Sfakia-Agia Roumeli ferry and Samaria transport guide
Plan the Sfakia–Agia Roumeli ferry in either direction, with dated ANENDYK timetable checks, passenger rules and the onward KTEL connection.
Last updated October 2026
Illustrative planning photograph; this scene does not identify a particular stop, trail section or supplier.
Contents10
- Sfakia and Agia Roumeli: which direction do you need?
- Check the published timetable properly
- Passenger tickets and vehicle rules
- Ports and boarding
- The east-side bus connection
- Other Samaria transport plans
- Park access before travel
- Finish the wider trip
- Ferry questions
- Verdict on Sfakia–Agia Roumeli transport
The Sfakia–Agia Roumeli ferry links Chora Sfakion with Samaria's southern coastal village. Chora Sfakion has road access. Use the boat for a village visit or a permitted walk. It can also serve the return after a full gorge crossing. Choose the direction and date before looking at a departure time.
Use ANENDYK for the sea leg and KTEL for any onward bus. Check both against the same travel date. The ferry timetable does not confirm park entry, and a bus connection needs its own check. If you leave a car at Xyloskalo, a boat to Sfakia does not return you to that mountain parking place.
Sfakia and Agia Roumeli: which direction do you need?
Sfakia in ferry searches usually means Chora Sfakion. It is also written Hora Sfakion. Agia Roumeli is the coastal village beyond the southern gorge. The ANENDYK route page uses these names in separate direction tables. Read the correct heading before choosing a time.
For a southern visit, take the boat towards Agia Roumeli first. You may then return to your starting port. For a full crossing, reach the village on foot. Take the outward boat from there. Swapping those directions puts the ferry at the wrong end of the day.
Some published routes call at Loutro. That is not the same as a non-stop service. Keep the full route description with the departure, particularly if your onward arrangements depend on when you reach Sfakia. Do not calculate arrival from a generic “ferry duration” shown on an unrelated page.
Check the published timetable properly
ANENDYK states that departures are in local time. Its tables have validity ranges and separate weekday columns. Departures can differ by day. One column is not a year-round schedule.
Here is a dated example from the published table. The period is 14–31 October 2026, from Agia Roumeli to Hora Sfakion. It shows 17:30 on each weekday. The table also lists other sailings and passenger-only marks. This was checked on 15 October 2026.
Reopen the operator's full table for your date. Check for later amendments too. In the reverse direction, find the Hora Sfakion departure heading. That row serves a different part of a gorge day.
A useful check is to read the ports aloud. Start with where you will be standing, then name where you need to arrive. If the row begins at the wrong port, it is the wrong row. Do this again when buying a return ticket.
The first leg and the return may use different weekday patterns or vessel types. Keep each one with its own date. This small check is more reliable than remembering a time from a search result.
This is a timetable observation, not a claim that a particular sailing will operate. Weather and operator instructions can affect travel. A listed departure also does not tell you whether park entry is allowed that day. Keep those decisions separate.
| Check | Why it matters | Where to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | The reverse table has different times | ANENDYK route heading |
| Validity range | Seasonal rows can expire | Date range beside the row |
| Weekday | A special departure may run only on one day | The actual day column |
| Stops or vessel change | The trip may not be direct | Route text and footnotes |
| Vehicle permission | Some services carry passengers only | Asterisk and booking category |
| Onward bus | The boat does not include a bus by default | KTEL's dated service information |
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When saving the timetable, include the heading and footnotes. A cropped time without its date range is weak evidence. Save the operator's contact details too, so you can check a disruption without searching through old travel articles.
Passenger tickets and vehicle rules
ANENDYK marks some sailings with an asterisk for passengers only, with no vehicles. Do not assume that the word “ferry” means you can take a rental car aboard every service. A foot passenger plan and a vehicle booking are different categories.
If you need to carry a vehicle, confirm that the route, vessel and departure permit it. Check any conditions in your rental agreement separately. A car booking does not prove that you can drive into Agia Roumeli or use it to collect someone at the park exit.
For a normal walking plan, select the passenger category that matches the traveller. Before payment, check the exact date and ports on the ticket. Keep a copy where you can read it without a signal. Do not send payment details to a guide site or a person offering to “confirm” your park entry.
We do not print a general fare as if it covered all departures or traveller categories. Use the operator's current fare information and booking result. A child's age category, a return ticket or a vehicle can affect what you are buying. The total must belong to your actual selection.
Ports and boarding
Match the name on your ticket to the place where you will board. Chora Sfakion is not the park's northern entrance. Agia Roumeli's boat boarding point is not the southern park control. Each sits within a longer land-and-sea plan.
At the port, follow the carrier's boarding instructions for your sailing. Look for the actual destination, not only a vessel name you saw in a photograph. Different services can use the same coastal area. If you are unsure, show the ticket to the operator's staff before boarding.
Allow time to reach the boarding point after the walk. Do not treat the moment you leave the controlled park as the moment you are ready to board. You may still need to reach the village, collect belongings or find the correct departure point.
For luggage, bicycles or any item beyond a normal day bag, read the carrier's terms before travel. Check the specific item rather than relying on a photograph of another passenger's load. If you need assistance, arrange it with the carrier in advance and confirm what is possible at both ends.
The east-side bus connection
Many gorge plans continue from Sfakia towards Chania. ANENDYK refers travellers to KTEL for bus confirmation. Its footnotes describe buses after a ship arrives. Do not assume that every boat has a matching bus. Check the destination as well as the time.
Use KTEL Chania–Rethymno's official website for the current timetable and booking destination. The site links to printable schedules and its own ticket service. Confirm the departure port, bus stop and destination on the date you intend to travel.
If your boat is delayed, follow the two operators' current guidance. Do not assume that a separate bus ticket creates a guaranteed protected connection. Ask what the published connection condition means for your exact route, and what happens if the sea leg cannot operate.
The Chora Sfakion to Chania bus guide focuses on that onward road leg. It is the right page once you know you will arrive on the east side. Check your final destination within Chania separately from the intercity bus station.
Other Samaria transport plans
The east-side ferry is only one part of the available planning picture. Your base, car location and chosen walk decide whether it is the useful part. Use the specific pages below to avoid applying one direction's advice to another route.
Getting to the mountain start
Begin with how to get to Samaria Gorge if you have not chosen a travel pattern. From Chania, compare the main options, then read the bus to the north approach or the taxi planning guide as needed.
If you drive, the car and recovery guide is more useful than a distance alone. It asks where the vehicle will be when you finish. A one-way walk can leave a car far from the coastal return.
Returning west
The Agia Roumeli to Sougia ferry guide covers the westbound sea leg. Check the Sougia to Omalos bus only if the dated service fits your need to reach the mountain side. The Chania–Sougia bus guide explains a different road connection.
For the full chain, use how to get back from Samaria Gorge. Its east and west choices keep the arrival port attached to the correct onward task. That is where to start if you are still deciding where to leave a car.
Starting farther away
Paleochora to Samaria considers the western coastal approach. Travel from Heraklion needs a broader plan than copying a Chania morning departure. Include the approach to your base and the late return, rather than counting only the gorge transport.
For a destination-led view of boats from the coast, the Agia Roumeli ferry guide starts with where you want to go. It keeps that lookup separate from this Sfakia route reference.
Park access before travel
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. NECCA's ticket portal reported both park entrances closed pending inspections, without a reopening date. A ferry can serve a coastal village while the gorge itself is closed. Do not treat the two as the same permission.
If you want only a village day, check the boats and your return as a coastal trip. If you want to enter the park, wait for the actual entrance instruction that applies to your plan. The Samaria Gorge National Park overview explains the difference between the full crossing and a southern visit.
Finish the wider trip
Choose Agia Roumeli, Omalos or Chania as a base by the entrance and return you will use. A room on one side can help the start while leaving a recovery task at the other end.
Would an organiser solve the return?
Compare a shared or private road plan by its pickup and boat, plus the final drop-off. The park notice still comes first.
Ferry questions
Is Sfakia the same as Chora Sfakion?
In these ferry searches, Sfakia normally refers to the port of Chora Sfakion, also written Hora Sfakion. Match the operator's port name on the ticket. Do not confuse it with Xyloskalo, the northern park entrance, or with a bus destination elsewhere in the wider Sfakia region.
Does the boat ticket include the bus?
Do not assume so. Read the actual ticket and package terms. The ferry company directs passengers to KTEL for onward bus confirmation. A route description mentioning a bus after the ship arrives is different from a ticket that expressly includes and protects both legs of your chosen trip.
Can I take a car on every sailing?
No. ANENDYK marks some departures as passenger-only. Check the exact sailing and vehicle category before booking, and read any rental-car restrictions separately. A photograph of a vehicle-carrying ship does not establish that your selected departure accepts vehicles or that it fits a gorge-day car recovery plan.
Does a ferry timetable mean the park is open?
No. The ferry serves a coastal destination, while NECCA controls entry into the gorge. Read the current entrance notice independently. If the park is closed, a valid boat ticket does not grant an exception. Decide whether a village-only visit still suits you before arranging the remaining travel.
Verdict on Sfakia–Agia Roumeli transport
Use the Sfakia–Agia Roumeli ferry as one checked leg in a complete plan. Select the direction, keep the valid timetable row and confirm the onward road connection. Settle the park notice separately, then make sure the final destination is your actual base or parked car rather than only the next port.