Greece › Crete › Crete Bus Routes
By Santorini Dave
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Crete’s intercity buses are comfortable and inexpensive and work especially well between the main towns along the north coast.
Getting Around Crete by Bus
Crete has a very good bus system, especially between Chania, Rethymno, Heraklio, Agios Nikolaos, and the resorts along the north coast. If you’re staying in one of the main towns, you can see quite a lot of Crete without renting a car.
Buses are less useful for mountain villages, remote beaches, wineries, and trips that combine several rural sights in one day. Summer service is much more frequent than winter service, and some beach and village routes run only during the main tourist season.
Crete Bus Companies and Official Schedules
There is no single Crete bus timetable. Two KTEL companies operate most of the island’s intercity buses, while Heraklio and Chania also have separate local city-bus systems.
- West Crete and the Chania-Rethymno-Heraklio corridor: KTEL Chania-Rethymno. Use this for Chania, Rethymno, Elafonisi, Falassarna, Kissamos, Omalos and Samaria Gorge, Paleochora, Sfakia, and many other western-Crete routes.
- Central and East Crete: KTEL Heraklio-Lasithi. Use this for Heraklio, Hersonissos, Malia, Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, Ierapetra, Sitia, Matala, and many central and eastern routes.
- City buses: Heraklio and Chania have separate local bus networks. These are used for some airport, port, neighborhood, and city-sight routes. The Heraklio bus to Knossos, for example, is a city bus rather than an intercity KTEL coach.
Always check the official timetable for your exact travel date. Crete bus schedules change during the season, sometimes several times between spring and fall. The printed timetable you saw a month ago might no longer be current.
Do I Need to Book Crete Bus Tickets in Advance?
For a long-distance bus that you absolutely need to catch, especially in July and August, I buy the ticket ahead of time. Online booking is available for many intercity routes, and the KTEL Chania-Rethymno system allows you to choose a specific departure and seat.
For short local trips and less busy routes, buying a ticket at the station or ticket kiosk before departure is normally easy.
You do not need to print an online ticket if the operator has issued a mobile e-ticket. Keep it available on your phone for boarding.
Crete Bus Fares
Bus travel is inexpensive compared with taxis and renting a car. Intercity fares depend on the route, while city buses in Chania and Heraklio use separate local fare systems.
I would not plan around prices quoted on old travel sites. Bus fares and urban ticket zones change occasionally, and the official booking sites show the current fare before you buy.
Where Is Crete Easy to Explore by Bus?
Buses work particularly well for:
- Chania, Rethymno, and Heraklio: frequent intercity connections along the north coast.
- Agios Nikolaos: frequent buses to and from Heraklio, with onward local connections around eastern Crete.
- Hersonissos and Malia: frequent service from Heraklio during the travel season.
- North-coast resorts west of Chania: Stalos, Agia Marina, Platanias, Maleme, and Kolymbari have frequent summer buses.
- Popular western-Crete day trips: buses run from Chania to places such as Elafonisi, Falassarna, Kissamos, Omalos for Samaria Gorge, Paleochora, and Hora Sfakion. Many of these routes are seasonal.
- Matala and other central-Crete destinations: served from Heraklio, with much more frequent service in summer than winter.
A rental car or organized tour is better if you want to visit several mountain villages, wineries, isolated beaches, or multiple archaeological and natural sights in one day.
Popular Crete Bus Routes
Do not use the departure times below as a timetable. I give approximate journey times and explain whether the route is practical. Check the official KTEL site for the current schedule.
Chania to Rethymno
One of the easiest bus trips in Crete. Buses run frequently, particularly in summer, and the trip takes roughly 1 hour 15 minutes. Rethymno is easy to visit as a day trip from Chania, though I prefer spending at least one night if your itinerary allows it.
Chania to Heraklio
Regular buses run through Rethymno and take roughly 2½ to 3 hours, depending on the service and traffic. Seasonal express services can be quicker. This is a good way to move between bases but too much bus time for a casual sightseeing day trip.
Rethymno to Heraklio
Allow roughly 1½ hours. The route is frequent and makes Heraklio easy to reach without a car.
Heraklio to Agios Nikolaos
A straightforward and frequent route taking about 1½ hours. From Agios Nikolaos, there are buses onward to Elounda, Plaka, Ierapetra, Sitia, and other eastern Crete destinations.
Agios Nikolaos to Elounda
An easy local trip with several buses per day and more frequent service during the main travel season. This works well for travelers staying in Agios Nikolaos who want to visit Elounda or continue toward Spinalonga.
Chania to Elafonisi
KTEL runs seasonal buses from Chania to Elafonisi. The schedule is well-suited for a beach day, with a morning departure and an afternoon return during the main season. The drive is long and winding, so this is a full-day outing.
Chania to Falassarna
Seasonal buses connect Chania with Falassarna, sometimes with a connection in Kissamos. There are more departures in summer than to Elafonisi, making Falassarna one of the easier major western beaches to visit without a car.
Chania to Balos
Buses do not take you to Balos Lagoon itself. They run from Chania to Kissamos Port, where the excursion boats leave for Balos and Gramvousa. In summer the KTEL timetable is coordinated with the boat departures and returns.
Chania to Samaria Gorge
Seasonal buses run early in the morning from Chania to Omalos/Xyloskalo, the usual starting point for the full Samaria Gorge hike. After hiking to Agia Roumeli, you take the south-coast ferry to a road-connected village and return toward Chania by bus.
This is one trip where using the bus is actually easier than driving because the hike begins and ends in completely different places.
Heraklio to Knossos
Knossos is reached by Heraklio city bus #2, not the long-distance KTEL coaches. Buses run frequently from central Heraklio and the trip is short. Buy your ticket before boarding when possible.
Heraklio to Matala
Direct KTEL buses operate between Heraklio and Matala, with substantially more departures in summer than in the low season. It works as a bus day trip when the timetable is favorable, but check the return time before leaving Heraklio.
Crete Airport Buses
Chania Airport
KTEL Chania-Rethymno operates buses between Chania Airport and central Chania, as well as some direct airport services to Rethymno. Airport schedules change with the flight season, so check the official timetable for your arrival date.
The Chania bus station is in the city center, within easy walking distance of the Old Town.
Heraklio Airport
Heraklio Airport is served by local city buses to central Heraklio. Some intercity buses heading east also stop at the airport, but not every departure does, so check the route before boarding.
For the ferry port, take a city bus into central Heraklio and continue on foot from the main station if the routing works for your luggage and schedule. A taxi is much easier if you have heavy bags or a tight connection for the Crete to Santorini ferry.
Crete Ferry Port Buses
Heraklio Ferry Port
Heraklio’s main intercity bus station is beside the port area and about a 5-minute walk from the ferry terminal. This is extremely convenient for travelers arriving by ferry and continuing to Chania, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos, or elsewhere on the island.
Souda Ferry Port for Chania
Chania’s ferries use Souda Port, about 7 km east of Chania Old Town. Public buses connect Souda with Chania, and extra services are commonly timed around major ferry arrivals and departures.
Do not confuse Souda ferry port with Chania’s Venetian harbor. Ferries from Athens use Souda.
The main intercity bus station in Heraklio is near the ferry port, about a 5-minute walk from the ferry terminal. Buses leave from here for Chania, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos, and many central and south-coast destinations. A second station at Chanioporta serves some inland and western routes, so check your exact departure station before leaving your hotel.
Buy tickets inside the Heraklio bus station. For an important long-distance departure in summer, I prefer buying ahead of time.
The bus stops at Heraklio Airport are directly outside the terminal area. Local buses run into Heraklio, and some intercity buses heading east also serve the airport. Not every intercity departure stops here, so check the route before boarding. For the ferry port, travel into central Heraklio and continue from there, or take a taxi directly from the airport if you have heavy luggage or a tight connection.
Bus line #2 to Knossos leaves from the city bus station near the port. This is a Heraklio city bus, not one of the intercity KTEL coaches. Buy your return ticket before leaving Heraklio if convenient.
The Chania Bus Station is in the city center, a short walk from Chania Old Town.
Buy tickets inside Chania Bus Station. Online tickets are also available for many intercity routes.
Public buses connect Souda ferry port with Chania, with additional service commonly scheduled around major ferry arrivals. Buy tickets at the port kiosk when available.
Buses to Souda ferry port use stops in central Chania. Check the current departure point before travel, as ferry-related services do not necessarily leave from the main intercity bus station. This stop near the Old Town has been used for port services.
Ticket kiosk for buses between Chania and Souda ferry port. Current fares are posted when you buy your ticket.
Smaller towns have simple bus stops rather than full stations. This is the covered bus stop in Elounda.
Bus stops commonly have posted schedules. They are useful for local departures, but I still check the official KTEL website when planning an important connection because schedules change during the year.
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