Crete is big enough to keep you busy for weeks, but hopping on a boat is part of the fun. Some ferries take you to Athens or the Cyclades, others to tiny islands just off the coast.
Athens (Piraeus) to Crete
Big overnight ferries run every day between Piraeus and Heraklion, and between Piraeus and Souda (the port of Chania). The trip takes around 8 to 9 hours. Book a cabin, sleep through the night and wake up in Crete with your car or rental already on board. In summer there are extra daytime sailings and sometimes a line to Rethymno.
Santorini and the Cyclades
From Heraklion, fast ferries go to Santorini in about 2 hours, mostly from spring to autumn. Many continue to Ios, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos, so you can island hop north and fly home from another island. A day trip to Santorini is possible but long. Two nights there is a lot more relaxed.
The Dodecanese
From Sitia in the far east, ferries run a few times a week to Kasos, Karpathos and Rhodes. Slow and scenic, great if you have time.
Small islands off Crete
These you visit by local boat, often as a day trip:
- Gramvousa & Balos from Kissamos port
- Spinalonga from Plaka, Elounda or Agios Nikolaos
- Chrissi island from Ierapetra, with its cedar forest and pale sand
- Gavdos, the southernmost point of Europe, from Chora Sfakion or Paleochora
- The south west coast boat linking Paleochora, Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro and Chora Sfakion
Good to know
Schedules change every season and strong winds (the summer meltemi) can cancel fast boats. Always check the current timetable a few days before, and don't plan a ferry on the day of your flight home.
Read more about the islands in Islands around Crete.
Updated: 2026-10-29
