Transportation

Crete can be reached either by boat or by airplane.

  • There is a daily ferry connection with Piraeus to the port of Souda (Chania) and Heraklion, which is the main port of the island.
  • There are daily flights from Athens. In Crete there are three airports in Chania, Heraklion and Sitia. The closest airports to Rethymno are the airports of Chania and of Heraklion

Rethymnon Distances

From Heraklion airport : 88 km | From Heraklion : 87.00 km | From Chania : 62 km | From Chania airport : 70.5 km | 

TRANPORTATION ON CRETE: BUS, TAXI, CAR

BUS

The bus is the only means of public transportation on Crete and is divided into two categories:
1.Buses ( blue) serving the cities from early morning until late evening.
2.Intercity Buses ( green ) connecting all the prefectures of Crete
Tickets can be purchased from the bus driver. Drivers only accept EUR cash. Passengers buy their tickets on board the bus when boarding. There are no assigned seat numbers.

Traveling from Chania Airport to Rethymno

By bus directly from the Airport

  • From Chania airport there is direct bus connection to Rethymno main bus station

Departures: 09:20 14:40 19:15 22:00 23:45every day.

Cost: 8 euros.

Estimated time from station: 01:30′

Please check in advance (in case of a change in routes): here

 

By Bus via the city of Chania (Chania main bus station)

  • You need to take the bus from the airport. Single fare to/from the city of Chania is 2,5€.
  • From Chania main bus station to Rethymno main bus station

Departures: 05:15 06:30 07:30 08:30 09:30 10:30 11:30 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:30            16:30 17:30 18:30 19:30 20:30 21:45 every day

Cost: 6.80 euros

Estimated time from station: 01:15′

Please check the timetables in advance (in case of a change in routes): here

 

From Heraklion Airport to Rethymno

By Bus via Heraklion city.

From Heraklion airport you have to go to the main bus station first and then take the bus to Rethymno. There is NO direct bus line from the airport.

The Heraklion Airport bus runs every 10-15 minutes all year round, from 6:00 to 12:00 (06:00 am to 12:00 am). The bus service does not run during the night.

  • All airport buses with the sign “IRAKLIO” or (ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΟ) on the up front (lines 06,08,10,11,12,15,17,19,31), terminate at or pass by the main bus station in Heraklion (Bus Station A). The journey time from Heraklion Airport to the city is about 20 minutes depending on the road traffic (11th stop). A single fare from Heraklion Airport to the city center, at the time of writing, costs €2.00
  • Bus from Heraklion main bus station (Bus Station A – Old town gate bus station) to Rethimno: Once you have arrived to the central bus station from the airport, buy your bus ticket from the same station and take the next green in color busto your destination. Just make sure to know your bus number which is also appearing on the front windscreen of the departing bus.

Departures to Rethimno: 5:30- 6:30- 7:30- 8:30- 9:30- 10:30- 11:30- 12:30- 13:30- 14:30- 15:30- 16:30- 17:30- 18:30- 19:30- 20:30- 21:30.

Cost: 8,30 euros

Estimated time from station: 01:30′

Please check the timetables in advance (in case of a change in routes): here

 

TAXI

24/7 metered taxi service is available outside both Chania and Heraklion Airport Terminal buildings.

Airport Taxis stop at the ranks outside the terminal. Licensed taxicabs are grey in Heraklion and blue in Chania (in Rethymno, they are white). Each taxi can carry up to 4 passengers (3 in the back 1 in the front). If your party has more than 4 travelers, a pre-booked van is a better option. There are a number of local car rental agencies which can be found online. Otherwise travelers need to hire 2 separate taxis.
Customers wanting a taxi enter a queue and are given a taxi on a first come, first serve basis. The airports can be very busy in peak season, waiting queues can also become long, so very often travelers have no other choice but to share the car with people who don’t know.
All taxis use a taximeter. On the other hand there is a range of extra fees that can be added.

  • The airport fee is €2.51.
  • The taxi meter ticks off at double speed between midnight and 05:00 a.m.
  • Each passenger can bring 1 suitcase up to 10 kg (22 pounds) and 1 small handbag for free. Excess luggage is charged €0.38 per kg.
  • Furthermore, the taxi meter ticks over on the time and distance of the journey, so in case of traffic jam, expect to pay more than your estimated cost

Tip: In both Heraklion and Chania Airports there is an Information Center available to assist you with any questions if you have any concerns regarding the taxi pricing.

The journey from Chania Airport:

  • to Chania is about 25-30 minutes and the fare is normally 25€
  • to Rethymno is about 1 hour and the fare is normally 90-100€

The journey from Heraklion Airport:

  • to Heraklion is about 10-20 minutes and the fare is normally 15-20€
  • to Rethymno is about 1 hour and 20 minutes and the fare is normally 90-100€

 

CAR

From Chania Airport

Chania Airport is located 15 km from the city of Chania and is easily accessible from the National Road Aerodromiou-Soudas. The journey to and from the city centre takes about 25-30 minutes, depending on traffic.

The city of Rethymnon is 70 km away from the airport and the journey to (from) the Airport is about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

 

 From Heraklion Airport

Heraklion Airport is located 5 kilometres from the centre of Heraklion city. The airport is located just off the E75 motorway, the national highway that will take you to Rethymno and Chania to the west, or Hersonissos, Agios Nikolaos and Sitia to the east.

The city of Rethymnon is 88 km away from the airport and the journey to (from) the Airport is about 1 hour and 30 minutes.