There are several ways to reach Rethymno:
- By air travel to Athens, and a connecting flight to the Cretan cities of either Chania or Heraklion, and then bus or taxi travel to Rethymno (approximately 1 hour).
- By air travel from a European city directly to the Cretan cities of either Chania or Heraklion, and then bus or taxi travel to Rethymno (approximately 1 hour).
- By air travel to Athens, and ferryboat from Athens (the port of Piraeus) to Heraklion or Chania and then bus or taxi travel to Rethymno.
By plane
Information regarding flights and time schedules can be located in official sites of OLYMPIC Airways, AEGEAN Airlines, Sky Express and RyanAir. Travelers can reach Rethymno by air travel from Athens via Chania or Heraklion. Flights between Athens and either of these cities take slightly less than one hour. Also RyanAir has direct flights to Chania from many European cities.
Several domestic airlines serve the Athens-Chania-Athens and Athens-Heraklion-Athens routes. The airlines include: Aegean Airlines (A3), Olympic Airlines (OA).
Land travel between Chania airport and Rethymno
Option 1: Transfer by taxi costs between €75 and €90. However, this cost can be divided if more than one passenger shares the taxi (up to 4).
Option 2: After arriving at the Chania airport, travellers can take preferably a taxi or city bus to the intercity bus terminal (KTEL) in the city of Chania, and from there intercity buses leave for the Rethymno bus terminal approximately every hour between 5:00 and 20:00.
Option 3: Certain flights of Olympic Airways have a connecting bus from the Chania airport to the center of the city of Rethymno.
Land travel between Heraklion airport and Rethymno
Option 1: At Heraklion airport you can also find taxis which can drive you directly to your hotels in Rethymno for a price of approximately €85-€100. It is possible for a group of 3 or 4 persons to hire a TAXI and share the expenses.
Option 2: After arriving at the Heraklion airport, travelers can take preferably a taxi or a city bus to the intercity bus terminal (KTEL) in the city of Heraklion (in the port area), and from there intercity buses leave for the Rethymno bus terminal approximately every hour between 06:00 and 20:00. .
By boat
Ferryboat connection between Athens and Crete is available through Chania, Souda Bay (ANEK LINES, Blue Star Ferries ) or Heraklion (MINOAN LINES, ANEK LINES, Blue Star Ferries). After arrival at the port of Souda (Chania) or Heraklion, travelers would choose between the bus/taxi options listed above.
By bus “Greek Road Transport Company” (KTEL)
From Souda Bay or from Heraklion Port KTEL buses drive you to the Rethymno bus terminal.
KTEL Buses depart from Chania at 05:30 till 20:30 every hour and from Heraklion at 06:30 till 20:30 every hour.
Then you can find a Taxi, which can drive you to your hotel at a price of €5-€8.