- Choosing wings
- How to get to Crete by ferry
- To the island by bus
- The car is not a luxury
The largest of the Greek islands in terms of area, Crete is called one of the most important economic and cultural centers of the country. Russian tourists are familiar with the Cretan beaches, which are especially loved by Europeans for their cleanliness and developed infrastructure. If you are planning to spend your holidays on a Greek island and are deciding how to get to Crete, take a look at the offers of Greek and other European airlines.
Choosing wings
At the height of the beach season, you can fly to Crete with a direct Aeroflot flight from Moscow or on numerous charters from several Russian airports. The cost of the flight is 260 euros for the Russian air flagship and, in different ways, for charter companies. If you buy a package tour, the flight is usually much cheaper. Travel time on a direct non-stop flight is about 4 hours.
Greek carrier Aegean Airlines flies from Moscow to Crete via Athens. Taking into account the docking, you will have to spend at least 5, 5 hours on the road. The ticket price is also not very democratic - from 250 euros for a roundtrip flight.
During the high season, many flights to the island appear on the schedules of other European airlines. Within 250 euros per ticket, you can fly on KLM wings via Amsterdam, Lufthansa via Frankfurt, Air France via Paris and Alitalia via Rome. Travel time will depend on the route and duration of the connection.
After landing at the airport, which bears the name of Nikos Kazandakis, use the services of taxi or city buses. The airport is located just a few kilometers from the center of Heraklion, and therefore the transfer prices will not be too high. Taxis can be caught for 20-25 euros, depending on the location of your hotel, and bus line 87 will take passengers to the Heraklion bus station for just 1.5 euros.
More information about the airport can be found at www.hcaa.gr/en/our-airports/kratikos-aerolimenas-hrakleioy-n-kazantzakhs.
How to get to Crete by ferry
A large seaport on the island allows passenger ferries to dock from the mainland. You can get to Crete from Athens by sea ferry. All stages of the path look like this:
- It is best to entrust the flight Moscow - Athens to Aegean Airlines. Their services will cost about 170 euros for a round-trip ticket. The journey from Moscow to Athens will take about three hours.
- From Athens airport, take the metro and continue until the intersection with the green line. The station is called Monastiraki. Change on it and take the green line to the Piraeus terminal station. The stop is right in front of the port. The metro is open from 5.30 am to midnight. Buses of routes 49, 95, 94 and 40 also go to the port from the city center. The fare is 5 euros on express trains and 1.5 euros on regular buses. Some routes serve passengers around the clock, others - from 6.30 to 21.00. Tickets are sold by the driver or automatic ticket offices at metro stations.
- Several ferries of various companies leave the port of Athens for Heraklion every day. Their passengers spend about 9 hours on the way. The fare is 35-50 euros per adult passenger, depending on the carrier chosen. For this money, you can take a seat on the deck. A berth in the cabin will cost from 60 to 100 euros, depending on the class of the cabin.
To book tickets, meet the ferry companies operating the route and check the timetable, visit www.ferriesingreece.com.
To the island by bus
The longest way to transfer to Crete is by bus, but despite the not too humane prices and almost 80 hours on the road, there are lovers of this exotic.
The bus route will have to be composed of several stages. The beginning of the journey is a bus station near the Teply Stan metro station in Moscow. Then you should make transfers in Warsaw, Vienna, Belgrade and Athens. All the fun will cost about 250 euros. Too long journey will help to brighten up modern multimedia systems, on the screens of which passengers will be shown films and music programs. Buses are equipped with individual sockets, so telephones and other electronic equipment can be charged on the move.
The car is not a luxury
The ferry crossing is a great opportunity to travel with your own car. To get to Crete by car, first take a course for Athens, where you will be loaded with an iron horse on a car ferry.
For a safe and comfortable car trip across Europe, familiarize yourself with the traffic rules and the amount of fines for their violations. Detailed information is collected on the website www.autotraveller.ru.
The cost of one liter of fuel at a gas station in Greece is 1.55 euros. Some highways in the country are toll and the size of the fare depends on the mileage traveled and the type of vehicle.
Parking in Athens is paid on weekdays and Saturdays from 9.00 to 21.00 and from 9.00 to 16.00, respectively. Parking cost - half euro per hour.
All prices in the material are approximate and given as of February 2017. It is better to check the exact fare on the official websites of the carriers.
