Superfast Ferries - Italy to Greece - Interrail Discounts

[Lxd2]

Hi,
I am planning a trip to Greece for March, and I'm trying to understand the discounts available on the Superfast ferries service from Bari to Igoumenitsa/Patras. I will be using a first class Global Interrail Flexi pass for the trip. Am I right in thinking that there are two options:

1. If I use a travel day on my Flexi pass, I can have free* deck passage or airline seat
2. If I don't use a travel day, I can have a 30%* discount

* Both discounts excluding taxes and supplements.

I am a bit unsure because when I looked at the Benefits page on the Interrail App, it doesn't actually mention option 2 as being available for a Global pass on International routes, only for a One Country pass. It states:

Global Pass holders are entitled to:​

International Lines:

• Free air seats (where available*) for 1st class Pass holders
• 2nd class Pass holders travel free in deck seating.

Domestic Lines:

• 30% discount on economy class:
  *The 30% discount is applicable only if holders have already completed a crossing in the Adriatic Sea routes with SUPERFAST FERRIES

Please note: Additional surcharges for port taxes, EU ETS charge and fuel apply, plus high/shoulder season supplements, per person, per way.

---

Greece or Italy One Country Pass holders are entitled to:​

Domestic Lines

• 30% discount on economy class

Please note: Additional surcharges for port taxes, EU ETS charge and fuel apply, plus high/shoulder season supplements, per person, per way.

 

[rvdborgt]

I'm not entirely sure about that either, although it does look like the 30% discount is indeed only for domestic ferries. You could ask the ferry company: helpdesk@attica-group.com
However, carefully compare the price with and without using a global pass. Although the ferry company claims you have "free" travel with your pass and "only" have to pay a few extras, these extra fees can be more expensive than a regular ticket, depending on season, age and other discounts that may be available. Using a travel day may only result in a small discount, if at all, so may not be worth it.
The international ferries Italy-Greece are only really free with a 6-day Greek Islands pass.

 

[dutchflyer]

These assumed/real extra´s are Port-tax, sometimes Fuel surcharge + some more. They easily can rank up to 30/40€/trip.
This same topic comes up quite a few times-also partly answered by dear rian as above, on the specialized forum for passes: community.eurail.com, I advise you to also have a look there. There is no real diff. between EU / INter rail for these things.
In fact-if you can commit to it and have some luck a possible lower priced advance fixed booking may work out as cheapest. Other ferries may even be cheaper as total.
Using a whole passday for it is in 99% of cases a waste of money-bu If also using TrenItalia on longer trip to port it is moreorless ´free´ included anyway.
Same may apply, as I assume you do not really want to stay in Patras, for next day using repl.bus and perhaps if lucky some Hellenictrain for short distance-just pay there.
Alltogether: this is just 1 of the dozens of pitfalls and other surprises these passes provide for the user. As a very broad rule: in the south and east of EURope they are hardly worth it.

 

[blimmo]

I would *really* not recommend the airline seats. My experience with them was fairly awful and I would've got a cabin if they hadn't been sold out on my travel days.

 

[Ian99]

I've done this half a dozen times with a standard class Interrail.

It may have changed - the last time I did it was 2024 - but one didn't need to use a travel day, one just needed to have a pass that had been activated.

This meant that it was not a problem if one had used a day or more to get to the port even if the day of the ferry travel was not that day.

If I'd used the pass to get to Greece, on my return I could buy the ticket on the day at Patra without using a travel day, as it was activated already.

It should have been an issue once when I was coming back from Patra on a fresh pass. I thought about going to the port the day before so I could activate it for the next day and then de-activate it. However the woman at the desk could see my pass was valid (although not activated) and just recorded the pass number (which was all I showed her). If I had had to activate a day then I could have done so at the time.

 

[rvdborgt]

It may have changed - the last time I did it was 2024 - but one didn't need to use a travel day, one just needed to have a pass that had been activated.

AFAIK they formally need a valid travel day on a global pass and that has always been the case. I don't think that can be justified anymore these days, with the remaining price to pay, especially during high season. Maybe some of the staff also see it that way, or they just can't be bothered to check the travel day.

 

[Lxd2]

Many thanks for all the responses.

I've done this half a dozen times with a standard class Interrail.

It may have changed - the last time I did it was 2024 - but one didn't need to use a travel day, one just needed to have a pass that had been activated.

This is very interesting. So one option may be to just turn up at the ferry port in Bari, present my Interrail pass, and see what they offer me there. I guess the risk of the ferry being full in March should be low.

 

[Lxd2]

Just to update on how this journey went, I found things exactly as described by Ian99. I arrived at the ferry terminal at 10:20, just over 3 hours before the ferry was due to depart (which was much earlier than necessary in hindsight). I had no trouble buying a ticket at the Superfast Ferries desk, I showed my mobile Interrail pass, and I wasn't asked to activate a travel day for the ferry journey. I was charged €23.

Ferry boarding started around 11:30 and the ferry departed on time at 13:30 but arrived into Igoumenitsa at 00:15, 1h15 late. There was no noticeable adverse weather or other reason for the delay, and nothing was announced. Other than the late arrival, the ferry was fine.

Many thanks for all the responses to my query.