Crete is the largest Greek island and the 5th in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Corsica). It has an elongated shape and from east to west it spreads on 260 km and the road will take approx. 6hrs by car (from Falassarna to Vai Beach), but also narrowing to 12km from north to south (between Pachia Ammos and Ierapetra)

It’s an island with mostly high land and mountains, the highest peak reaching 2456m (Mount Ida, Psiloritis). It has a coastline of 1046km and is surrounded by four seas: The Sea of Crete at the north, the Libyan Sea at the south, the Myrtoan Sea at the west and the Carpathian Sea at the east (part of the Aegean Sea). It also has peninsulas and gulfs, such as Gramvoussa peninsula, gulf of Kissamos, gulf of Chania, Akrotiri peninsula, gulf of Heraklion, Mirabello Bay. Crete also has a number of islands and islets, most of them uninhabited or protected areas, although some can be visited by tourists.

Crete is one of the 13 administrative units of Greece, ranking the 3rd in the list of Greek regions by Human Development Index, after Attica and Western Macedonia. It’s capital city is Heraklion (also the biggest city on the island) and is divided in 4 prefectures. From west to east, these are:

· Chania – main city: Chania

· Rethymno – main city: Rethymno

· Heraklion – main city: Heraklion

· Lasithi – main city: Agios Nikolaos

From a historical point of view, Crete is always associated with the birth of Europe, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth and the Minoan civilization. I will discuss the details as I will continue posting about main attractions, as they are connected to Crete’s long and rich history.

How can you get to Crete? There are 2 ways: by plane or by ferry. Let’s break down these options.

By plane

On the island of Crete there are 3 main airports:

· Heraklion International Airport – Nikos Kazantzakis (IATA: HER, ICAO: LGIR) – the biggest airport in Crete, based on the number of passengers and countries served. It is located east of Heraklion, next to Nea Alikarnassos. It is easily reached by public transportation, both to/from Heraklion city and also the major tourist cities on the east side (Gouves, Gournes, Anissaras, Hersonissos, Malia and Agios Nikolaos). The new airport is scheduled to become operational in 2027. It will be located in Central Crete, approx. 30km from Heraklion, on the premises of the former military base at Kastelli. If you look on Maps, with satellite view, you can see the shape of the airport, runways, etc.

· Chania International Airport – Ioannis Daskalogiannis (IATA: CHQ, ICAO: LGSA) – the second airport in Crete, located in the Akrotiri Peninsula, 14km away from Chania.

· Sitia Municipal Airport (IATA: JSH, ICAO: LGST) – is a small airport 1km of city center. It only serves regular flights to Athens and 3 destinations in Northern Greece, such as Alexandroupoli, Preveza/Lefkada and Zakynthos and seasonal charters from Copenhagen and Oslo.

On the 2 main airports, there are daily flights to/from Athens (approx 7 during winter and up to 12 during summer) and Thessaloniki, operated by Aegean or SkyExpress. In the summer season, usually between the 1st of May and 1st of October, many airlines offer charter flights from many countries, including large/national airlines (Aegean, SAS, British Airways, Finnair, Lufthansa), low costs (Wizz Air, Ryanair, Transavia, SkyExpress, Eurowings, EasyJet), leisure airlines (Condor, Corendon) and charters (Jet2, TuiFly, Animawings). After the closure of the summer/charters season, you can reach Crete via connection in Athens.

By ferry

Crete has 2 main ports: Heraklion and Chania (it is actually the port of Souda, in the region with the same name).

If you cannot travel by plane (medical conditions, claustrophobia, fear of flying) or you wish to travel by your own car (long vacation during peak months when rental would cost you a kidney, you want to avoid the stress of a rented car, etc) or you visited other islands (Mykonos, Santorini, etc), the ferry is the other way you can get to Crete.

The ferry ride is usually between Piraeus Port (the one that is next to Athens) and Heraklion or Chania. It takes 9hrs to reach the island and is usually operated overnight by 2 main companies: Minoan Lines and ANEK. The ferries are huge, with up to 4 decks, parking lot, cafeterias, restaurants, souvenir shops, airplane style chairs and sleeping cabins, including pet friendly. The cabins can accommodate 2 people (in double or single beds), 3 people and 4 people (bunk beds). Depending with whom you travel, you can select the entire cabin or a single bed in the ones for 2, 3 or 4 people (men or women cabins).

Also, there are daily fast ferries to Santorini, from Heraklion and Rethymno, especially during the summer, as day trips to the Caldera Island are in high demand.