As my previous blog had a contact form and also a Facebook and Instagram account, I was often asked: what other islands can I visit from Crete?
Of course, I also get to know who failed geography lessons or who never had the curiosity to write Greece or Crete on Google maps 😊. That’s because I receive questions such as the ones below, with an emphasis on “day or boat trip”:
· Can I do a day trip from Crete to Aegina? – yes, take the Monday evening ferry, arrive Tuesday at 6 am in Piraeus, take the morning ferry to Aegina, spend the day there, take the Tuesday evening ferry from Aegina back to Piraeus and then Tuesday evening from Piraeus to Heraklion, arrive on Wednesday morning. Do the math 😊
· Are there any day trips from Crete to Corfu or Zakynthos? – unless you take the 6 am flight to Athens or find any morning/evening flight
· Can I do a day trip from Crete to Mamma Mia island (aka Skopelos)? – of course. Fly or take the 9hr ferry to Athens and then go to Volos, take the ferry to Skopelos and the way back. See if you can do it in one day 😊
· Can I do a day trip from Crete to Rhodes? – sure. From Heraklion airport. Or spend 10hrs 15 min on the ferry per way and 2hrs in Rhodes
Greek islands are grouped as following:
1. Ionian Islands – on the west side of mainland, between Greece and Italy, in the Ionian Sea. The main ones are: Corfu, Paxos (Maestro in Blue filming set) and Antipaxos, Lefkada, Ithaka (birthplace of Odysseus or Ulises), Kefalonia, Ithaka and Zakynthos. Here are also included those south of Peloponnesus, such as Elafonisos, Kythera and Antikythera. These are also called the exotic islands, due to the lavish greenery, white beaches and the surreal turquoise waters of Egremni, Myrtos and Navagio
2. The North Aegean Islands – not so easy to get to and they still preserve the local and authentic flavours. As the name says, they are located in the North Aegean Sea, some of them very close to Turkey. Not all of them have airports and there are few charters to them. The North Aegean include: Thassos (“The emerald island”), Samotraki, Limnos (famous for its sand dunes and salt plain), Lesvos (the home of Ouzo), Chios (famous for the mastiha, a gummy resin), Samos (birthplace of Pythagoras) and Ikaria (where people live over 90+, the island with one of the highest life expectancy in the world)
3. The Sporades – the “scattered” 24 islands – located between mainland, Evia and Northern Aegean. They are now called “Mamma Mia islands” because you guessed, Mamma Mia was shot here. The permanently inhabited ones are Skopelos, Skiathos (only airport in the area, famous for its low landings), Alonissos and Skiros.
4. Saronic islands – the easiest to get to from Athens, located in the Saronic Gulf. These include Aegina (famous for its pistachio and the Monastery of Agios Nektarios, a miracle maker), Poros, Salamina, Hydra (car free island), Spetses, Agistri and Dokos
5. The Cyclades – maybe the most famous islands as their white house, blue domes and paved streets are the image of Greece. The largest island group, consisting around 220 islands. The name comes from the Greek word κύκλος (circle) as they are surrounding the sacred island of Delos in a circle. They don’t need any details, as Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, Naxos, Delos, Ios, Milos, Antiparos and Folegandros are part of this group
6. The Dodecanese – around 165 islands, bordering Turkey. The most famous in the group are Rhodes, Astypalea (with is butterfly shape), Symi, Karpathos, Kos, Kalymnos.
7. Crete – the biggest island, a group of its own 😊
Attached to the Region of Crete are some small islands and islets, most of them uninhabited. Some are open to the public and visited by tourists and some only by archaeologists and biologists, as they are protected areas. The largest islands are:
· Gramvousa (Kissamos, Chania) – next to Balos Lagoon, the pirate island, uninhabited, part of Natura 2000 program
· Elafonisi (Chania) – next to the pink sand beach of Elafonisi, it is a protected area
· Chrissy (Ierapetra, Lasithi) – the largest Lebanon cedar forest in Europe. It can be visited as a day trip from Ierapetra or Makri Gialos, it is also known as the European Caribbean, due to its surreal turquoise and shallow waters. It is a protected area and big ships are not allowed to dock. You will have to swim to shore or rent a small boat
· Koufonissi – a small island in the Libyan Sea, can be visited as day trip from Makri Gialos
· Dia – the “lizard” that you see from Heraklion and the northern touristic villages, is the largest uninhabited island belonging to Crete. It is a protected area, part of Natura 2000. There are daily trips from Heraklion port for swimming, snorkelling and beach time.
· Paximadia (Agia Galini, Rethymno) – 2 small uninhabited islets 12km south of Agia Galini. They can be reached by boat
· Spinalonga – the second most visited place in Crete, the last leper colony of Europe. It is visited daily by boat from Agios Nikolaos, Plaka or Elounda
· Dionysades (Lasithi) – part of the protected area from eastern Crete, together with Vai Palm forest
· Gavdos – the southernmost point of Europe, located 48km south of Chora Sfakion. There are daily ferries from Chora Sfakion, some accommodation options and buses on the island
Now that geography lesson is over, let’s see what other islands you can visit from Crete:
1. Santorini – the most popular island day trip, with departures from Rethymno and Heraklion
2. Milos – recently added as a day trip from Chania
3. Antikythera, Kythera and Gythio in the Peloponnesus– from Kissamos
4. Kasos, Karpathos, Rhodes, Chalki and Anafi from Sitia
5. Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Milos, Siros, Tinos from Heraklion
Ferry schedules and the duration for the above. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS THE SUMMER SCHEDULE. For updates, look on ferries.gr
1. Daily from Heraklion and every Tuesday and Saturday from Rethymno, approx. 2-3 hrs, price between 90-110 euros/adult/one way. Cheaper by organized day trip, which starts from 150 euros
2. Daily from Chania (Souda) until mid-September, 2h45 mins, 156 euros/adult/roundtrip
3. From Kissamos to Peloponnesus :
a. Every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from Kissamos to Antikythera. 1h 45 mins/way, 20 euros/adult/roundtrip. Every Wednesday and Friday from Antikythera to Kissamos. Depart at 8:15 from Kissamos and at 22:05 from Antikythera
b. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from Kythira to Kissamos. Every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from Kissamos. Depart at 8:15 from Kissamos and at 20:00 from Kythira, approx. 4hrs/way, 27 euros/adult/roundtrip
c. Every Wednesday and Sunday from Kissamos to Gythio. 7hrs/way, 46 euros/adult/roundtrip
4. From Sitia:
a. To Anafi – every Sunday. From Anafi to Sitia every Saturday. You will have to spend a week on Anafi, no return ferry on the same day
b. Karpathos: to Diafani: every Saturday, return on Sunday. Overnight in Karpathos. Every Thursday to Karpathos port. Leave at 7 am from Sitia and at 21:05 from Karpathos. 3h30mins/way, 35 euros/adult/roundtrip
c. To Chalki (next to Rhodes) – every Saturday from Sitia, return on Sunday. Overnight in Chalki, approx. 7hrs/way, 36 euros/adult/roundtrip
d. To Kasos – every Thursday and Sunday, 2hrs/way, 22 euros/adult/roundtrip. Depart at 7 am from Sitia and at 22:25 from Kasos
e. To Rhodes – every Thursday. 7hr45 min/way. Depart at 7 from Sitia and return at 17 from Rhodes, basically 2hrs in Rhodes. Another option is to take the Saturday ferry from Sitia and return from Rhodes on Sunday. 51 euros/adult/roundtrip
5. From Heraklion to the Cyclades:
a. Mykonos, Paros, Naxos – daily. Depart at 8 am from Heraklion. No return the same day! This is the ferry that goes to and from Athens/Piraeus during the day, available only in the summer! You will have to spend a night on the destination island
b. Milos, Siros, Tinos – same as above. The 9am ferry to and from Athens stop on these islands as well.
I hope this helps you have a better understanding of what islands or regions you can visit from Crete, whether it’s a day trip or overnight stay. But you can’t go directly to Lefkada, Skopelos or Thasos from here 😊
Skyline Stories 