Crete
Travel Information
The main airports are Athens (ATH) Thessaloniki (SKG), Heraklion (HER) and Chania (CHQ). Ninety percent of charter flights and all direct scheduled services from the UK are to Heraklion. Chania operates for direct charter and domestic flights.
Sitia (JSH), in the east, is being developed but is currently suitable only for the smaller aircraft used for domestic services operated by Olympic Airways.
Heraklion is the more convenient airport for central and eastern Crete while Chania is better for western Crete. Rethimno is about the "break even" point; from Chania airport to go east you must first drive round Souda Bay.
With the exception of Athens, Greek airport web sites are neither informative nor up to date. Thessaloniki, Heraklion and Chania sites have not been updated since January 2006 and Sitia's is unchanged since August 2003.
GREEK AIRPORTS
The Eleftherios Venizelos International airport is one of the most modern in Europe with good facilities for travellers.
If you have a fairly long stopover, the airport is close enough to Athens for a trip into the city centre for some sightseeing to be a practical proposition.
The Express bus is the cheapest means of transport at about €3.20 each way with daytime
services every twenty minutes and a journey time of about 60 -
International and domestic scheduled services
For more information about Athens Transport click HERE
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European charter flights
European scheduled services
Domestic scheduled services
The airport is only five hundred metres from the National Highway which runs along the north coast.
To the west Rethimno is about 1 -
To the east Malia is ¾ -
Generally speaking the road is better to the west than to the east.
If you are travelling into Heraklion a bus service connects the terminal with the city [and the central bus station]. Taxis and hire cars are available and many visitors with hotel reservations will have a courtesy car shuttle service provided.
Buses to other major destinations depart from the central bus station.
European charter flights
Domestic scheduled services
By road the airport is only about 35 minutes from Xania city centre and between 35 and 50 minutes to the popular resorts of Kalyves and Almirida. Giorgioupolis is a little over an hour away and Rethimno about 1¼ to 1½ hours.
The airport is badly served by buses with only three daily (and not when planes arrive).
Taxis are plentiful immediately outside the terminal building and the fare to central
Xania or Kalyves is about 25-
Most independent travellers arrange for hire cars to be delivered to the airport. Major companies have kiosks inside the arrivals area but they are usually more expensive than any of the four local rental companies.
European charter flights
International and domestic scheduled services
Domestic services only
The airport is on the north coast of Crete only about 3 Km from the town of Sitia at the eastern end of the island. Ongoing development to allow the airport to accept international charter flights has been very slow and the airport remains suitable only for domestic flights using small aircraft.
Just about the only people to gain any advantage by using Sitia will be those visiting the eastern of the island and who also wish to avoid the drive from Heraklion.
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