Samaria Gorge costs

How much does it cost to enter the Samaria Gorge?

€10 for a standard adult ticket. Groups of more than 10 pay €8 each, families €6 each, and an annual pass for the whole season costs €25.

These prices were set by a joint ministerial decision published in February 2025 and applied through the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The money goes to NECCA, the national agency that runs the park, and to the neighbouring municipalities, and pays for path cleaning, repairs and staff along the route.

One ticket covers one visit, whatever you do with it. Walking the full 16 km costs the same as going 2 km in from Agia Roumeli and back. Tour listings explain the age rules the same way for every operator, and they differ by nationality, so check yours below.

Who can enter the Samaria Gorge for free?

Under 18s and over 65s (EU citizens, per the tour listings), EU higher-education students, people with disabilities and their companions, and residents of the nearby municipalities. Everyone goes free on a few set days.

The local residents' exemption covers Sfakia, Platanias, Chania and Kantanos-Selino. The free days for everyone are 21 March, 21 May and 5 June; the first falls before the season opens, so in practice 21 May and 5 June are the two that matter, if the gorge is open on them.

Visitors from outside the EU should read the age rules carefully. Tour listings say children under 5 go free and everyone else pays €10, with no reduction over 65. Bring ID for any free or reduced category: the ticket is checked at the entrance and again at the exit.

• Free: under 18 and 65+ (EU), EU university students, disabled visitors plus a companion.
• Free for locals: residents of Sfakia, Platanias, Chania, Kantanos-Selino.
• Free days: 21 March, 21 May, 5 June.

Where do you buy Samaria Gorge tickets?

Online on NECCA's ticket site or at the ticket office at either entrance. Keep the ticket: it is checked again when you leave the park.

The online system lets you pick the date and add several tickets in one order. Right now it shows the park as closed from 1 November 2026 to 9 April 2027 for the off season, so you cannot buy for next season yet. Opening dates are set each year and depend on the state of the path after winter.

On a tour, you rarely deal with this yourself. The guide either collects the money on the coach or at the morning stop, or points you to the window at Xyloskalo. The hiking guide tour sells the entry and the boat ticket at its first stop to save queueing. Carry euros in cash: it is the simplest way to pay the guide.

★★★★★

Bring cash for ferry ticket.

How much is the boat from Agia Roumeli?

€17 for an adult at ANENDYK's 2026 fare to Hora Sfakion or Sougia, €25 to Paleochora. Tours charge a group fare of about €14 to €15, paid on the day.

ANENDYK Seaways runs all the boats on this coast. Children aged 5 to 12 pay half, students get a reduced fare and under-5s travel free. Tour listings quote €7 to €7.50 for children on their group fare. Tickets are sold at the port office or online on ANENDYK's site up to one hour before departure.

You cannot skip this cost on a day trip. There is no road out of Agia Roumeli, so the boat is part of every Samaria day. Getting to the Samaria Gorge explains the routes and the 17:30 departure.

What do Samaria Gorge tours include?

Most include hotel pickup, the coach and a guide, and leave the entry ticket and the boat to you. The Quality Travel all-inclusive tour is the exception: both are in the price.

Read the "not included" list on any listing before you compare prices. A $45 tour plus €25 on the day is a different number from an $84 tour with nothing extra. Here is how the main options line up:

The full crossing with nothing to pay on the day: entry ticket and boat included, a hiking guide, and 55 pickup points around Chania.

★ 4.6 · Full day · from $84

Explore the all-inclusive Samaria hike → Tour details

How much does a Samaria Gorge day cost in total?

On a standard tour from Chania, about the tour price plus €25 per adult on the day. The all-inclusive tour costs more up front and nothing after. Going independently means the bus both ways plus €10 and €17.

The table adds up one adult. Lunch and drinks are extra on all of them. Tour prices are USD from-prices on GetYourGuide and move with the season and the exchange rate.

For two EU teenagers and two adults, the free under-18 entry makes the standard tours cheaper than they first look: only the adults pay €10, and the children pay the reduced boat fare. A family on the all-inclusive tour pays the same package price per person. Run the numbers for your group.

★★★★★

You still need to buy an entrance ticket to the Gorge at 10 euros per person and the ferry ticket at 15 euros per person. they point that out in the confirmation email.

Is it cheaper to do the Samaria Gorge without a tour?

Sometimes, but not by much. The KTEL buses from Chania to Omalos and back from Hora Sfakion or Sougia, plus the full ANENDYK boat fare, end up close to a budget tour, with more timing to manage.

KTEL sets its fares and timetables each season, and the ones for next season are not published yet, so we do not quote a bus price here. Check KTEL Chania-Rethymno's site once the gorge's opening date is announced. The independent boat ticket is also €2 to €3 dearer than the group fare tours charge.

What you gain on your own is freedom: you can stay the night in Agia Roumeli, take a later boat in summer or carry on along the coast. What you lose is the coach that waits for the boat, and a guide who knows what to do if someone twists an ankle at kilometre 5.

What else should you budget for on a Samaria day?

Breakfast at the morning stop, lunch and drinks in Agia Roumeli, the small minibus for the last stretch if you want it, pole rental on some tours, and a tip for the guide.

Tours stop for breakfast or coffee on the Omalos plateau before the walk. There is nothing to buy inside the park, so take snacks. At the bottom, Agia Roumeli has tavernas, cafés and mini markets, and hikers report sensible prices for a place with no road.

• Minibus to the village: a private service at the park exit; reviewers mention about €2.
• Poles: rented from the guide on the hiking guide tour, subject to availability.
• Imbros instead: if Samaria closes and your tour switches, Imbros entry is €5 in cash.

★★★★★

Cafés offer freshly squeezed orange juice and other refreshments at the end of the gorge at very reasonable prices (iced coffee €3.50 and a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice €4).

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