HOW TO COME IN CRETE

                                          During the Summer season which starts already in March it is easy to come from all parts of the world to Crete. Airline companies offer scheduled or charter flights from practically all the Airports in Europe. Coming to Crete from another part of this planet, than the best way is to find a connection with Athens and if your travel agent can book also your connection with Crete that would make your trip more convienent. If not you can book here your seat direct at the airport, there are 8-10 flights per day to Crete with Olympic Airways and Aegean Airlines.

http://www.aegeanair.com             http://www.olympic-airways.gr

         

 

                           

There are 2 public airports on the island and 2 small airports for the army at Sitia and Timbaki. The main airport is at Heraklion its named after Nikos Kazantzakis, the famous writer from Crete.

            

             

            

 

The second airport is on the Akrotiri near Chania and this one is shared with the Nato Army base. For the Timbaki and Sitia airports, there are planns to make them suitable as a public airport. That would increase Tourism to the south coast and the eastern parts of Crete, which will have good and bad effects is my opinion.

 

( you can also come like this men to Crete)

 

Travellers from Europe will find cheap package holidays from the Tour operators with accommodation, transfer and food included. Here you will go to destinations where economic programs for these Multi national companies are profitable. With the devellopment from the internet, more and more tourist find their own holiday accommodation and tourist need only a flight to Crete. In the low season you'll always find tickets from the charter companies or from scheduled services for reasonable prices. The rest you can arrange directly with the owners of the prefered accommodation or you make contact with a local Travel Agency. They can also inform you if you made the right choice, since they are objective and independent and work with many accommodation owners.http://groups.msn.com/TOURISTSERVICESCRETE 

       

Coming to Crete for a longer period and you want to bring your own car ? Remember this that the government allows a foreign number plate car from EU citizin for a maximum of 6 months in their country.

Ferry boat  connections can be booked and today with the high speed services you may arrive here on Crete from the middle of Europe in about 3 days. Places to embark the ship you'll find in Italy in Triest, Venice, Ancona and Bari.

Click:               

http://www.bluestarferries.com    http://www.anek.gr  http://www.minoan.gr  

http://www.superfast.com

First stop is in the Greek city Patras on the Peleponessos, from where you can go by car to Athens and the harbor city Pireaus in 3-4 hours. During the summer you can depart from the Harbor in the south part of the Peleponessos, Lakonia / Gitea from where you'll have a connection in 5-6 hours to Chania and Kissamos.

From Pireaus there are daily Ferry boat connections to Crete, arrival port is Chania, Rethymno or Heraklion. Ussually the boats leave at 20.00 hrs. in the evening and in the high season there are also dayroutes. Fast services with a travel time of 7-8 hours are offered by Blue star ferries and Minoan Lines

Since 2005 there are the fast boats of Hellenic Seaways ; before flying Dolphins, they can bring you in 4 hrs. from Pireaus to Chania.

They also serve other main islands of Greece

http://www.flyingdolphins.gr

For the island hoppers   (people traveling from 1 island to the other) in the summer you'll find from Crete connections to Rhodes and other islands of the Dodecanessos. There are connections from Crete with the Cyclades, like Santorini and Mykonos and routes to Thessaloniki, Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt.

 Santorini