Crete Airport Transfers, Taxis and Shuttles
Getting from a Crete airport to your hotel is easy once you know the options. Crete has two main airports, Heraklion (HER) and Chania (CHQ), and you can reach your resort by pre-booked private transfer, shared shuttle, airport taxi, public bus or hire car. This guide explains each option, what it costs and how to choose.
- Airports
- Heraklion, Chania
- Fastest
- Private transfer
- Cheapest
- KTEL bus
- Drive on the
- Right
Ways to get from a Crete airport to your hotel
Crete has two international airports, Heraklion (HER) in the centre-east and Chania (CHQ) in the west, and a small one at Sitia. How you reach your hotel depends on your budget, your group size and how far the resort is from the airport. The five main options are below, ordered by how direct they are.
| Option | Best for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | Families, groups, direct to your hotel | Book ahead; a driver meets you at arrivals and takes you door to door for a fixed price. |
| Shared shuttle | Couples and solo travellers on a budget | A minibus drops several parties at resorts along the way; cheaper but slower. |
| Airport taxi | Getting going straight away | Licensed taxis wait outside arrivals and charge a regulated fare, with an airport and luggage surcharge. |
| Public bus (KTEL) | The cheapest way to the main towns | Buses run to Heraklion and Chania towns; from there you change for the resorts. |
| Car hire | Touring the island | Pick up at the airport and drive yourself; best if you want to explore Crete. |
Private transfers, shuttles and taxis
A pre-booked private transfer is the simplest arrival: you pay a fixed price in advance, a driver meets you at arrivals with a name board, and you go straight to your door with no waiting. A shared shuttle costs less but stops at several resorts on the way. An airport taxi needs no booking, waits at a rank outside arrivals and charges a regulated meter or a set zone fare, plus small airport and luggage surcharges.
For the airport-by-airport detail, see our Heraklion airport transfers and Chania airport transfers guides, or read about private transfers in Crete.
The public bus and getting around
The KTEL bus is the cheapest way from the airports to the main towns, but it runs to town bus stations rather than directly to most resorts, so you often change once. For touring beyond your resort, a hire car is usually better value than repeated taxis, because Crete's sights are spread far apart.
