TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION
The
distance from London to Athens is 1900 miles (2850 km). Most vacationers choose
a direct flight to the island of Crete. Very few people come to Crete by car.
There are ferries to Greece from Venice and Ancona. In summer some of them go
directly to Iraklion/Crete and others land in Patras. From Patras you can travel
by car to Athens/Piraeus and board the boat to Crete.
Iraklion
airport serves as the main airport of the island with frequent national and
international flights every day. The international airport of Chania, Akrotiri
offers good and easy access to the western part of the island. Sitia
has also an airport that has been recently renovated. Destinations such as
Rhodes, Kassos, Karpathos and the Airport of Athens are included in its weekly
timetable.
From
Iraklion harbour ferry-boats leave for Piraeus, and there are regular departures
to Thessaloniki connecting in between with Santorini and the port of the north
Aegean islands. From Souda, the large harbour outside of Chania, ferry boats
leave for Piraeus every evening. In Rethymno it is even more convenient as the
harbour is in town and from the old town you can walk to the boat that takes you
to the mainland daily. Connections to South Peloponnese from the port of
Kastelli in West Crete are seasonal. One shipping line offers connection between
Kastelli port and the island of Kythira and Gytheion.
Small motor-boats from Chora Sfakion, Sougia or Paleochora connect the south
coast of Crete with Gavdos, the
only inhabited islet of all those that surround Crete.
The
ships of the Cyclades connect Piraeus with Sitia and Agios Nikolaos. The
harbours on the Libyan Sea (south side) have little activity with the exception
of Kaloi Limenes and Ierapetra.