How to get from Crete to Santorini?

How to get from Crete to Santorini? There are two options. Both, in detail, I will describe in this blog post. So you will be able to organise your journey easily.

Crete is the largest Greek island and the 5th biggest island in the Mediterranean Sea (bigger are Italian Sicily and Sardinia, Cyprus, and French Corsica), with a long history, cultural heritage, and amazing views. Santorini is a smaller island, but equally known. It’s famous among travellers from all over the world and a travel dream for many of us.

But you know what’s best when visiting Greek islands? Greek islands hopping! Even if you plan to hop between only two islands, Crete and Santorini, I can assure you, it’s a great idea.

Let me present to you how to travel from Crete to Santorini (and the opposite way, from Santorini to Crete) and give you a few tips to make this trip as smooth as possible.

Quick Links to organise your trip to Greece:

Check and book your ferries here.

Book your accommodations here.

On Santorini Island, look at these hotels:

Markakis in Fira / Heliophos Caves next to Oia / Crystal Blue in Kamari

Here, you can compare prices and rent a car.

And on this website, you can review and book your flights.

Ways to get from Crete to Santorini

The distance between Crete and Santorini is 141 km (88 miles). If you look at the map, both islands are next to each other; Santorini is in the north of Crete.

There are two options to get from Crete to Santorini. Firstly, flight. Secondly, and a more common way, is by ferry.

Let’s look at the details of both transport means.

How to get from Crete to Santorini: Plane

There is an international airport in Santorini. Santorini Airport is close to Fira, the island’s capital and largest city, and you can easily get to the centre by Ktel bus, so public bus.

Crete is a big island, and there are 3 airports in Crete: Chania, Heraklion, and Sitia. Sitia is active in the summer months and mostly internally, while Heraklion Airport and Chania Airport are two of the busiest airports in Greece. There are many international flights as well as internal ones.

At the moment, I don’t see any direct flights between Crete and Santorini. You can fly with one change, via Athens. Check out Sky Express or Aegean Airlines for that.

Although there is no summer schedule yet presented, and it can always change as flights between Greek islands become more popular.

How to get from Crete to Santorini: Ferry

The most common, quickest, and most convenient way is to get from Crete to Santorini by ferry.

It’s also very scenic and nice. Crete has many smaller and bigger ports. To Santorini, you can get from two ports on the north coast of Crete: Rethymno and Heraklion port.

The port of Heraklion is the main one, where different ferry companies leave.

If you land or stay around Chania, you will need to travel to the ferry port. From Chania to Heraklion, it takes around 3 hours to travel by public bus.

Ferry schedule varies, depending on the season. During the summer season, there are more ferry crossings, a few daily.

The crossing time also varies, depending on the type of ferry. For a high-speed ferry, it takes 1 hour and 50 minutes only.

However, it can be dependent on the weather conditions, as ferries in Greece can be sensitive to the weather and winds, usually during the winter and shoulder seasons.

Ferry trip and schedule

There are a few companies that provide crossings between Crete and Santorini. It’s Seajets, Fast Ferries and Minoan Lines. Tickets cost around 90 Euro.

In the peak season, there are around 4 ferries, and they all leave Heraklion in the morning, between 7 and 10 am. In the opposite direction, from Santorini to Heraklion, ferries leave in the afternoon.

Part of these ferry services are car ferries. However, check with your car rental to see if you can take a car to another island.

From Rethymno, it takes around 2 and a half hours, ferries are less frequent.

I don’t want to give here the exact timing of ferries, as the ferry schedule in Greece changes often and it can still change before the season, so I don’t want to present the wrong timing.

The best is to check the schedule and book the ferry on Ferryscranner.

If you travel during the summer months and high season, remember to book tickets in advance, as they tend to get really busy. It’s risky to plan to buy the ticket at the ticket booths just before the cruise.

It’s possible that you will need to pre-book online, but pick up the ticket from the office in the port or in the centre. Although electronic tickets are becoming more common for different companies.

Santorini Port

Port of Santorini (Athinios Port) is not the most pleasant port, compared to other ports on other, less known islands. It’s quite busy and chaotic. But also, it’s easy to see your ferry in the ferry terminal, and, what’s important, it’s easy to arrive at the port.

To arrive at the port, you can take a taxi or a public bus. If you are already in Fira centre, it’s one bus that takes 20-30 minutes.

If you travel from the airport, you will need to change a bus at Fira bus station (it’s a small station, and change is easy).

From the island of Santorini port, you can also get to other islands, especially Cyclades.

How to get from Crete to Santorini: Helicopter

Actually, there is one more way that you can get from Crete to Santorini. Let’s treat it as a very special bonus. You can rent a helicopter flight!

Maybe it’s an idea for some very special occasion?

You can book it here or here.

Is it possible to visit Santorini during a one-day trip?

Yes, it’s possible to visit the island during an organised Santorini day tour. I’m not a huge fan of this idea, as I really think this island needs more time to get to know and really feel it. And I suggest spending at least one night in Santorini. Obviously, it’s not always possible, than one-day tour is the best way to get a grasp of the island.

More about one day trips you can read in this blog post.

If you are searching for such an organised tour, check out this one.

Crete and Santorini Summary

Hopefully you will have a chance to see both islands and that your journey will be easier now.

I’ve visited both Crete and Santorini. On the island of Crete, I really fell in love with Chania and Chora Sfakion in the south. I also visited Heraklion and around, although I have to say that ‘Chania part’ somehow caught my attention more.

Santorini is just special, although it can be tiring because of the crowds and touristic character of the island. Try to avoid the high season if it’s possible.

It’s also worth remembering that Santorini is a part of the Cyclades Islands group, and you can combine it with visiting the other 23 islands. They are absolutely amazing, with white villages, charming towns, and views.

Santorini can also be expensive. But if you don’t need to stay in this typical ‘instagrammable’ accommodation type, you can organise your trip in more budget-friendly ways.

Check out Santorini posts to see places to stay and other Santorini tips:

Where to stay in Santorini

How to get to Santorini and get around the island

Here you will find a lot of tips regarding Planning a Trip to Greece, and if you want to see information about Greek airports, check out this blog post.