Taking the Car to the Northern Greek Islands: Thassos, Samothraki, Limnos

ΑThe short version

Almost every Greek island a Romanian family reaches by car is in the north, and the reason is geometry: the ports are a few hours past the border instead of a day and a half away at Piraeus.

• Thassos — from Keramoti to Limenas in about 35–40 minutes, or Kavala to Prinos. The shortest crossing in Greece that lands you on a proper island.
• Samothraki — from Alexandroupoli to Kamariotissa, roughly two hours, the boat carries cars, and the sailing is the first thing the wind cancels.
• Limnos — from Kavala, and on the North Aegean line that threads through to Lesvos, Chios and Samos; also from Lavrio, far to the south.
• Evia — no ferry required at all. You drive across a bridge at Chalkida.

Prices below were checked September 2026. How you get to these ports in the first place is in driving to Greece from Romania.

ΒThassos: the closest island to Romania

Drive the Makaza route towards Kavala and Keramoti, and the island is a short hop offshore. The ANETH ferry crosses from Keramoti to Limenas in around 35–40 minutes. Fares are €6 for an adult, €3 for a child, €22 for a car up to 4.25 m and €27 for anything longer. The second line runs from Kavala to Prinos, where adults pay around €6.50–7 and cars the same €22 or €27.

Tickets are sold at the port, boats are frequent through the summer, and Kavala airport sits about 12 km from Keramoti if part of the family flies. Because Thassos is the island Romanians know best, it has its own sister site: beaches, villages, tavernas and timetables are all on thassos.online.

ΓSamothraki: two hours, and the wind decides

Samothraki is reached from Alexandroupoli, further east along the coast — carry on past Kavala and Komotini. The crossing to Kamariotissa takes roughly two hours and the boat takes cars. Check the timetable before you fix the dates: there are days with a single sailing, and strong northerlies stop it altogether. Build a spare day into the plan at both ends, exactly as you would for the Cyclades in meltemi season — the mechanics are the same, and the meltemi explained covers why.

We have not been able to verify current car fares on this route, so do not budget from a number you read on a forum: ask the operator at the port or on its own site, and buy early for the first half of August.

Take the car. Samothraki is a mountain — Mount Fengari reaches 1,611 m — and the island's best things are spread along one coastal road: the Sanctuary of the Great Gods where the Winged Victory was found, the cold river pools at Gria Vathra and on the Fonias, and the sand at Pachia Ammos down a rough road on the south coast. The bus connects the port, Chora and Therma and very little else.

ΔLimnos: the long crossing that is worth the car

Limnos is the odd one out: flat, agricultural, windswept, with dunes at Gomati, a flamingo lagoon, and Myrina under its castle, where fallow deer come out at dusk; the quiet half of the island is the bay around Moudros. Ferries run from Kavala and from Lavrio near Athens, and the island sits on the North Aegean line towards Lesvos and Chios, so it can also be a link in a longer island-hopping route.

From Romania the practical choices are to drive to Kavala and take the boat, or to fly to Athens or Thessaloniki and pick up the small plane to LXS. If you bring the car, you will use it: the distances are real, Evgatis and Thanos are a drive apart, and the bus timetable is built around school runs rather than beaches. Crossing times and fares vary by season and operator — check our ferries page and the ports directory before booking.

ΕFurther down the line, and the point where the car stops paying

From the same northern ports the North Aegean line continues to Lesvos, Chios and Samos. These are long crossings, often overnight, and the arithmetic changes: by the time you have paid for a cabin and a car both ways, flying and renting on the island is frequently cheaper and always faster. Keep the car for the short hops; for the long ones, read how to book Greek ferries and compare honestly.

And then there is Evia, which needs no boat at all — you cross the strait at Chalkida on a bridge — but which is a very long drive south from the border; the burnt-and-regrowing north and the thermal coast are a different holiday from the south. It is the island to add to an Athens trip, not to a Halkidiki one.

ΣΤWhat the fare bands mean, and how to not pay more

Greek car ferries price by vehicle length, and the band everyone meets first is up to 4.25 m. Most compact hatchbacks sit under it; most estates, SUVs and anything with a tow bar or a bike rack do not. Measure the car, including the rack, before you assume the lower fare — the clerk measures what arrives at the ramp.

A roof box does not usually change the band, but it does change the deck you are sent to. If you have a trailer or a caravan, say so when you buy: those are separate tariffs and limited spaces.

ΖBooking, and when turning up is fine

On the Thassos lines you buy at the port and sail on the next boat; in July and August that may mean waiting for the one after. For Samothraki and Limnos, book ahead — a single daily sailing has no spare capacity on 14 August.

Two rules hold everywhere in Greek ferry travel: arrive at the port an hour before departure with a car, and treat the first and last days of August as sold out until proven otherwise. The general booking logic is in our ferries guide, and the weather side of the question in when to visit Greece.

ΗAt the port, in practice

Follow the marshal, not the signs — loading order is decided on the spot. Fold the mirrors, leave it in gear, take everything you need upstairs because you cannot go back down to the car deck mid-crossing, and remember where you parked relative to the ramp. On the short Keramoti run you will barely sit down before the island is there.

ΘWhich northern island suits which trip

• A first island with the car, with children: Thassos. Short crossing, a ring road, sandy beaches all the way round.
• Walking, cold water and ancient sites: Samothraki. Not a resort island, and better for it.
• Space, wind and a week of driving to beaches nobody has heard of: Limnos.
• A trip built around Athens: Evia, over the bridge.

Where to sleep once you are across is the next question — Greece from Romania covers the practicalities, our prices page keeps every figure dated, and the island finder is there if you are still choosing.