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GETTING TO CRETE

There is a variety of ways of travelling to Crete.

Fly direct to the island using a holiday charter or scheduled flight.

Fly to Athens then

- fly to Crete using a domestic airline or

- continue to Crete by ferry from Piraeus [Athens' port]

Drive to an Italian port then

- continue to Crete [via Patra and Piraeus] by ferry or, if you want to spend some time exploring mainland Greece, take a ferry to Igoumenitsa and drive to Piraeus.

Drive through northern Italy and the Balkans [recommended for the adventurous only] to Athens/Piraeus.

- continue to Crete by ferry.

OPTIONS

Most summer flights to Crete are charters with departures from more than fifteen UK airports. The majority arrive at Heraklion which has approximately ten flights for every one to Chania. About two-thirds of flights are on Tuesday.

There are a few direct scheduled flights to Heraklion and only from Gatwick, Manchester and Leeds Bradford.

There are scheduled services to Athens from nine UK airports and domestic flights and ferry services to Crete. Many of the fares, both to Athens and direct to Crete are competitive with, and often cheaper than, charter airlines.

There are fewer scheduled flights but they offer more flexibility for when you travel.

Flying

By road and sea

Driving across Europe and through the Balkans is for the adventurous only. There can be considerable bureaucracy, the roads are poor in many places and it is likely to be a time consuming, arduous journey.

If you have the time drive to an Italian port - Ancona and Brindisi* are popular - take a ferry to Patra and complete the journey with a two hour drive to Piraeus and another ferry trip to Crete.

Alternatively, if you would like to see something of mainland Greece, take a ferry to Igoumenitsa on the west coast then drive to Athens/Piraeus.

* Other Italian ports with ferries to Greece (Patra and elsewhere) are Bari,Venice and Trieste.

Getting to Crete