SeaJets

Who they are

SeaJets is Greece's biggest high speed ferry company. It was founded in 1989 by Panagiotis Iliopoulos and his son Marios Iliopoulos, is privately owned by Marios Iliopoulos, and is based in Piraeus. It built its name on the quickest connections between Athens and the Cyclades, competing with conventional car ferries on time rather than price.

SeaJets has grown fast in recent years, largely by buying ships and lines from other companies. It bought Speedrunner III from Aegean Speed Lines in 2022, took over Hellenic Seaways' Volos–Sporades line with the Express Skiathos (now Iolkos) in 2024, and bought the ferry Anemos from Aegean Sea Lines in 2026. By March 2026 its fleet had 29 vessels, including large high speed boats such as WorldChampion Jet and conventional ferries such as Superstar II and Aqua Blue.

The network is seasonal. Service peaks from late spring to early autumn, when island tourism is at its height, and contracts sharply in winter.

Network and main routes

SeaJets' main axis runs from Piraeus into the Cyclades. In summer 2026:

• Piraeus–Syros–Mykonos–Naxos–Ios–Santorini at 07:00 on the Olympic Champion Jet, reaching Santorini in 4 h 50 min.
• Piraeus–Syros–Tinos–Mykonos–Paros–Naxos–Santorini–Heraklion at 09:30, reaching Heraklion in about 7 h 50 min.
• Piraeus–Serifos–Sifnos–Milos, with a summer line continuing to Folegandros, Ios and Santorini. The fastest boat reached Milos in 2 h 10 min to 2 h 45 min.
• Piraeus–Paros–Naxos and on to the Small Cyclades (Koufonissi, Schinoussa, Iraklia).

From Rafina, SeaJets runs to Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Paros and Naxos. Inter-island legs (Mykonos to Santorini, Heraklion to Santorini, Paros to Mykonos) are a SeaJets speciality and let you island-hop without going back to Athens.

Beyond the Cyclades, SeaJets sails from Piraeus to Kythira and Kissamos in western Crete, from Rethymno to Santorini, from Volos, Thessaloniki and Mantoudi (Evia) to the Sporades, and from Lavrio and Thessaloniki to the North Aegean islands.

The meltemi, the strong north wind that builds across the Aegean in July and August, is the main operational risk. Check the SeaJets app or website the evening before departure.

Fleet and on board

Most SeaJets boats are high speed catamarans or monohulls. Passenger accommodation is airline-style: numbered seats in air-conditioned lounges, with luggage racks at the entrance. There is little or no open deck access while under way. On the big boats you can choose economy, Club-Business or Platinum seats.

Many of the larger SeaJets high speed boats carry cars, as do its conventional ferries on the Sporades and North Aegean. Car space on the fast boats is limited and priced high, so book early if you need it. Smaller boats are foot-passenger only.

A snack bar sells drinks, sandwiches and hot food.

Booking and tips

Book SeaJets as early as possible for July and August, particularly inter-island legs that connect to flights or other ferries. The morning boats on the most popular Cyclades routes sell out first.

Build in at least one spare day if SeaJets is a link in a longer itinerary. Weather cancellations are real, and a single missed boat can cascade into missed flights. For a conventional-ferry backup on the same Cyclades routes, Blue Star Ferries covers most of the main islands from Piraeus.

For times and fares, see our Athens to Santorini, Athens to Milos, Santorini to Mykonos and Crete to Santorini guides.