepping from one quiet harbour to the next. Check the schedule box above for the latest confirmed dates before you travel, since operators file each season in stages and the panel is kept current.

Because the hop is so short, the schedule tends to stay light and steady rather than building to a big peak -- a handful of sailings a day at the busiest point of summer, tapering to a similar rhythm either side of it. This is a route islanders and regular visitors use to move between two of the least developed islands in the group, so it isn't built around big passenger volumes -- it's built around getting you there reliably.

Small Cyclades Lines is the local workhorse here -- the small vessel that stitches Iraklia, Schinoussa, Koufonisi and Donousa together and doubles as the practical way to island-hop the group without backtracking through a hub port. Blue Star Ferries covers the same stretch on its way through the Small Cyclades on larger conventional ferries, which tends to be the faster of the two crossings despite the extra scale of the ship. Either way, you're not choosing between comfort levels so much as between a local connector and a mainline service that happens to call here.

Both harbours are small and informal -- there's no need to hunt for a bus or taxi, since everything on Iraklia and Schinoussa is within easy walking distance of the quay. Ticket booths can be minimal or non-existent on the smaller boats, so it's worth having your booking confirmation ready on your phone or printed, and cash on hand in case the kiosk isn't set up for cards. Luggage space is tight on the smaller vessels, so travel light if you can.

Fares

Tickets from €3.50 Blue Star Ferries · Blue Star Naxos (source: gtp)

Next 14 days

Weekly schedule pattern