Getting to Crete: Flights and Ferries

Three airports, one that isn’t open yet

Crete is a big island — about 260 km end to end — and where you land shapes the whole trip more than most visitors expect. There are three working airports, and a fourth that gets mentioned constantly online but does not exist yet as far as any traveller is concerned.

Heraklion (HER) is the island’s main gateway, sitting on the north coast just outside the capital. It has the busiest schedule of international and domestic connections and puts you within easy reach of Heraklion city, Knossos, and the centre and east of Crete. If your plan leans toward Rethymno, the centre, Lasithi or the east, Heraklion is usually the more convenient landing point, even if your final base is elsewhere.

Chania (CHQ) is the second airport, located at Souda, a short drive from Chania town. It carries a strong seasonal schedule of direct flights from Europe and is the natural choice for anyone heading into the west — the Venetian harbour, the Akrotiri peninsula, the Samaria gorge, or the beaches around Falassarna and Elafonissi. Landing in Chania rather than Heraklion can save two to three hours of driving if the west is your focus.

Sitia (JSH) is the third, much smaller airport, tucked into the far east near Sitia town. Its schedule is thin compared with the other two — mostly seasonal and often routed through Athens rather than direct from abroad — so it works best as a secondary option for travellers already building an east-Crete itinerary, not as a default first stop.

The airport that isn’t open

A fourth airport, at Kastelli, comes up constantly in searches and forum threads because it has been planned and discussed for years as a future replacement for Heraklion’s airport. It is still under construction. It does not receive flights, has no scheduled service, and no airline sells tickets landing there. If a listing, a map pin, or a piece of advice implies you can fly into Kastelli today, it is wrong — plan your arrival around Heraklion, Chania or Sitia, full stop.

Getting there by air

Flight routes into Crete change by season and by year, with far more direct connections running in the May-to-October travel season than in winter. Rather than naming specific airlines or fares, the practical planning questions are simpler:

• Which region do you want first? West means Chania; centre, Knossos and the east mean Heraklion; a Lasithi-first plan can consider Sitia if the schedule lines up.
• Is your trip a loop or a one-way? Many visitors fly into one airport and out of another — Chania in, Heraklion out, or the reverse — which avoids backtracking across the island. This is worth checking when you book, since it often costs little more than a round trip through a single airport.
• How does the season affect your options? Outside the core season, direct international routes thin out considerably at all three airports, and connections routed through Athens become more common.

Whichever airport you land at, read the dedicated guides for Heraklion airport and Chania airport before you fly — they cover terminal layout, transfers into town, and what to expect at arrivals.

Getting there by sea

For travellers already in mainland Greece, or anyone who prefers a slower, more scenic start to a Crete trip, the ferry from Piraeus is a genuine alternative to flying — and for some routes and seasons, the only direct option.

The overnight route: Piraeus to Heraklion or Chania

The main ferry line runs overnight from Piraeus, the port of Athens, to Crete. It calls at Heraklion and separately at Chania (Souda), with the crossing taking roughly nine hours on either route. Boats typically depart in the evening and arrive early the following morning, which means you can spend a full day in Athens, sleep through most of the crossing, and be in Crete in time for breakfast.

Cabins, ranging from shared berths to private rooms, sit alongside airline-style reclining seats and open deck space, so the trip can be booked as budget or comfort depending on preference. Bringing a car onto the ferry is possible and common for travellers doing a longer Greek road trip that includes the mainland, though most visitors flying in rent a car on the island instead.

Route	Approx. crossing time	Frequency
Piraeus - Heraklion	About 9 hours, overnight	Daily in season, most days off-season
Piraeus - Chania (Souda)	About 9 hours, overnight	Several times a week
Piraeus - Rethymno	Overnight, similar duration	Fewer weekly departures
Piraeus - Agios Nikolaos / Sitia	Longer, calls at multiple ports	Limited, a few times a week
Piraeus - Kissamos	Via Kythira/Antikythira on some routings	Seasonal, infrequent

Other Cretan ports

Beyond the two main lines into Heraklion and Chania, ferries from Piraeus also reach Rethymno, Kissamos in the far west (a route that also serves Kythira and Antikythira), and Agios Nikolaos and Sitia in the east. These routings run less often than the Heraklion and Chania lines and are best treated as a bonus option for a specific itinerary rather than a default — check current schedules well ahead if one of these ports genuinely suits your plan better than the two main gateways. For the full breakdown of routes, timings and what to expect on board, see the dedicated guide to ferries from Piraeus to Crete.

Day boats to Santorini

In the warmer months, seasonal day boats connect Crete — mainly from Heraklion — to Santorini, a few hours to the north across the Aegean. This makes a Crete-and-Santorini combination trip realistic for travellers who want both islands without flying between them, either as a day trip or as a one-way hop if your itinerary continues onward from Santorini. It is a seasonal service, not a year-round one, so confirm it operates before you build a fixed date around it — the Santorini day trip guide covers timing and what the crossing involves.

Why there’s no train — and what fills the gap

Whichever way you arrive, one fact shapes everything that follows: Crete has no railway of any kind. There has never been a train line on the island, and none is planned. Every onward journey, from the airport or the port to your first stop and every stop after that, depends on road transport.

For most visitors, that means a rental car. It is the practical default for reaching the south coast, the mountain villages, the gorges and most of the beaches beyond the main resort towns, and it gives you the flexibility that a 260 km, four-region island genuinely rewards. The guide to renting a car in Crete and the companion guide to driving in Crete cover contracts, insurance exclusions on unpaved roads, and the mountain-driving habits — like pulling onto the hard shoulder to let a faster car pass — that catch first-time visitors off guard.

The alternative is the KTEL coach network, which is genuinely usable along the north coast — the corridor linking Chania, Rethymno town, Heraklion city and Agios Nikolaos via the VOAK/E75 highway. South of the mountains, the coach service thins to a handful of seasonal runs, which is worth knowing before you plan a car-free trip that leans south. The KTEL buses guide lays out which routes run reliably year-round and which don’t.

Matching your entry point to your route

Because Crete splits naturally into west, south-west, centre, and east — as covered across our destinations — where you land is really the first decision of the trip, not an afterthought.

• Flying into Chania: best for a west-first itinerary — the Venetian harbour, Souda and Akrotiri, the Samaria gorge, and the beaches toward Falassarna and Elafonissi — before working east.
• Flying into Heraklion: best if Knossos, the archaeological museum, Rethymno and the centre come first, with the east — Lasithi, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia — as a natural continuation.
• Ferry from Piraeus: worth building in if you’re already spending time in Athens, want to avoid a flight, or are travelling with a car from the mainland. The overnight crossing effectively turns a travel day into a night’s sleep.
• Flying in, flying out of a different airport: a genuinely practical option for a one-way, west-to-east or east-to-west route across the island, avoiding a long drive back to your arrival airport. Our seven-day west-to-east itinerary is built around exactly this shape.

However you arrive, remember that Crete rewards planning around its size — see why Crete is not a small island and how many days in Crete before committing to a base.

Once you’ve landed: booking ahead

Several popular Crete activities sell out in high season, so it’s worth having a shortlist ready before or soon after you arrive, wherever your flight or ferry lands you.

If you touch down in Chania or Rethymno, an early option worth locking in is a day tour linking Rethymno, Chania and Lake Kournas — a good way to get oriented across the west in a single day without driving yourself on the first day of the trip. Travellers landing with the Samaria gorge on their list often book a guided hike through the Samaria gorge in advance, since the one-way descent and boat exit at the end make an organised transfer genuinely convenient rather than just optional.

For a first taste of the island’s backcountry, a full-day Land Rover tour into the Cretan interior makes a good second or third day regardless of which airport you used, and an evening sunset safari along the coast is an easy way to end a travel day without needing to plan much at all.

Getting to Crete: frequently asked questions

Which airport should I fly into for Crete?

Heraklion (HER) sits closest to Knossos, Phaistos and the centre and east of the island. Chania (CHQ), at Souda, is the better choice for the west, the White Mountains and the Samaria gorge. Both are well connected; Sitia (JSH) in the far east has a much thinner schedule.

Is the new Kastelli airport open?

No. Kastelli is still under construction and not receiving any flights. Every booking for Crete today goes through Heraklion, Chania or, in the east, Sitia — never plan an arrival at Kastelli.

How long is the ferry from Piraeus to Crete?

The overnight ferry from Piraeus to Heraklion or to Chania (Souda) takes roughly nine hours, typically departing in the evening and arriving early the next morning. Cabins and airline-style seats are both usually available.

Can I take a ferry to other Cretan ports besides Heraklion and Chania?

Yes. Ferries also call at Rethymno and at Kissamos in the west, and at Agios Nikolaos and Sitia in the east, though schedules on these routes run less frequently than the Piraeus lines to Heraklion and Chania.

Is there a train in Crete?

No. Crete has no railway of any kind. Once you land or dock, your onward transport is either a rental car or, along the north coast, the KTEL coach network linking Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos.

Can I get a day boat from Crete to Santorini?

Seasonal day boats connect Crete to Santorini, mainly in the warmer months, usually from Heraklion. It is a doable day trip or one-way hop, but it is not a year-round service, so check the season before you build it into a plan.

Do I need a car if I fly into Chania or Heraklion?

For most itineraries, yes. The KTEL coaches cover the north coast route well, but the south coast, the mountain villages and most of the beaches and gorges beyond the main towns are only practical to reach by car.