Getting around Crete: car, bus, ferry - and the train that does not exist

By car - the only way to see the whole island

The northern highway links Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos and is easy driving. Everything else - gorges, mountain villages, the south coast, most beaches - is on smaller roads that buses rarely serve. A car is the difference between seeing Crete and seeing your resort.

• Heraklion to Chania about 2 h; Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos about 1 h; Heraklion to Matala about 1 h 15 min.
• Roads are paved almost everywhere visitors go; the famous exception is the gravel track to Balos, where rental insurance is void.
• With MyCrete the car comes to your hotel, the airport or the port, with full insurance at €0 excess and no deposit - the exact price is in your quote before you confirm.

By bus - KTEL covers the north coast well

KTEL is the intercity bus network, and along the north coast it is genuinely good: frequent, air-conditioned coaches between Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, Hersonissos, Malia and Agios Nikolaos, plus town buses to Knossos and the airports. Tickets are cheap and bought at the station or on board.

• Frequent all-day service on the Chania-Heraklion-Agios Nikolaos corridor.
• South coast routes (Matala, Plakias, Chora Sfakion) run once or twice a day - plan around the timetable.
• Mountain villages and small beaches usually have no useful service at all.

By ferry and boat - the south coast's real road

On the south-west coast the ferry is the highway: boats link Chora Sfakion, Loutro, Agia Roumeli, Sougia and Paleochora, and are the only way out of the Samaria gorge. From the north, ferries run to Santorini and other islands, and excursion boats cover Spinalonga, Balos and Dia.

• Samaria hikers exit by boat - the gorge has no road at its end.
• Loutro is reachable only by boat or on foot.
• Car ferries to Santorini run in season from Heraklion; excursion boats run daily in summer from most resorts.

By taxi and transfer - fine for hops, expensive for touring

Taxis are easy to find at the airport, in towns and at resorts, and work well for airport runs and evenings out. For a full day of sightseeing across the island the meter adds up fast - at that point a day of car rental is usually the cheaper option for two or more people.

So what should you choose?

Staying in one resort with an occasional excursion: buses and boats will do. Exploring properly: a car for at least part of the week. The compromise we suggest most often is a car-free week with one or two rental days for the inland loop - delivered to your hotel, so no desk queue eats the day.