Dreaming about exploring the beautiful ‘green island’ of Lesvos? Or perhaps planning a weekend getaway in charming (and under the radar) Ayvalık?
Either way, island hopping between Greece and Türkiye is easier than you think — especially with the convenient Lesvos – Ayvalık ferry! Also known as the Ayvalık Midilli feribot in Turkish, this ferry is an excellent way to travel to a new country and discover two amazing destinations in one trip.
This guide has everything you need to know about the Ayvalık – Lesvos ferry route, including the ferry schedule, prices, what’s it like onboard, and much more.
⭐️ Note — we’ll be using the word Lesvos to refer to the island, even though it’s also sometimes called Lesbos or Midilli. The confusion between Lesvos and Lesbos is because in Greek, the word “Λέσβος” has the letter ‘β,’ which is pronounced as either ‘b’ or ‘v’ — hence the two spellings. It’s also known as Midilli Ada (Midilli Island) in Turkish, so-called because the island’s capital is Mitilini. Although the island has three names, we’re talking about the same thing in this guide. 🙂
Lesvos to Ayvalık Travel Tips
🗺️ This ferry route goes both ways — from Lesvos to Ayvalık, and from Ayvalık to Lesvos. Be sure to check the times, as it varies depending on which direction you go.
🛂 Bring your passport! We can’t stress this enough — you’re literally crossing a border (a maritime one 😁) and a passport is required if you want to enter Greece (or Türkiye if you’re going the other way).
🛳️ Also check if you need a visa. Since Greece is part of the Schengen zone, you’ll either fall under the visa-free scheme (if your passport is from the USA, AUS, the UK, etc) or you’ll need a valid Schengen visa to enter.
🎫 If you’re traveling during the summer, it’s best to buy tickets ahead of time →
📏 The distance between Lesvos and Ayvalık by boat is about 36 km (22 mi), and it takes between 45 minutes to 2.5 hours to make the crossing (depending on the boat). We recommend bringing a book or downloading a movie to pass the time.
🏃♂️Be first ones to disembark the ferry if you don’t want to wait in line for a long time. Those queues can be brutal, especially during the heat of the summer!
⏰ There is a time difference between Türkiye and Greece in the winter. Make sure you triple check your ticket and be at check-in with plenty of time to spare!
📱 Get a SIM Card. If you have a Turkish SIM card, it won’t work on Lesvos (and vice versa) — believe us, we tried. 😉 We recommend buying a cheap eSIM package on Maya (here is the Greece SIM card and here is the Turkish SIM card). You’ll need mobile internet to get around, scan QR codes on menus, translate conversations, and so on.
Location & Tickets
Buying tickets for the Lesvos – Ayvalık Ferry
You can buy tickets for the Lesvos – Ayvalık ferry either in-person or online. There are multiple ticket booths and travel agencies both in Mitilini (Lesvos) and Ayvalık (Turkey) that sell tickets.
However, we recommend buying your tickets online — especially if you’re traveling during the spring or summer season! — as they get sold out fairly quickly.
Lesvos – Ayvalık Ferry Price
You can check the current Lesvos – Ayvalık ferry ticket prices online — we recommend Ferryhopper because of their simple interface and user-friendly site. Just input the day you want to travel and it’ll show you a list of available ferries.
Travel tip: If you’re not traveling with a car, we recommend choosing the regular ferry (as opposed to a car ferry) — on Ferryhopper, these are marked with a crossed-out gray car. The car-free ferries typically arrive 15 or 20 minutes faster than the other ferries!
If you are planning to take your car on the Lesvos – Ayvalık ferry, you’ll need to mention it when buying tickets, as there is an extra fee for motorcycles, cars, SUVs, and so on.
During our trip in the spring of 2024, we paid 20 EUR per person for a one-way ticket.
Lesvos Ferry Terminal Location
If you’re departing from Lesvos, the ferry terminal is located at Mytilini Port — click here for the Google Maps coordinates.
If you’re going from Lesvos and to Ayvalık, just follow the map and look for the door that says ‘INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURES’.
If you’re arriving to Lesvos, the port is right in the city center. You can easily walk to your hotel or accommodation, although there are taxis waiting nearby as well.
Ayvalık Ferry Terminal Location
The ferry terminal in Ayvalık is located in Ayvalık’s port — click here for the Google Map coordinates.
If you’re arriving in Ayvalık, the Ayvalık port is a short 15-minute walk from the city center. If you have large luggage or want to travel in comfort, there is a taxi kiosk right outside of the port. There is also a bus stop about 75 meters (250 feet) away, as well as dolmuș (minibuses) that regularly circulate.
Passport Control
When taking the Lesvos – Ayvalık ferry, you’ll be crossing an international border and, therefore, will need to go through passport control.
Before buying tickets, make sure you have the proper visa (either to Greece or Türkiye, depending on the direction) — check with your consulate for further details.
We did the trip from Lesvos to Ayvalık, so we’ve outlined our experience below. The procedure is fairly similar vice versa.
After arriving at Mytilene Port, we first went to the security check/customs and then to passport control. Although there was an X-ray machine in the first room, there wasn’t anyone to check out bags — and after we asked the worker, he told us to go straight to the passport control. I wonder if it’s because it was low season and not that many other tourists? In any case, YMMV (your mileage may vary 😅).
After getting stamped out of Greece, you’ll go outside to a little waiting area. There are plenty of benches to sit, as well as a sizable Duty Free store.
After taking the ferry and arriving in Ayvalık, you’ll need to get ‘stamped into’ Türkiye. As mentioned in our previous ferry guides, we highly recommend being the first ones off the ferry and the first ones in the passport line. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait quite a bit in line before you get to passport control.
On the Turkish side, you’ll also need to put your things through the X-ray machine before you can leave the ferry terminal. Right after the passport control, there is also a duty free store.
Lesvos – Ayvalık Ferry Timetable
Since there are multiple ferry companies that go between Lesvos and Ayvalık, the best way to see all of your options / timetables is to use a site like FerryHopper or similar.
Like many other ferry routes, the number of departures depends on the season. During winter, there’s typically only one sailing per day — or even one sailing in a few days! During the summer, there are up to 5 or 6 sailings in one day.
If you’re traveling during the winter, keep in mind that there is a 1 hour difference between Turkey and Greece (Turkey doesn’t practice daylight savings time).
The Ferry Trip Between Lesvos and Ayvalık
Now that we have all the logistics out of the way, it’s time to get to talk about our experience of taking the ferry from Lesvos to Ayvalık! The section below includes a general overview of the trip, as well as departures, seating, on-board amenities, and so on.
Departure from Lesvos
We purchased our tickets from Mytilini (Lesvos) to Ayvalık (Türkiye) for Thursday at 18:00. When buying the tickets, the salesperson said to be at the dock 1.5 hours before departure.
We arrived at the dock with a little over an hour to spare (around 16:50) and there were practically no other passengers around. We quickly cleared customs and passport control (see Passport Control above for more information) and were allowed to board the ferry early. No wonder there were no other passengers waiting for passport control — most of them were already on the ferry. 😉
As mentioned above, there was a waiting area after passport control, as well as a sizable Duty Free store.
Our ferry was scheduled to leave at 18:00, and it officially left a few minutes earlier, at 17:55.
On the official website, it is stated that the travel duration is 90 minutes (1.5 hours).
We arrived around 19:45 — the ferry trip took almost 2 hours.
However, there are other boats that make the trip much quicker — the Turyol 9:00 am departure (‘SINAN PASA CATAMARAN’) only takes 45 minutes to cross, while the 18:00 departure (‘K.SEVKET IYIDERE’) takes 75 minutes.
Arrival at Ayvalık
After taking the Bodrum-Kos ferry and the Çesme-Chios ferry, we felt like experienced Greece/Türkiye ferry pros and knew to start lining up a few minutes before the ferry arrived at Ayvalık port.
Since we were one of the first ones to disembark, the passport control on the Turkish side was fairly quick and easy (there were two booths open). After passing passport control, there is a Duty Free store and a final X-ray check. From there, you’re free to go and explore Ayvalık (check out our travel guide here!). 🙂
Aboard The Ferry: Seating & Amenities
Now that you know about the ferry trip, let’s go onboard the ferry and check out some of its amenities.
Our ferry was the FOKAIA — fun fact: Fokaia is the ancient name of present-day Foça, a cute little seaside town in Izmir. 🙂
The Fokaia is a car ferry, which means that the first floor was a car parking lot, while the second and third floors were the passenger seating areas. Your experience might vary depending on which ship you take.
After arriving onboard, you’ll need to take the stairs to get to the second floor. There is a small outdoor area and a covered indoor area (where you’ll find the majority of seats). The seating arrangement inside was 5 – 6 – 5 (five seats on the left, six in the middle, five on the right). The middle sections faced each other and had a large table.
Inside, there is also a snack and drink kiosk near the front. Here you can buy drinks (tea, coffee, water, and even Greek frappe!) and snacks (different kinds of toast, gum, packaged snacks). What surprised us was that you could even buy souvenir magnets at a reasonable price! 🙂
The second floor also has toilets outside (near the front).
If you take the stairs up to the third floor, there is an outdoor seating deck.
Lesvos, Ayvalık, and Beyond
Planning a trip to the Aegean region and want to make the most of your vacation? Check out some of our other blog posts for travel guides, insider tips, and even more inspiration!
🧿 Ayvalık Travel Guide – Planning a trip to Ayvalık? This guide has everything you need to know, including the top things to do, what it’s famous for, where to stay, and so much more.
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