How to get from Athens to Tinos

Why visit Tinos?

As the spiritual heart of Greece, Tinos is home to the Panagia Megalochari Church. It’s a house of worship dedicated to the country’s national patron saint: Our Lady of Good Tidings. Every year, thousands of pilgrims walk the 1 km distance from the port to the church to visit the image of the Virgin Mary.

From just walking around its small villages, you will find that there is something special about Tinos. It could be the strong spiritual atmosphere on the island that makes you feel at peace. Another bonus: ferry tickets to Tinos from Athens only cost about half the price of tickets to the nearby and more famous islands of Santorini and Mykonos!

There are 2 ways to travel the 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Athens to Tinos. You can choose between the ferry via Rafina and ferry via Piraeus. The journey takes 4 hours 40 minutes to 5 hours and the quickest way is by ferry via Rafina. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by ferry via Rafina with tickets starting at €35 ($40).

The first option when travelling from Athens to Tinos is via Rafina. This town is located 35 km east of Athens city centre.

If you’re going for speed and don’t mind a bit of a bumpy ride, the ferry route via Rafina is faster and cheaper than travelling via Piraeus.

Including the 1-hour bus ride to the port, rates start from €35 ($40). This option is €10 ($11.40) cheaper compared to travelling from Athens to Tinos via Piraeus.

See here the two journeys when travelling via Rafina:

From Athens city centre, you’ll first have to get to Rafina Port. There are 2 ways you can do this: by 1-hour bus or by 30-minute taxi.

Buses operating from Athens to Rafina depart from KTEL – Attikis Station just beside Pedion Areos in Athens city centre. These buses depart every 15-45 minutes with the first trip at 05:45 and the last trip at 22:30.

A bus ticket costs around €4 ($4.60). The trip takes around 1 hour.

The bus arrives at Rafina Bus Station. From here, it is just a few minutes walk to Rafina Port.

You can also ride a taxi that will take only 30 minutes, but it can be quite expensive with rates from €34 ($38).

Only high-speed ferries sail from Rafina to Tinos daily. You can travel with Seajets, Golden Star, or Cyclades Fast Ferries.

The average travel time from Rafina to Tinos is 3-4 hours. However, note that because of the speed, the ride can get really bumpy.

Ticket prices from Rafina to Tinos start from €31 ($35).

If you prefer a slower ferry, then it’s best to travel from Athens to Tinos via Piraeus Port. This port is only 30 minutes away from Athens by train, but the ferry ride will take a bit longer.

Blue Star Ferries will give you a very steady and calm ride for 4.5 hours. Combined costs for this route start from €46 ($52).

Piraeus is closer to Athens than Rafina, only 15 km away. However, only regular ferries depart from this port, so the total travel time from Athens to Tinos can take around 5 hours.

See here the two journeys when travelling via Piraeus:

Piraeus is a port situated 15 km southwest of Athens city centre. You can easily get there via train (30 minutes) that costs €1.50 ($1.70).

From Athens city centre, find the nearest Metro green line (Line #1). That could be either Monastiraki or Omonia station. You need to get off at Piraeus Station. From here, you can walk along the coast for about 500m to reach Piraeus Harbour.

If you’d rather be dropped off directly at the port, you can take a 15-minute taxi from Athens for around €10 ($11.40).

Blue Star Ferries offers ferry trips for the Piraeus to Tinos route. The ferry leaves Piraeus Harbour at 07:30 daily, and there is an additional ferry trip every Monday at 16:00.

Unlike the ferries from Rafina, the ferries from Piraeus are slower and calmer. Thus, travel time can take around 4h 25m - 4h 30m.

Ferry tickets cost €44 ($50).