Crete Airport: Heraklion (HER) and Chania (CHQ), and How to Get Into Town

Crete has two airports, one at Heraklion and one at Chania, and the drive between the two cities takes about 2 hours. Choosing the airport closest to where you're staying can save you half a day on the road. Heraklion's airport, officially Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport (code HER), is the larger of the two and the second busiest in Greece, so most of the directions below start there.

Which Crete airport should you fly into?

Fly into Heraklion if you're headed for Heraklion itself, Knossos, Hersonissos, Malia, Agios Nikolaos or Elounda. It has extensive international service. Fly into Chania for Chania Old Town and western Crete. Chania's airport sits on the Akrotiri Peninsula, east of town.

Both cities have direct flights from Athens and a few other European cities. Many of the more than 40 airlines serving Heraklion fly only in certain seasons, so check that your route runs in the month you plan to travel.

What is Heraklion Airport like?

The airport sits about 3 miles (5 km) east of the city center, on Crete's north coast. It runs on a single main runway and stays open 24 hours a day. The eastern end of that runway lies just a few yards from the shoreline, so landings and take-offs feel thrillingly close to the sea.

Arrivals and departures sit close to each other, which keeps getting around the terminal simple. It gets crowded. In summer, check-in queues sometimes spill out the doors into the heat, so keep water and sunscreen in your carry-on.

Inside you'll find an ATM and currency exchange, a restaurant along with snack bars and cafes, duty-free shops in the departure areas, a gift shop and a bookshop. There's also a 24-hour medical center, baby changing rooms and left luggage. An information desk in the middle of the departures area is staffed around the clock. For travelers with disabilities, there are ramps, reserved parking and accessible restrooms.

The airport shares its grounds with a military base, so don't photograph the exterior or the airfield.

How do you get from Heraklion Airport to Heraklion town?

The city center is close, and all three options are simple.

• Local KTEL buses depart from a stop a short stroll from the terminal. They run frequently from early morning to late evening Monday through Saturday, with fewer departures on Sundays. Several routes run to town, the port and the city bus terminal, and the ride to the center takes about 20 minutes. The fare is low and varies slightly by destination.
• Taxi: Taxis wait at the curb opposite the arrivals hall, and the trip takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Agree on the fare with the driver before you set off.
• Rental car: Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and several other companies have desks at the airport. Ikarou Road runs straight from the airport into the city center.

Uber and other ride-share apps aren't available at the airport for now.

How do you get to the resorts and the rest of Crete?

For resorts such as Hersonissos, pre-booking a transfer online is often very cost-effective. Package tours usually include the transfer already, so check your booking before you arrange one.

Many visitors find a rental car the easiest way to get around the island. Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos takes about an hour, Rethymno to Heraklion about an hour and ten minutes, and Chania to Rethymno about an hour.

KTEL buses cover much of the island, so you can explore Crete without a car, though more slowly. Agios Nikolaos is about 1.5 hours each way by bus, and Matala and Red Beach are about 2 hours each way. In the west, buses and a few ferries reach many spots, but a car makes those trips far easier.

Should you rent a car at Heraklion Airport?

Rent one if you plan to roam beaches, mountain villages and ruins. The airport car park, with about 500 spaces, sits right by the terminal.

Skip the car for a day or two in Heraklion. The Archaeological Museum is a walk from the old town, and many hotels and sights are 10 to 15 minutes away on foot. The museum has no parking lot of its own, so if you do drive, paid garages near Eleftherias Square are usually the best bet. Knossos is easy without a car, too: Bus Nr. 2 runs there from Heraklion. If you're spending your first few nights in Chania Old Town, you can wait to rent a car there as well.

Is Heraklion getting a new airport?

Yes. Greece's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport aims to have it fully running in November 2028, when the current airport is expected to close.

Can you take a ferry to Crete instead of flying?

Yes, there are plenty of ferry options from Athens to Crete. Minoan Lines and other operators sail into Heraklion, whose port is within walking distance of downtown and the main bus station. The Minoan Lines ferry leaves Piraeus daily at 21:00 and arrives at 06:30. Timetable arrival times mark when the ship reaches the pilot station, just before the port entrance, so docking comes a little later. From Santorini, the ferry reaches Heraklion in about 2 hours.

Heading west, ferries to Chania dock at Souda, not the Old Town harbor.

Book ferry tickets as early as you can, especially in summer and around holidays, when seats and cabins sell out first.