ARRIVING BY AIR

Charter Flights.

The majority of travelers who visit Crete arrive by plane into either Chania or Heraklion Airports. Between April and October, there are many charter flights flying direct to Crete from most European countries, therefore saving time and avoiding having to change planes in Athens.

Chania airport is situated on the Akrotiri Peninsula about 20 minutes drive from the centre of Chania Town and 30 minutes drive from the Apokoronas area (just east of Chania Town) where most of our villas are situated. Chania airport has recently been extended and updated but it is still the smaller of the 2 airports and is the better option on a number of levels. It is a very easy airport to find your way around and it is generally less chaotic than Heraklion Airport, and closer to our holiday villas.

Anyone wanting more flexibility with flight times and arrival days, or anyone not travelling from countries with direct charter flights, will need to take a scheduled international flight to Athens and then change planes to a scheduled domestic flight. There are many domestic flights a day from Athens to either Chania or Heraklion with Aegean Airlines or Olympic Airlines. Changing at Athens airport has become relatively easy since the new airport was opened a few years ago. If you have flown in with either Aegean or Olympic you should already have your boarding pass for your connecting plane and your luggage will be automatically transferred for you. If you are changing from a different airline you just collect your luggage and then go upstairs to check-in at either Aegean or Olympic. For prices and schedules go to: www.aegeanair.com or www.olympicair.gr

For travellers who have a long lay-over at Athens Airport, they could leave their luggage so that they can go into the city centre to see the sites. The left luggage office is on the departures floor of the airport at the far left side (as you look at the exit/entrance doors. Further information about the left luggage office at Athens Airport and fees for stored baggage can be found at the following link: http://www.pacifictravel.gr/baggage.html

ARRIVING BY SEA

Ferries.

You can take a ferry from the port of Piraeus (Athens) to either Heraklion or Chania. There is a regular overnight ferry service and the ships depart each evening around 8:30 PM and they take approximately 10.5 hours to complete the journey, arriving at their destination at about 6.00am. During the summer there is also a high speed catamaran that runs between Piraeus (Athens) and Rethymnon, that takes about 4.5 hours. Travelling by ferry is generally cheaper than flying and can be quite an adventure. For those on a budget you can go deck class, and for those of you who require a little more comfort sleeper cabins can be bought with bunks for either 2 or 4 persons (best to book in advance). The ferries are fairly modern and have cafes, bars and restaurants. An overnight summer sailing can be a lovely experience but you would be best to avoid weekends and travelling at the beginning or end of Greek holidays as the ferries can then be very crowded (and smoky). Particularly during the winter, stormy weather can cause the ferries to be delayed of cancelled, whereas planes can fly in almost any weather. For ferry schedules (these are usually not updated for the current year until March/April time) and prices, go to www.greekferries.gr.

Detailed Travel Information Between Crete and The United Kindom.

For the best travel information for visitors to Crete from the United Kingdom including a full list of which airlines fly from which airports, on which days, I highly recommend that you go to the website: www.travel.creteforyou.com

Flight Companies.

When you are looking for flight seats we suggest that you try the following companies who sell airline tickets: