Ventouris Ferries

Overview

Ventouris Ferries is one of the smaller names on the Italy–Greece market, a Greek, family-run company that has worked the Bari–Igoumenitsa corridor for decades. Its current website sits at ventourisferries.com; the older ventouris.gr address now redirects there automatically, which is worth knowing if an old bookmark or search result still points to the previous domain.

Unlike Superfast, Grimaldi or Minoan, Ventouris does not serve Patras, and it does not run year-round – more on both below. What it does offer is a direct summer link to Igoumenitsa, onward to Corfu and, on selected sailings, Sami on Kefalonia, making it a practical option if either island is your actual destination rather than a stop on the way inland. For how it stacks up against the other five operators, see our ferry companies overview.

Routes and Seasons

Ventouris serves four Greek ports from Bari: Igoumenitsa direct, Igoumenitsa via Corfu, Corfu direct, and Sami on Kefalonia via Igoumenitsa and Corfu on selected sailings. The official timetable is published only for July, August and September 2026 – this is a summer-only service on the Italy–Greece route, not a year-round one like several of its competitors.

Departure patterns vary by day: a direct Bari–Igoumenitsa sailing leaves at 10:00 and arrives at 22:00 the same day, while an evening departure at 20:00 routes via Corfu, arriving there the next morning before continuing on to Igoumenitsa. In the other direction, Igoumenitsa–Bari direct also runs 10:00 to 20:00, alongside late-night and via-Corfu options. Exact days of operation shift through the season, so treat these as representative rather than fixed.

The Fleet

Two ships cover the Greece route: F/B Rigel V, carrying up to 1,070 passengers, 550 vehicles and 450 berths across 174 metres, with its interior fully renovated in 2025; and F/B Rigel VII, the larger of the pair at 1,500 passengers, 550 vehicles and 500 berths over 163 metres, renovated in 2020. Both cruise at 20 knots. Neither ship’s construction year is published on Ventouris’s own fleet pages – only the renovation years are stated.

Ventouris’s wider fleet includes two more ships, F/B Rigel II and F/B Rigel III, but these work the Italy–Albania route exclusively and do not appear on the Greece timetable. All four ships together make Ventouris one of the smaller fleets among the Adriatic operators covered on this site.

Cabins and Seats

Ventouris’s own pricing table for the Greece–Italy route lists eight accommodation codes, from budget to premium: Deck passage and Air Seat at the bottom; standard cabins as A2–A4 (outside) and AB2–AB4 (inside); Premium cabins as PA2–PA4; and, at the top, LX2/LX4 “luxury” outside cabins with a double bed, shower and WC. There is no separate pet cabin category – animals travel in a shared kennel area with cages of various sizes instead, covered in more detail below.

Camping on board is not part of the offer here either. Ventouris’s FAQ is direct about it: passengers are not allowed to stay in the garage during the voyage for safety reasons, and the parking area is locked from departure until shortly before arrival. If you are comparing cabin categories across operators before you book, our cabin guide lays out the naming conventions each company uses.

Fares and Discounts

Children under 4 who do not occupy a bed or seat travel free, though the €15 per-person port tax still applies; children aged 4 to 12 who do not need a bed get 50 percent off the net one-way or return fare. A 20 percent discount applies to both passengers and vehicles when the outbound and return tickets are issued together in the same booking.

Ventouris also runs an early-booking offer specific to the Italy–Greece route: up to 30 percent off, for tickets issued by 28 May 2026, subject to limited availability. Unlike Superfast or Grimaldi, Ventouris does not list separate youth, senior, family or student discounts, or an Interrail/Eurail arrangement, on any of its official offers, fares or FAQ pages.

Check-in

Foot passengers should be at the port at least 2 hours before departure for check-in and boarding, according to Ventouris’s own FAQ. Anyone travelling with a camper, trailer or other large vehicle is advised to arrive 3 hours early instead, and check-in closes 1 hour before departure for everyone. No online or web check-in option is mentioned on the pages checked for this profile, so plan on checking in at the terminal.

Bring your booking reference, ID or passport, and vehicle documents if applicable. If you are travelling with a motorhome, our camper fares guide explains how vehicle length categories are typically structured across the market.

Travelling with Pets

Ventouris advertises pet travel as free of charge, a rare stance among the Adriatic operators, most of which charge a per-animal fee. The catch is practical rather than financial: pets must be booked in advance, unaccompanied animals are not accepted, and there is no dedicated pet cabin – animals travel in a shared kennel area with cages of various sizes, alongside a designated area on deck for walking them.

Required documents are the same as elsewhere on this market: a pet passport with current vaccinations, a valid rabies certificate, and microchip identification. Leash and muzzle rules apply in communal areas. For the paperwork and preparation that apply across all operators, see our guide to ferry travel with pets.

FAQ

Does Ventouris Ferries run all year to Greece?

No. The official Greece–Italy timetable is published only for July, August and September 2026 – Ventouris is a summer-only operator on this market, unlike Superfast, Grimaldi or Minoan, which run through the winter.

Do I need to arrive earlier with a camper or trailer?

Yes. Ventouris recommends arriving 3 hours before departure with a camper, trailer or other large vehicle, against 2 hours for foot passengers. Check-in closes 1 hour before departure for everyone.

Can I stay in my vehicle during the crossing?

No. Ventouris’s FAQ states that passengers are not allowed to stay in the garage during the voyage for safety reasons; the parking area is locked after departure and reopens only shortly before arrival.

Is there a fee for bringing a pet?

Ventouris advertises pet travel as free of charge, but animals must be booked in advance and are placed in a shared kennel area, not a dedicated pet cabin. Unaccompanied pets are not accepted.

What is the cancellation policy?

A full refund up to 91 days before departure, 80 percent from 90 to 8 days before, 50 percent from 7 days to 24 hours before, and no refund inside 24 hours of departure.