Minoan Lines
Greek operator Minoan Lines was founded in 1972 and runs routes between Piraeus and Crete.
Minoan Lines ferry routes
Every route operated by Minoan Lines at a glance, with current crossing times, timetables and ticket prices.
Minoan Lines is one of Europe's largest passenger ferry companies, founded in May 1972 in Heraklion, Crete, by Georgios Vardiampasis and Georgios Kegiadakis. Since 2008, Grimaldi's Compagnia di Navigazione SpA has held 95.9 percent of its shares. Its logo features the lily fresco from the Palace of Knossos.
Minoan Lines connects Piraeus with Crete and runs services between Patras and various Italian ports on the Adriatic. Its principal routes run from Piraeus to Heraklion and Chania on Crete. On the Italian side, it calls at Patras, Ancona and Venice.
The fleet comprises 6 ships. The Festos Palace and Knossos Palace serve the routes to Heraklion and Milos. The Florencia, Venezia and Europalink operate on the Italian routes in partnership with Grimaldi Euromed, while the Kydon Palace also covers Italian connections. The Santorini Palace, previously Highspeed 7 under Hellenic Seaways, serves the Heraklion-Santorini-Ios-Paros-Mykonos route.
The company's first ship, the F/B Minos, a converted oil tanker built in 1952, entered service on the Piraeus-Heraklion route in 1974. In 1990, Minoan Lines expanded internationally with the Greece-Turkey-Italy route. In 1992, the F/B Erotokritos introduced onboard camping facilities. The company became debt-free in 2018. From 2028, two new ships are due to join the Heraklion-Piraeus service.
Route map
Every route operated by Minoan Lines at a glance
Minoan Lines ships
- Festos Palace
- Knossos Palace