CreteForYou.com
Travel to Crete
Dedicated to travel between the UK and Crete
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Book ferry crossings on the Internet. Once we failed to do so and the fare for a car and two passengers booked at Dover was over £62. The Internet price (on special offer) would have been under £25.
- Folkestone < > Calais via the Channel Tunnel with Eurotunnel. Folkestone terminal has direct access from junction 11A on the M20. Calais terminal also has direct motorway access.
With a journey time of 35 minutes and short loading/unloading times this is the quickest cross Channel route
The overland route to Athens goes through Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Macedonia into north eastern Greece and thence to Athens. Again, the Michelin web site is very useful.
This is a time consuming route and not recommended if you’re visiting Crete for less than three or four weeks. It takes about 34 hours driving to Athens from Dunkirk, without accounting for food stops or rest and sleep, plus the ferry trip to Crete. Some roads are very bad, too.
A route for the adventurous.
The drive between Patra and Piraeus (217 Km/135 m) takes 2 to 2½ hours depending on traffic conditions. Much of the route is modern, high standard motorway. There are two small tolls - about €3 each.
To obtain substantial discounts book ALL your Italian and Greek ferry crossings (international and domestic, both ways) at the same time, with the same company or group of companies.
Click logos to visit company sites.
ANEK provides a once daily service between Piraeus and Chania and adds a second sailing during July-September. Dates for 2012 have not been published yet (07/01/2012).
Minoan have applied for a licence to operate summer services to Chania.
Minoan and ANEK-Superfast both operate daily services between Piraeus and Heraklion.
In all cases the journey times are about 7½ - 8½ hours.
CRETE BY ROAD
HOW TO GET THERE
Once across the English Channel there are two main road routes to Crete.
- Drive to an Italian port.
- Cross to Greece by ferry.
- Drive to Athens.
- Cross to Crete by ferry.
OR
- Drive through the Balkans to Athens.
- Cross to Crete by ferry.
The Michelin web site is a good resource, with tools for route planning and information about tolls, speed limits, cameras, road works etc. Choose between recommended, quickest, shortest or scenic routes, avoiding tolls or favouring motorways.
Once across the Channel there are two basic routes* to Greece.
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Through France and, maybe, Switzerland to Italy and ferry to Greece OR
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Through Belgium, Germany and Austria to Italy and ferry to Greece
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The routes can be varied according to personal preference.
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Ferries sail between Patra and Igoumenitsa in Greece and Venice, Ancona, Brindisi and Bari.
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For the quickest overall journey between Crete and the UK the most popular crossing, taking about 23 hours, is Ancona/Patra. Ferries to/from Venice take about 8 hours longer with relatively little saving in driving distance.
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All ferries from Italy to Greece terminate in Patra from where there’s a drive of 217Km/135m to Piraeus (Athens’ port) for the ferry to Heraklion or Chania in Crete.
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If you want to see something of the Greek mainland en route to Crete book the ferry to Igoumenitsa on the north west coast and drive from there to Athens.
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In Italy, if going to the UK via Ancona, drive about 250 Km towards Bologna, then either head northwest through Switzerland and France to Calais or north through Austria, Germany and Belgium to Dunkirk. Travelling via Venice we prefer the route through Germany to Dunkirk.
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* For a quick journey we prefer the route via Germany: there are few speed limits on the well maintained autobahns and no tolls. If making a more leisurely trip meander through France or along the shore of the Bodensee on the route via Germany.
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- Dover < > Calais - the most popular crossing and probably best for those wishing to head south through France.
- Dover < > Dunkirk - a good option if going through Germany and Austria to an Italian ferry port, especially Venice, or making the overland journey via the Balkans.
Travellers based outside south east England could consider these alternatives.
- Newcastle < > Amsterdam - 16 hours crossing
- Hull < > Zeebrugge - 14½ hours
- Harwich < > Hook of Holland - 8¼ hours
- Newhaven < > Dieppe - 4 hours
- The Ferry Cheap website is a “one stop shop” for all ferry and Eurotunnel tickets from the UK to continental Europe. Fares are the same as booking direct with the ferry companies (and sometimes cheaper with promotional fares).
- Our preferred route is Dunkirk < > Dover. The port at Dunkirk is smaller, less busy and easier to negotiate than Dover.
- The crossing is a little longer but the ferries are smaller (and less crowded) than on the Calais route. Queuing, loading and unloading are quicker.
We buy our cross Channel tickets at Ferry Cheap.
Click logos to visit company sites.
The most popular routes between Italy and Greece, with daily services, are Venice or Ancona in Italy to Patra (via Igoumenitsa) in Greece.
- ANEK and Superfast jointly (as ANEK-Superfast) and Minoan sail the Ancona Patra route.
- ANEK and Minoan serve Venice/Patra.
There are daily ferries from Piraeus to Chania and Heraklion in Crete.
- ANEK have a daily, year-round service to and from Chania plus a second daily sailing during the July-September holiday peak . (Actual dates for 2012 have not yet been published).
- Minoan and ANEK-Superfast operate a year-round daily service to and from Heraklion.
In all cases the journey times are about 7½ - 8½ hours.
You can usually board the Crete ferries that leave in the evening from about five o’clock. Some ferries have public showers so even without a cabin you can freshen up.
The ferries on all routes have full and self-service restaurants serving good food at prices comparable with those of a mid-range taverna.
