CRETE planning for August trip.. (need help w/car and place to stay)

In 2019, we rented in Heraklion (aka Iraklio) from AutoRentalsCrete. They brought the car to our hotel, but we then followed them through town to get out of the city, which basically took us very near the airport. Renting at the airport would’ve been simpler, if we weren’t staying further in Iraklio. We returned the car in Chania (aka Hania), but I don’t recall whether there was any extra charge for doing a separate return location.

If you have an interest in the ancient Minoan civilization on Crete, Iraklio is where you want to be, both for the Knossos archaeological complex just south of the city, and for the amazing archaeological museum in the city. As intimidating as the streets and traffic were in Iraklio, the frustrating one-way streets in Hania (not made any easier with GPS, which didn’t really help with navigation) made that city much harder to visit than Iraklio. We enjoyed our stay in Hania, too (once we finally got to the hotel), but Iraklio was much more amazing.

Chania and Rethymno are both lovely towns and Iraklio is quite big and busy but has a lot of great Minoan sites in/nearby (as mentioned above). I'll just note that a car isn't totally necessary as it's easy to get between these three cities by bus (KTEL), and you can get a local bus from Iraklio to Knossos.

Are you flying transatlantic and immediately taking a flight 2 and a half hours later. Are you not concerned with the effects of jet lag? We drove after a transatlantic flight and had to stop 3 times for coffee.

By the way traffic in Heraklion is hectic. The last time we rented a car and returned it to Heraklion at the ferry port I kissed the ground and swore I would never drive in Haraklion ever again.

Here is an idea, why not fly to Chania from Athens. There are several flights daily so it should be an easy connection. Find hotel in the old town within the city walls. You will be able to get over jet lag in an amazing ancient city.

Now on day 3, as mentioned you can take the KTEL bus from Chania and either go to Heraklion (there may be a bus change in Rethmnon) but in either case you do not need a car to make that connection.

As stated there is bus and taxi service to Knossos from central Heraklion so a car is not necessary.

One tip get to Knossas as soon as it opens. The tourist crowds tend to arrive in large numbers a bit later in the day.

By starting in Chania and taking the bus to Heraklion you do not need a car at all. And when you experience the traffic in Heraklion you will give thanks you did not rent a car.

Just in case you decide to rent the car anyway I can recommend Autorentals Crete. They have offices in both Heraklion and Chania. They will deliver the car to your location. There are several other really good locally owned car rental companies in Crete and most of them have excellent reputations.

Here is a link to my latest Chania images.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/53810898346/in/album-72177720318408008/

I forgot, here are some images of Herklion. Non taken while driving.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157655935354556/

Hi Cyn,
"They bought the car to our hotel..." - that always amazes me... So did you rent the car when you got to the hotel, or was this from advanced reservation?? How did you communicate that you would meet the auto rental person at your hotel??

Hi Cat VH/Stanbr - yes.. if I have my choice, I would rather rely on public transportaion.. you mention "car isn't totally necessary" - but how do we travel to those epic beaches?? do bus regularly go there too??

HI Stanbr - lovely pictures.. yes we are arriving from US to Ath the same day.. we are flying business class, so hopefully we'll be well rested and tackle onto Crete the same day.. Our initial plan was to got Chania (we much prefer this city) - until we realized, the Ferry to Santorini is in Heraklion.. so due to logistics, we have to fly to Heraklion..
Same question re: rental car.. how do we arrange a car delivery to our hotel?? do we tell them, we'll be staying at this hotel, and we'll see you at 1pM on this date?? or those communications done at time of booking or via whatsapp after booking?? Kinda confused on how to arrange that..
Thank you so much for those pictures.. and all your advices Cyn, Cat VH and Stanbr

With only 4 nights (3 full days) in Crete, I’d follow StanBr’s advice and fly into Chania. Explore the city a bit on arrival day.

Day 1: take an excursion to a fabulous beach (maybe Balos or Elafonissi).

Day 2: bus to Heraklion. Maybe visit the archaeological museum.

Day 3: bus to Knossos. Explore Heraklion a bit.

Day 4: walk or taxi to ferry terminal & catch ferry to Santorini.

You won’t need a car at all.

No need to confine yourself to Heraklion just because ferry to Santorini departs there. I have always flown into Chania ... there are busses every 2 hours to Heraklion startinge in early morning... if you weant to be super-sure you could take a bus the night before. Also, when you rent a car in Chania, many agencies allow to to drop the car right at the Heraklion Port (or airport) depending on how you are departing. Don't deprive yourself of Chania just because not enough research; all the answers are onlline.

Yes, the buses go to the beach! When we visited Crete we didn't rent a car at all, and we stayed in Chania, Rethymno, and one night at the end in Iraklio. To give you an idea, here is where we were able to visit by bus: Falasarna beach (known for big waves), Balos (we did a boat trip from here), Elafonissi (one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe with pink sand), Samaria Gorge, and Preveli beach. All those were from Chania except for Preveli, which was from Rethymno. Rethymno also has a very nice beach itself.

You can find the KTEL timetables here: https://www.e-ktel.com/en/services/dromologia

Kalo taxithi!

Gene, we reserved the car and made the rental pickup/drop off arrangements before we ever left the U.S.A. We stayed at the Hotel Kastro in Iraklio, and they delivered the car to a small lot a couple hundred feet down the street from the hotel’s entrance on the day we departed Iraklio for other parts of Crete. We didn’t need, or want, a car while staying in Iraklio, and did take the bus to/from Knossos the day we visited it.

With just 4 nights on Crete, you may be too limited to go there, but one of the places we stayed for a couple of nights was inland, on the Lasithi Plateau, in the village of Tzermiado. We drove around the countryside, which historically had hundreds of windmills, and cresting a hill, had to stop for a flock of sheep crossing the road. At the end of the flock came the shepherd, who proudly held up a just-born lamb for us to see, the umbilical chord still dangling from its belly. Very different from the coastal parts.

This might also be beyond where you’d be able to go, but with a car, you could potentially visit Festos (aka Phaistos) to the south, with a massive Minoan site, maybe even more impressive than Knossos. We stayed nearby, in Pitsidia.

We never rented a car in Crete. We took a bus between Heraklion and Chania . And while in Heraklion took a city bus to Knossos.
A car is great if you really want to explore to island , but with only 4-5 days you don’t have much exploring time .

Ps we thought the archeological museum in Heraklion was very good - totally recommend.

Agree with the other posts. A car isn't necessary if you are only going to be in Chania, Rethymno, and Herakelon. KTEL buses run frequently between these places. A car is only necessary if you are going to be in remote places with infrequent bus service. KTEL Information desk in Chania is wonderful and can give you lots of helpful information on bus schedules to plan your trips around the island. So is the Tourist Information office in Chania.

I also made use of Heraklion KTEL office luggage storage facility to drop off my bags to visit Knossos Palace and Heraklion Archeological Museum. They stayed open until 7 pm when I visited (in October). City buses run frequently to Knossos Palace from the Archeological museum and the ferry port.

I visited Elafonissi using KTEL bus from Chania. The bus departs from Chania to Elafonissi and waits for a few hours while you enjoy the beach and then bring you back to Chania. You will have at least a few hours (3 or 4, if I recall correctly) at Elafonissi. I don't know if you will have a longer stay in August as my visit was at the end of September 2024.

We were in Crete in 2022 for 5 nights. We stayed at Nymphes Luxury Apartments in Heraklion. It was LOVEY - great views and close enough to most sites, while also feeling removed enough to be peaceful. We also rented a car and drove for a day trip to the Elafonisi Beach and had dinner in Chania. I would have loved to have spent more time on that side of the island, but our trip was still amazing. Driving and parking in Chania was...an adventure! Just be patient, relax, and enjoy. GPS didn't work great in our car, so we talked to the locals a lot and got directions. Everyone is very kind!

I would recommend a couple of nights in Athens before flying to Crete, if possible.