A new seasonal ferry service linking the Greek island of Lemnos with Turkey’s port city of Çanakkale is scheduled to begin on June 13, in a move expected to strengthen short-stay tourism and cross-border travel in the northern Aegean.

The route will connect Lemnos directly with Çanakkale, with the trip expected to take around 2.5 hours. Early booking listings on Turkish travel platforms indicate that fares may start at approximately 75 euros.

Local officials say the route has already appeared in reservation systems, signaling that preparations are advancing ahead of the summer season.

“Lemnos has been added to the booking engine… marking the start of the new coastal ferry connection with Turkey,” said Lemnos Prefect Apostolis Koutsoyiannis in a social media post.

The new link is expected to support Lemnos’ tourism sector by making the island more accessible to visitors from Turkey, particularly for short summer breaks.

The launch comes as Greece continues to promote easier access for Turkish visitors to selected islands through its fast-track visa-on-arrival scheme. The program, which runs until April 2027, allows eligible Turkish travelers to visit participating Greek islands for stays of up to seven days on a single-entry visa.

Demand for island ferry travel from Turkey has grown strongly in recent years. More than one million Turkish travelers visited Greek islands by ferry last year, while Chios, Rhodes, and Kos remained among the most popular destinations. In 2024, more than 100,000 express visas were issued for Greek island visits.