Desk (closed at night) near the exit. A pricey but useful Left Luggage store is at the southwest end of the Arrivals-level pavement. A Sofitel Hotel, cheaper if booked on the Internet, is directly opposite. This is a busy workaday airport with only one outside terrace – at Departures level – but seating there attracts smokers. If you have a long wait between flights one solution is to visit Rafina, a nearby coastal resort.
By ferryboat (from Piraeus)
A passenger-and-vehicle ferryboat vessel is, usefully for visitors, understood as ‘ferryboat’ by the Greeks, although they will call it a ka-rar-vee.
Greece has many islands, and many competing shipping lines, so that ferryboat travel is very complex. There are fast, moderate and slow services, and at busy periods all three types may depart for the same destination almost at the same time. Boat travel is time consuming and tiring if the sea is rough. It is preferred by people who do not like flying and, for those who do not take a cabin on overnight trips, it is also much cheaper. That method may only work out if you can sleep well enough in the reclining seats of ‘deck-class’, or on deck, although some ferryboats have very little outside deck space.
Daytime departures to Crete arrive at destination ports in the evening, after dark, which is hardly convenient unless you know your way around and are prepared to compete for nearby accommodation, taxis and buses. It may be easier to arrive in the early morning and then make your way to the town bus station to pick up the first buses to the countryside.
As Crete is a large and busy island there are regular overnight ferryboat sailings, seven days a week, between Piraeus (Inner Harbour) and Heraklion, Rethymnon and Souda (the port of Chania), the towns that give you access to the mountain trailheads. These ferries arrive at destination ports early in the morning, the exact time depending on the weather during the crossing. For Souda (Chania) and Rethymnon, ANEK Line vessels are likely to depart Piraeus between 2000 and 2100, and for Heraklion, Minoan Line departs at 2200. (The return journey has later departure times.) There are also daytime departures, operated by Blue Star Line, or even hydrofoil departures from Rafina port (on the north coast, a 20min bus ride from the airport) to Paros, for connections to Santorini, from where there are frequent connections to Heraklion. Visit the ferryboat websites for latest schedules (Appendix D).
Ruined houses of Aradena (Walk 39)
Essentials to take into account are the early morning public transport timetables (if you have arrived off a night flight) and the journey times to Piraeus either by Metro subway train (one hour on the Express service) or the Piraeus-direct Airport Bus (1hr 30mins). Unless you have bought your ferry tickets online allow another 30mins to buy tickets from a Piraeus ticket agency, and to get to the correct quay. Alternatively, taxis (although they too, have to cope with heavy traffic) take up to four passengers and charge extra for luggage and night work. Ask the expected fare and make sure the meter is switched on.
At Piraeus, the Airport Bus stop is on the main road, just outside the gates of the Inner Harbour, east side. Ticket Agents’ offices are found nearby, beside the Piraeus bus station, just across a small park (or at the train station). ANEK and MINOAN ferries for Crete dock at the west end, Quay 2, of the Inner Harbour but BLUE STAR docks at the New Quays of the Outer Basin – there is a free dockside shuttle bus for this. Inside the harbour gates the dockside is well organised with toilet/shower blocks, refreshment outlets, waiting rooms and pedestrian walkways for safety as the quays are always busy loading vehicles and produce.
For basic journey planning note that most daytime ferries to the Aegean islands (not Crete direct) depart by 0730 and that ‘fast’ boats – catamarans and hydrofoils – cannot travel if the sea is very rough. It is no longer possible to board an ‘overnight’ vessel more than a couple of hours before departure time, and not all vessels have shower facilities for deck-class passengers, although there are always lounges, bars and restaurants.
The Aradena Gorge from the ferryboat (Walk 48)
Airports in Crete
Chania
Chania Airport is located 12km out of town on the Akrotiri peninsula. In the tourist season KTEL operates a frequent service to/from Chania bus station, starting at 0500 from Chania and 0630 from the airport (€2.30 in 2014). The last bus departure from the airport waits for the last domestic flight from Athens. Taxis not ordered in advance will be scarce at this time (€20 in 2014). An ‘engaged’ driver will telephone for a colleague to come for you if you need this.
Heraklion
The current Heraklion Airport (a new airport is planned; see below) is close to town, although busy traffic lanes may delay what was once a 7min taxi ride to, perhaps, the bus station of your choice (€20 in 2014) – see ferryboat arrivals information below. Town bus No. 1 serves the airport – the stop is across the car park on the road just beyond the pitched-roof Left Luggage building. Buy your ticket in advance from the kiosk beside the bus stop. Buy a couple of tickets if you intend to return to the airport by bus. This is a town bus that runs to about 2200. The kiosk closes with the last bus.
For the return journey, get to the airport bus stop (7min walk) as follows: walk east out of Heraklion main bus station and bear right uphill to the main road. The bus stop/shelter is almost opposite, outside a petrol station adjacent to a McDonalds outlet. Buy tickets from the driver or at the separate kiosk in the bus station (which also sells tickets for the Knossos town bus). The No. 1 bus runs every 10mins or so.
At the main bus station, KTEL buses for Chania (2hrs 30mins), Rethymnon (1hr 30mins) and Ay. Nikolaos (1hr 30mins) are likely to depart every 30mins up to 2030. Alternatively, taxi drivers may be eager to get long-distance jobs between the Cretan towns because a good main road links them all (Heraklion–Chania €150 in 2014).
The construction of the much-needed new Heraklion airport and related infrastructure, although delayed, is not cancelled. The location is near Kastelli in the Lassithi foothills. From that distance, when the time comes, journey time to/from Heraklion will be at least 30mins and a different route may operate.
Ferryboat ports in Crete
Souda (for Chania)
Depending on sea conditions, overnight ferries arrive at Souda at 0600 (before dawn in autumn/winter). The bus stop for Chania (‘Han-YA’) town buses (blue and white), a circular route from the Agora, is just outside the dock gate, beside an ATM and Souda’s pleasant main square. Buy tickets for the town bus from a nearby kiosk. For journeys to Rethymnon/Heraklion, KTEL buses (buy tickets on the bus) pass along Souda’s main street, which is on the main road, at the top of the square. Note There may also be KTEL Rethymnon-direct buses waiting on the dock – this service is popular with ferryboat passengers.
Heraklion (and bus stations)
The Chania–Rethymnon and Lassithi (east) bus stations are currently combined. Facilities include a Left Luggage store, toilets and snack bars, but there are no shops nearby. For this bus station, from the ferry, turn right along the main road outside the dock gates. The frequent town bus service direct to Knossos village and archaeological site (30mins) also runs from this bus station (buy tickets at the separate kiosk). However, KTEL buses for the Mount Ida trailheads featured in this guidebook (Anoyeia, Zaros and Kamares) depart from the Chania Gate bus station, which is just outside the old city wall to the west.
Unless you take a taxi or consult a street plan for the best shortcut, the easiest way to get to the Chania Gate is to walk straight down the main street, Kalokerinou, from Eleutherios Square in front of the Archaeological Museum or from just beyond (pedestrian precinct) E. Venizelos Square, with its Morosini fountain. A flight