There are two ways to get from Athens to Crete: a 55–65 minute flight from Athens International Airport to Chania (CHQ) or Heraklion (HER), or a ferry from Piraeus that takes 7 hr 50 min at its fastest and 8–9.5 hours on the everyday conventional ships. Ferries run all year round, with up to eight daily crossings in high season and fares from about €27.50 to Heraklion. Flying is faster and usually the better call for a short trip; the ferry wins if you are bringing a car, want an overnight cabin instead of a hotel night, or simply want the sea crossing. Crete’s north coast sits roughly 320 km (173 nautical miles) south of Piraeus.
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| Journey time | Fares from | How often | |
| Ferry Piraeus to Heraklion, Chania, Kissamos or Sitia | 7 hr 50 min to 12 hr 25 min | €22.40 | Up to 8 crossings a day, all year |
| Flight Athens International to Chania or Heraklion | 55 to 65 minutes | Varies by season and booking date | Several daily, all year |
ON THIS PAGE:
- How far Crete is from Athens
- Fly or take the ferry?
- Flights from Athens to Crete
- Ferries from Athens to Crete
- Which Cretan port to sail to
- What the ferries are like on board
- Paper tickets or e-tickets?
- Athens airport to Piraeus port
- Athens airport to central Athens
You can search the live Athens–Crete ferry timetable straight from here:
More Crete and Athens planning
- Where to stay in Crete: the main areas compared
- Best family resorts in Crete
- Greek islands you can day-trip from Athens
- Athens to Santorini: ferry, flight and distance
- SeaJets review: is the fast ferry worth the price?
How far is Crete from Athens?
The port of Piraeus and the port of Heraklion are about 173 nautical miles apart, roughly 320 km (published figures range from 168 to 179 nautical miles depending on the exact track a ship takes). Chania, at the western end of the island, is a little closer to Athens in a straight line but the sailing time is similar because the ships run overnight at a steady service speed.
That distance is the whole reason this journey behaves differently from a hop to Mykonos or Santorini. Crete is the southernmost place you can reach from Athens by ferry, and no conventional ship crosses it in under eight hours. It is also why the overnight sailing exists at all: leave Piraeus in the evening, sleep, and you are in Crete for breakfast.
Should you fly or take the ferry from Athens to Crete?
Fly if your trip is short. A flight takes about an hour against a minimum of eight on the water, so on a three or four day trip the ferry costs you most of a day in each direction. Take the ferry if you are bringing a car, if you want the overnight cabin to double as a hotel night, or if the flights you want are sold out or badly timed.
| Your situation | Better option | Why |
| Two to four nights in Crete | Flight | The ferry would eat roughly a quarter of your trip |
| Bringing a car or camper from the mainland | Ferry | Only the conventional ships carry vehicles to Crete |
| Travelling overnight on a budget | Ferry with a cabin | The crossing replaces a hotel night |
| Arriving late at Athens airport | Ferry | Evening departures from Piraeus, and the X96 bus runs 24 hours |
| Heading straight to western Crete | Either, to Chania | Chania has both an airport (CHQ) and a ferry port (Souda) |
| Travelling in winter | Flight | Ferries still run daily, but weather cancellations are more likely |
One thing worth knowing before you decide: you will want a car in Crete. The island is 260 km end to end, and the bus network only really serves the north coast towns. If you are flying, budget for a rental at the other end; if you already have a car in Athens, that shifts the maths towards the ferry.
Flights from Athens to Crete: airlines, times and airports
Crete has two main airports for flights from Athens: Heraklion (HER) in the centre-east and Chania (CHQ) in the west. The Athens–Chania hop takes about 55 minutes and Athens–Heraklion about 1 hour 5 minutes. Both routes are flown year round, several times a day.
| Route | Airlines flying it | Flight time | Rough weekly frequency |
| Athens (ATH) to Chania (CHQ) | Aegean Airlines, SKY express, Ryanair | about 55 min | Aegean around 37, SKY express around 27, Ryanair around 4 |
| Athens (ATH) to Heraklion (HER) | Aegean Airlines, SKY express | about 1 hr 5 min | Multiple daily on both carriers |
Book through Booking.com Flights if you want to compare all the carriers on one screen, including the low-cost options. Athens International Airport is Eleftherios Venizelos, airport code ATH.
A few things worth knowing before you book:
- Pick your airport by where you are sleeping, not by price. Driving Chania to Heraklion takes over two hours, so a €20 saving on the wrong airport is a bad trade. Our guide to where to stay in Crete breaks the island down area by area.
- Connecting from an international flight? Leave about two hours between arrival and your Crete departure. Athens airport is compact, so that is comfortable rather than tight.
- Book early for the summer. Fares on this route climb steeply from June to September and drop again in the shoulder months. Booking months ahead is where the real savings are.
- Official airport sites:Heraklion airport (HER) and Chania airport (CHQ).
What flying gets you, and what it costs you
- In favour: you save the best part of a day in each direction; you can connect straight through from an international arrival without leaving the airport; and in peak season there are far more departures than sailings.
- Against: summer fares can be several times the deck fare on a ferry; the timings are not always convenient; you cannot bring a car; and you miss the crossing itself, which on a clear evening is genuinely one of the better parts of a Greek trip.
Direct international flights to Crete from other European cities run mainly from April to October, when charter and low-cost carriers add seasonal routes into Heraklion and Chania. Outside those months, connecting through Athens is usually the only option, which is exactly why this route matters.
Ferries from Athens to Crete: operators, times and fares
Every ferry to Crete leaves from Piraeus, the main port of Athens. Rafina and Lavrio do not serve Crete. Crossings run all year round, with up to eight departures a day in high season, and five ferry companies share the routes: Blue Star Ferries, Minoan Lines, ANEK Lines, Hellenic Seaways and Seajets.
Here is how a typical August week looked on the two main routes when we checked in August 2026:
| Route | Operator | Crossing time | Fares from | Frequency |
| Piraeus to Heraklion | Blue Star Ferries | 8 hr 45 min | €33 | Every day |
| Piraeus to Heraklion | Minoan Lines | 9 hr 15 min | €40 | Every day |
| Piraeus to Heraklion | Seajets (high speed) | 7 hr 50 min | €89.70 | Every day in peak season |
| Piraeus to Chania (Souda) | Blue Star Ferries | 8 hr | €52.50 | Every day |
The pattern is worth reading carefully. The fastest crossing saves under an hour and a half over the cheapest one but costs nearly three times as much. Unless the timing is the point, the conventional overnight ships are the better value on this route — which is the opposite of the advice that usually applies on shorter Cycladic crossings.
Some details that catch people out:
- Crete ferries use gates E2 and E3 at Piraeus. E3 is the vehicle entrance. Piraeus is a big port and the gates are far apart, so allow 20 to 30 minutes to find yours after you arrive, and check the gate printed on your ticket against the electronic boards.
- Minoan Lines sailings to Heraklion call at Milos. That routing is why Minoan’s crossing runs about half an hour longer than Blue Star’s, and it is also a quiet way to work an extra island into a trip. Minoan Lines is part of the Grimaldi Group, and its Crete fleet is the Knossos Palace, Kydon Palace and Festos Palace.
- ANEK Lines has been part of Attica Group since December 2023, alongside Blue Star Ferries, Superfast and Hellenic Seaways. The ANEK brand survives and is still headquartered in Chania, but on the Piraeus–Chania route you will often see the same sailing sold under a Blue Star schedule.
- Ferries to Chania dock at Souda, about 7 km east of Chania town, not in the town itself. Budget for a bus or taxi at the other end.
- Winter crossings still run daily, but the high-speed services thin out and weather cancellations become more common between November and March.
Compare live sailings and prices on Ferryhopper, which covers all five operators on this route in one search. If you are weighing up the fast option specifically, our SeaJets review goes through the seat classes and the delay record in detail. For the wider picture there is also our Greek ferry options hub.
Which Cretan port should you sail to?
Most people only ever hear about Heraklion and Chania, but Piraeus connects to four Cretan ports year round — Heraklion, Chania (Souda), Kissamos and Sitia — plus an occasional seasonal call at Rethymno. Picking the right one can save you a two-hour drive at the far end.
| Cretan port | Where it lands you | Fastest crossing | Fares from | How often |
| Heraklion | Centre-east; the island’s capital, Knossos, and the road east | 7 hr 50 min | €27.50 | Every day, all year |
| Chania (Souda) | West; 7 km from Chania old town, gateway to Balos and Elafonissi | 8 hr | €37 | Every day, all year |
| Kissamos | Far north-west, past Chania; closest port to Balos and Gramvousa | 10 hr 15 min | €22.40 | 1 to 5 days a week, all year |
| Sitia | Far east; for Vai, Zakros and the quiet end of Crete | 12 hr 25 min | €45.50 | 2 to 5 days a week, all year |
| Rethymno | Between Chania and Heraklion | about 5 hr 45 min | €69.70 | Seasonal and occasional — check live dates |
Two of these are genuinely useful and almost nobody mentions them. Kissamos is the cheapest way into Crete from Athens at fares from €22.40, and it lands you in the far north-west, which is a long drive from either airport. Sitia does the same job for the eastern end of the island. Both take longer at sea, and neither runs every day, so treat them as planning options rather than fallbacks.
What is the ferry to Crete actually like on board?
The overnight ships to Crete are among the largest in the Greek fleet, and the experience is closer to a small cruise ferry than to a fast catamaran. You choose between an open deck or lounge seat (the cheapest fare), a numbered airline-style seat, a business or VIP seat with more space and a screen, and a private cabin with beds. On an evening sailing the cabin is the one worth paying for: you board around 21:00 and wake up in Crete.
Sailing counts also swing hard by day of the week. On the Piraeus–Crete routes a Friday in August can carry twice as many departures as a midweek day, so if your dates are fixed, check the specific day rather than the weekly average.
Do you still need a printed ferry ticket in Greece?
For most operators on this route, no — e-tickets are now the norm. Blue Star Ferries, Minoan Lines and Seajets all issue QR-code tickets you can show on your phone, and Minoan runs web check-in. This is a real change from a few years ago, when collecting a paper ticket at a port kiosk was effectively mandatory, and it is the single most out-of-date piece of advice still circulating about Greek ferries.
The exception matters, though. Fast Ferries still requires a printed ticket, and some smaller operators do too. So the rule is simple: read the confirmation email. If it says e-ticket or boarding pass, your phone is enough. If it tells you to collect from a ticket office, believe it.
One practical tip either way: screenshot the QR code before you leave your hotel. Mobile signal inside Piraeus port is unreliable, and a ticket you cannot load is the same as a ticket you do not have.
How do you get from Athens airport to Piraeus port?
Take the X96 express bus. It runs directly from outside the arrivals hall to Piraeus port, 24 hours a day, every 20 to 25 minutes, and takes 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic. The fare is €5.50 full price and €2.70 reduced, one way only.
There is now a second way to pay that saves a queue: OASA accepts contactless bank cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay directly at the validator, at the same fares. You no longer have to find the kiosk and buy an ATH.ENA ticket first, although the kiosk near the bus stop is still there if you prefer paper. Full fares are published on the OASA price list.
- Get off at the ISAP station stop (in Greek, ΣΤΑΘΜΟΣ ΗΣΑΠ), which is also a metro station and the closest stop to the Crete gates.
- Crete ferries use gates E2 and E3. The buses on this line show “AEROLIMENAS – PEIRAIAS” on the front, which is simply Greek for Airport – Piraeus. Same bus.
- A taxi costs roughly €50 to €60 for the same trip. With luggage and a family that can make sense; on your own it rarely does.
- The standard 90-minute Athens ticket (€1.20) is not valid on the airport express buses or on the Koropi–Airport stretch of metro line 3. Airport journeys have their own fares.
- Live stop-by-stop tracking is in the OASA Telematics app and on the OASA website.
Give yourself more time than the timetable suggests. Between the bus, the walk and finding the right gate in a port this size, allow three hours between landing at Athens airport and a ferry departure. Piraeus is not a place to arrive at a sprint.
How do you get from Athens airport into central Athens?
Two options, both straightforward. The X95 express bus runs to Syntagma Square in about 40 to 60 minutes for €5.50, from the stop right next to the X96 and using the same tickets. Or take metro line 3, which reaches Syntagma in around 40 minutes for €9.00 one way, €4.50 reduced, or €16.00 for a return valid 30 days.
The metro is more expensive but more predictable, since it never sits in traffic. The bus is cheaper and runs through the night. The same airport metro ticket is also valid on the Suburban Railway between the airport and Piraeus, which is a useful third route if the bus queue looks long.
If you are pushing on to another island rather than Crete, our Athens to Santorini guide covers the same ground for the Cyclades, and the Santorini bus schedule picks up at the other end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to fly or take the ferry from Athens to Crete?
Flying is usually better. The flight takes 55 to 65 minutes against a minimum of 7 hours 50 minutes at sea, so on a trip of three or four nights the ferry costs you a large share of your holiday. Take the ferry if you are bringing a car from the mainland, if you want an overnight cabin to replace a hotel night, or if the flight times do not work for you.
How long is the ferry from Athens to Crete?
The fastest crossing from Piraeus to Heraklion is 7 hours 50 minutes on a Seajets high-speed vessel. The everyday conventional ships take about 8 hours 45 minutes to Heraklion and about 8 hours to Chania. Kissamos takes around 10 hours 15 minutes and Sitia around 12 hours 25 minutes, because both are further along the coast.
How far is Crete from Athens?
The port of Piraeus and the port of Heraklion are about 173 nautical miles apart, roughly 320 kilometres. Published figures range from 168 to 179 nautical miles depending on the track a ship takes. By air the journey takes 55 to 65 minutes.
Which Athens port do ferries to Crete depart from?
All ferries to Crete leave from Piraeus. Rafina and Lavrio do not serve Crete. At Piraeus the Crete sailings use gates E2 and E3, with E3 as the vehicle entrance. Allow 20 to 30 minutes to walk to your gate, and check the boards because gate assignments change.
How much does the ferry from Athens to Crete cost?
Lead-in fares in 2026 start at about 27.50 euros to Heraklion, 37 euros to Chania, 22.40 euros to Kissamos and 45.50 euros to Sitia. In August the everyday conventional sailings started from 33 euros to Heraklion and 52.50 euros to Chania, while the high-speed Seajets crossing started from 89.70 euros. Cabins and vehicles cost considerably more.
Where do you fly into Crete from Athens?
Crete has two main airports: Heraklion (HER) in the centre-east and Chania (CHQ) in the west. Choose by where you are staying, because driving between the two takes over two hours. Aegean Airlines and SKY express fly both routes from Athens, and Ryanair flies to Chania but not to Heraklion.
Can you take a car on the ferry from Athens to Crete?
Yes. The conventional ships run by Blue Star Ferries, Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines all carry vehicles between Piraeus and Crete, and this is the main reason to choose the ferry over a flight. Vehicles board through gate E3 at Piraeus, the car is priced separately from your passenger ticket, and vehicle spaces sell out earlier than seats in July and August.
Which Cretan ports can you reach by ferry from Athens?
Four Cretan ports are served from Piraeus all year: Heraklion, Chania (which docks at Souda, 7 km from the town), Kissamos in the far north-west and Sitia in the far east. Rethymno gets an occasional seasonal service. Kissamos and Sitia run only a few days a week but can save a long drive if you are heading to either end of the island.
Do ferries from Athens to Crete run all year?
Yes. The Piraeus to Heraklion and Piraeus to Chania routes operate every day of the year, with up to eight daily crossings to Crete in high season. In winter the high-speed services thin out and weather cancellations become more likely, so leave a buffer if you have a connecting flight.
Sources and last updated
Updated 6 August 2026. This guide was rechecked against operator and transport-authority sources, and a number of figures had gone out of date. Crossing times were corrected: the ferry to Crete does not take 13 hours, and the fast service is not 4.5 hours — the real 2026 range is 7 hr 50 min to about 9.5 hours on the two main routes. Fares were replaced with current 2026 lead-in prices for all four year-round Cretan ports. Blue Star Ferries and Hellenic Seaways were added, having been missing entirely even though Blue Star now runs the most frequent sailings on both main routes. The Minoan Lines fleet was corrected to the Knossos Palace, Kydon Palace and Festos Palace, and its Milos routing noted. The airline list was rebuilt: several carriers previously listed no longer exist or no longer fly this route. The X96 fare was corrected from €6 to the official €5.50, and contactless payment added. The claim that you must collect a paper ticket was corrected, with the Fast Ferries exception noted. The Piraeus gate information now covers E2 as well as E3, and the Athens–Crete distance was corrected to about 173 nautical miles. Two internal links that pointed at the wrong islands were repaired, and two dead external links replaced. Two screenshots of a 2023 ferry timetable and two 2021 metro timetable images were removed rather than left on the page, because a dated screenshot presented as a current schedule is worse than no screenshot at all.
