Ferry Crete

Crete ports

The island of Crete is located in the most southern part of Greece and has 4 main ports that connect the island with the mainland of Greece. The first main port is the port of Heraklion, then the port of Chania, the port of Rethymnon and the smaller port of Kastelli. From the first three ports you can take a ferry either to Athens or to other greek islands, mainly of the Aegean sea. From the port of Kastelli, you can travel to the southern part of the Peloponesse. All ports can be reached by using the suburban buses KTEL of the island.

Here is some information on all ports that you will find on the islands of Crete:

Chania Crete port

The Chania (Hania) port in Crete is one of the busiest ports of the island. It is actually located in the area of Souda, 7km east of Chania. The city of Chania can be reached:

By bus

You can reach the city of Chania by using the municipality buses that depart every 20 minutes. The route to Chania is approximately 20-25 minutes and tickets can be bought in the bus.

By car

When arriving at the port of Chania in Souda, there are signs that will show you the way to the national road that will lead you to Chania. It is approximately 7km away and it will take you 15 minutes to reach the city.

The ferry companies that use the Chania port, in Souda, are:

Anek lines
Hellenic Seaways

Heraklion port

The port of Heraklion is as important as the port of Chania for Crete. There are daily itineraries to Piraeus port in Athens, to some of the Cyclades and Dodecanese islands as well as to Thessaloniki. The port is situated in the city, so all distances are easy to cover. Nevertheless, the local bus station is right outside the port and you will be able to catch any bus to anywhere you want to go in Heraklion. In case you want to travel to another city of Crete, e.g. Chania, Agios Nikolaos etc, then the main suburban bus station is located very close to the port. There are frequent bus itineraries to all destinations. If you travel by car, then the signs to leave the city will help you out.

The main ferry companies that depart from the port of Heraklion are:

Minoan lines to Piraeus (Athens' port)
Anek lines to Piraeus (Athens' port)
GA ferries to Kasos, Karpathos, Rhodes, Santorini, Ios, Paros, Mykonos, Skopelos, Skiathos, Thessaloniki

Rethymnon port

The port of Rethymnon isn't used widely by ferry companies due to the fact that the port is historical and as a result small to accommodate many ships. The port is located by the city and all destinations can be reached either on foot or by using the local bus. The main suburban bus station (KTEL) is approximately 1km from the city center away and you can take a bus to other major destinations of Crete, such as Chania, Heraklion, Agios Nikolaos etc. A local bus also connects the suburban bus station with the city center.

The main ferry companies that depart from the port of Rethymnon are:

Anek lines to Piraeus (Athens' port)
NEL lines to Piraeus (Athens' port)

Kastelli port

The town of Kastelli has actually two ports: a small and picturesque port for the old fishing boats and a new one that is just a few meters away, that can accommodate bigger ships as well as cargo ships that connect western Crete with Peloponesse. Kastelli is 42km west of Chania and can be reached either by car, using the National road from Chania, or by the suburban bus KTEL from Chania. Boats from Kastelli depart to the southern part of the Peloponesse, and more specifically to Gytheio, Kalamata and Kythira island. Moreover, from the Kastelli port depart boats to the Gramvoussa island of Crete and to Balos beach.

Keep in mind that the itineraries to Peloponesse are subject to change and that the frequency of them increases during the summer. The ferry company that operates those itineraries is A.N.E.N. lines.

Keep in mind that ferry schedules can change especially during the summer months in order to serve more destinations. As a result consult our Greek Ferries Schedule On-Line in order to find out the availability of ferry routes and book your ferry tickets online.

Be sure to check out the following related information on Greek Ferries: