CRETE It's the most southerly island in Greece and a major holiday destination and, as you would expect, travel links are considerable. Most Crete visitors arrive by charter plane, but there are several other options. Charter flights from the UK and Europe arrive between April and November. Most flights are to Heraklion in the east while visitors to west Crete head for Chania.
There is a regular ferry service from Piraeus (Athens) to both Heraklion, Chania and Rethymnon but it is a long trip; ferries leave about in the evening and arrive in Crete the following morning. The main ferry firms are Anek Lines, Minoan Lines and Rethymnon Lines.
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Chania Airport (CHQ) lies 13km from the city and is located on the Aktori peninsula. The airport is shared with the military.
As well as the usual European charter flights there are daily flights to Athens, regular flights to Rhodes, three flights weekly to Thessaloniki and twice-a-week flights to Mykonos.
Charter flights to Chania from the UK provide transport for package holidays. Excess seats are sold off on a flight only basis. The cost of these seats is usually very cheap compared to scheduled flights.
The airport is large and roomy with seats, shops and spacious toilets. There is a cash point and exchange bureau, lost and found office and a police station.
A small selection of coffee and snacks are available and there are several small shops in the airport including a mini-market and handicraft shop.
There is a bus service from the airport but no dedicated shuttle . The regular KTEL buses are infrequent (about five daily). Taxis are plentiful and can be found on a taxi rank outside the airport. The taxi journey into Chania takes about 20 minutes.
There is short-term and long-term parking in front of the airport but it is expensive. Cheaper long-term parks can be found just outside the airport gates. Car rental outfits have several offices here and there is a petrol station nearby.
There's a smaller airport at Rethymno, at the centre of the northern coastline, which has domestic flights to and from Athens, Rhodes and Santorini.
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ANEK ferries link Chania (Souda) to Piraeus with a sailing each day. Ferries leave Piraeus for Chania and Heraklion every evening around 8pm and arrive early morning about 5am. Minoan Lines sails daily to Heraklion and Rethymnon Lines run ferries to Rethymnon in the summer with routes to both Santorini and Piraeus.
There are daily trips in the summer to the Cyclades, Dodecanese and Sporades, though these mostly sail from Iraklion. ANEN Lines connect the South Peloponnese (Gythion, Neapolis or Kalamata) to Kastelli Kissamos, west of Chania. Timetables can be rather erratic.
There are any number of boat trips to neighbouring islands and there are several ferries a day linking the south coast resorts of Paleochora, Sougia, Agia Roumelli, Loutro and Chora Sfakion. Boats also leave from Chora Sfakion to the southern island of Gavdos.
Summer ferry schedules may not be confirmed until April or May, and not published until then.
The information here is as accurate as I can make it but note that ferry schedules can change at any time.
Crete has a huge variety of holiday accommodation for all tastes and budgets. There is everything from campsites and cheap rooms, geared to the needs of budget backpackers. through a massive range of mid-priced hotels and apartments to a big selection of luxury hotels that can squeeze even the biggest wallets.
Despite the numbers, it is still risky to turn up without a reservation at most of the main tourist resorts, especially in July and August . Out of season there are lots of bargains to be had with prices slashed by 50% or more - although don't include Christmas or Easter as these are times when demand can peak.
Freelance camping was once common in Crete but is now pretty much outlawed. There are several well-equipped official campsites around Crete but some backpackers still opt for casual camping on secluded beaches.
Package holiday accommodation is largely concentrated in the big city resorts of Chania and Rethymnon on the north coast and most of the resorts are lined with hotels of all standards. Most of those nearest the cities are block-booked by tour operators. That said, Chania in particular has thousands of rooms, many in restored Venetian mansions, so visitors can usually find a place even without a reservation.
West of Chania is the main tourist strip and here are the main package holiday hotels and apartment blocks. Further west still there are many rooms on offer in more out of the way places like Kissamos and it's a similar story to the east of Chania in the Aporokonas area. Inland villages also offer the chance of cheap rooms away from the crowds. Villages such as Spili and the hill villages south-east of Rethymno are a good bet.
On the south coast most visitors will find studio accommodation in resorts such as Paleohora, Plakia and Agi Galini, although the latter is heavily booked by package tour firms in the summer.
Crete is a very big island and driving the full length can take the best part of a day. Most west Crete visitors stay in resorts on the north coast and use the recently built main highway or head south into the mountains. The main highway is not dual carriageway but it is wide, well maintained and well signposted making driving easy. Traffic police are much in evidence though that does not stop local drivers ignoring speed limits with reckless abandon. Alcohol tests are frequent and strict and police are not lenient with tourists.
Off the main road the going is usually pretty good although roads can be narrow and potholed. Roads over the mountains are generally excellent; some even seem absurdly good given the traffic on them. Narrow winding roads can often mean journey times can be longer than expected from a map.
Traffic signs are generally in Greek and English. Many petrol station close at 7pm but Chania and Rethymno have at least one open all night.
KTEL runs regular buses (every 30 minutes) between Rethymnon and Chania and there are services to many inland villages. KTEL is West Crete has its own website at bus-service-crete-ktel.com/ with timetable details.
Taxis are common and relatively cheap. Fares are regulated and metered. You can hail a taxi in the street or book one by phone but this costs extra. It is normal for others to get into the taxi with you or for the driver to pick up more fares. Don't hesitate to hail a taxi with one or two passengers in it.
There is one long hiking route on Crete that is part of the E4 European Long Distance Path. The E4 trail covers the White Mountains (Lefki Ori), Mt Psiloritis and Mt Dikti. The E4 Path is 320 km long. It starts at Kastelli Kissamos in the north-west and crosses to Kato Zakros in the east. The route varies from asphalt roads to rugged ravines and mountain trails. In parts the E4 path is very overgrown, difficult to follow so you will need a walking map and supplies. At Sougia, on the south coast, the path forks into two tracks, one is very rough and follows the coast, the other goes through the mountains to converge again at Frangokastello. Hikers should plan accommodation, especially in the mountains where refuge huts are maintained by climbing clubs at Kallergi (near the Samaria Gorge) Volika, Katsiveli Svourihtis, Tavri near Askyfou, Toumbotos Prinos on Mt Psiloritis, Analipsis near the Ideon Cave, Prinos Asites and Limnarkarou on the Lasithi Plateau. Useful mountaineering club contacts are Lasithi 28970 23230, Rethymnon 2831 057766, Iraklion812 27609, Chania 2821 74560.
There are many fine walks in Western Crete and, if the mountains are a little daunting, there are walks to be found all around the long and beautiful coastline. Good walking maps can be had from Marengo Books and they include Walks in Rethymnon and Ten Walks in Plakias.
