Choose Your Crossing

Where Are You Coming From?

Northern and Central Europe → Ancona or Venice

If you are driving from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands or Belgium, you will almost certainly cross the Alps or the Po valley before reaching the Italian Adriatic coast. At that point, the two sensible departure ports are Ancona and Venice.

Ancona is the most popular choice by a wide margin. It sits roughly halfway down the Italian Adriatic coast and is easily reached via the A14 motorway (the "Autostrada Adriatica"). It offers the widest range of operators and departure times, the most camping-on-board availability for motorhome travellers, and a well-established ferry infrastructure. For most travellers from northern and central Europe, Ancona is the default.

Venice makes sense if you are coming from the northeast – from Austria via the Brenner pass, from Slovenia or from northeast Italy itself. The crossing from Venice is the longest of the four routes (around 24–30 hours), but it is also the most scenic: the ship travels down the entire length of the Adriatic, often calling at Corfu and/or Igoumenitsa before arriving in Patras. Many passengers treat it as a short cruise in its own right.

Already in Southern Italy → Bari or Brindisi

If you are touring Puglia, Calabria or the heel of the Italian boot, or if you have taken a flight into Bari or Brindisi, the southern ports make far more sense. Driving all the way back up to Ancona would cost you hours of motorway and a large toll bill.

Bari offers the most operator choice in the south: Superfast Ferries, Ventouris Ferries and Grimaldi Lines all run from here. The crossing to Igoumenitsa takes around 8–10 hours, making it a comfortable overnight trip. Bari also has more departure frequency than Brindisi in most seasons.

Brindisi is slightly further south and offers the shortest crossing of all – around 8 hours to Igoumenitsa, operated mainly by Grimaldi Lines. It is a straightforward, no-frills option. Note that camping-on-board tariffs are less commonly available on the shorter Brindisi crossings than on the Ancona or Venice routes.

Where in Greece Are You Heading?

Athens and the Peloponnese → arrive at Patras

Patras is the right arrival port if Athens is your primary destination or if you want to explore the Peloponnese peninsula – Nafplio, Olympia, Mystras, the Mani. From Patras, the E65 motorway runs east to Athens in about 3 hours, making it one of the quickest connections from a ferry port to a capital city anywhere in Europe. The port itself is large and well organised, with direct access onto the motorway network.

Northwest Greece, Meteora or Thessaloniki → arrive at Igoumenitsa

Igoumenitsa is the gateway to Epirus and northwest mainland Greece. If you are heading to Ioannina (the beautiful lake city in the mountains), the Zagori region with its stone villages and vikos gorge, or the monastery plateau of Meteora, Igoumenitsa saves you a long detour via Patras. The road east from Igoumenitsa also connects to the Via Egnatia motorway, which cuts across northern Greece towards Thessaloniki and eventually the Turkish border.

Note that many ferries on the Venice–Patras and Ancona–Patras routes call at Corfu and/or Igoumenitsa on the way to Patras. If your destination is Igoumenitsa or Corfu, you can disembark there without travelling all the way to Patras – check when booking that your chosen sailing includes this stop.

The Greek islands

If your final destination is a Greek island, the Adriatic ferry takes you to mainland Greece and you then connect to a domestic ferry. From Patras, you can reach the Ionian islands (Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Ithaca) via domestic ferries from Killini or Patras itself. For the Cyclades, Dodecanese or Crete, Piraeus (Athens' port, about 3 hours from Patras) is the main hub. From Igoumenitsa, Corfu is a very short hop by domestic ferry.

Route Comparison Table

Crossing times are approximate and vary by operator and season.

Fast vs Cheap vs Scenic

If speed matters most: the Brindisi or Bari crossings win on pure crossing time (8–10 hours), but only if you are already in southern Italy. If you are coming from Germany, the additional drive to Brindisi versus Ancona may cost you more time than you save at sea.

If cost is the priority: Bari–Igoumenitsa is consistently the most competitive route on a price-per-crossing basis. For tips on keeping costs down across all routes, see our cheapest ferry tips guide.

If the journey itself matters: Venice–Patras is the obvious choice. The ship glides down the Adriatic, the sunsets are spectacular, and the intermediate stops at Corfu and Igoumenitsa add to the sense of voyage. Many passengers book this route specifically for the experience, not because it is the fastest or cheapest way to get to Greece.