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Destination Crete

Welcome

Welcome to Crete, the island of myth - cradle of European civilizations - birthplace of El Greco, Nikos Kazantzakis, sirtaki.

History

The Island has a long history that goes back to the Neolithic times. It is however known for the Minoan civilization that flourished from 2600 to 1100 B.C. The island is full of relics of the Minoan ages the most famous being the palaces at Knossos and Festos. 

Geography

Crete is the largest island in Greece - the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea – and it is divided in 4 Prefectures. Its diverse area is more than 8,000 square kilometers and its population is 600.000.  Crete is regarded as the island with the best climate, averaging approximately 300 sun filled days yearly and with temperature averaging between 17-27 C. The island offers a fantastic alternation of scenery with its endless beaches, mountains and the numerous archaeological and historical monuments. It is world famous for its tradition and hospitality, and of course for its exceptional Mediterranean cuisine.

Transportation to Crete

Airports

There are two international airports operating in the island in Heraklion (Nikos Kazanztzakis) and in Chania (Ioannis Daskalogiannis) while a smaller one located in Sitia (East Crete) will soon be operational.
All international airports are connected to Crete through Athens (duration of flights approximately 45 minutes). The island is connected with most of the airports in Greece, Cyprus and many other European countries, with regular or charter flights. Companies that operate regularly on these airports are Olympic Airways, Aegean Airlines and Cyprus Airways. Air traffic during the summer months increases quite a bit reaching 130 plane arrivals per day at Heraklion Airport

Flights to Crete from other countries

Direct flights: (Most of these flights are available only in the summer, i.e. end of March/April to end of October)
www.transavia.com/en ~ Flights from Netherlands (Amsterdam) to Heraklion.
www.arkia.com ~ Sundor and Arkia flights from Israel to Heraklion.
www.travelmaker.co.il  ~ El Al flights from Israel to Heraklion.
www.airberlin.com ~ Flights from Germany & Austria to Heraklion and Chania.
www.condor.com ~ Flights from Germany to Heraklion and Chania.
www.germanwings.com  ~ Flights from Germany (Cologne/Bonn) to Heraklion ("low-cost" airline).
www.easyjet.com  ~ Flights from Germany (Berlin) to Heraklion.
www.aegeanair.com ~ scheduled flights Italy (Rome) and Germany (Dusseldorf, Munich) to Heraklion.
www.neosair.it  ~ Flights from Italy (Rome, Milan, Verona, Bologna) to Heraklion and Chania.
www.luxair.lu  ~ Flights from Luxembourg to Heraklion and Chania.
www.sterlingticket.com ~ Flights from Scandinavia (Sweden-Stockholm, Denmark-Copenhagen, Norway-Oslo) to Chania.
www.scandinavian.net ~ Flights from Norway (Oslo) to Chania.
www.norwegian.no ~ Flights from Norway (Oslo) to Heraklion ("low-cost" airline).
www.wizzair.com ~ Flights from Hungary (Budapest) and Poland (Katowice) to Heraklion ("low-cost" airline).
www.flybelair.com ~ (site in German & French) Flights from Switzerland to Heraklion (Airlines: Belair, Edelweiss air, Swiss).
www.smartwings.net ~ Flights from Czech Republic (Prague) to Heraklion and Chania ("low-cost" airline).
www.alternativeairlines.com  ~ Flights from anywhere to Crete, including scheduled, charter and low cost airlines.'

Ports

Crete has two of the most important ports of the East Mediterranean Sea, the port of Heraklion and the port of Chania (Souda). The island is connected with mainland Greece and quite a few of the Aegean islands, Europe and the rest of the world with a large number of passenger ships (ferry-boats) and freighter ships.
The two ports play a significant role in effectively supporting the efforts of Crete to be an important commercial centre in the Mediterranean. There are also two smaller ports in Rethymno and in Agios Nikolaos. Additionally there are many small ports, marinas and anchorages around the island.

Roads

The main road in Crete is the national road that follows the north seashore of the island from East to West. This is a fairly good road that handles most of the traffic of the island. The rest of the roads range from smaller asphalt roads to all kinds of dirt roads. There is an extensive public bus service (KTEL) covering all the island.

Important Information for Transportation

For your transportation from/to the airport and from/to the congress’ hotel there will be shuttle service provided. The shuttle buses schedule will be announced in due time.

Useful information about Crete

Location

GREECE (HELLAS), at the Southern Aegean Sea
Coordinates (Iraklion):
Latitude: 35° 20' North - Longitude: 25° 08' East
Coordinates (Hania):
Latitude: 35° 30' North - Longitude: 24° 02' East

Area

8.336 sq.kms /
Length (E-W) :260 km
Width (N-S) : 60 max - 12 min

Population

The population of the island is approximately 630.000 (yr. 2005).
Major cities (Munic. population) :
Iraklion (151.000) - Hania (53.000) - Rethymno (31.000)

Religion

Greek Orthodox 99%

Language

Greek - Cretan idiom.
English is also widely spoken especially in the tourist areas

Monetary Unit

The official currency is the Euro (€) divided into 100 cents.

Weights and Measures

Metric system - Metres, Kilograms, litres, °C...

Standard time zone

UTC/GMT +2 hours (Eastern European Time)
Daylight Saving Time:
last Sunday of March, 3:00 am local standard time
last Sunday of October, 4:00 am local daylight time

Telephone

International country code: + 30 (Greece)
Local Numbers: 28xxxxxxxx (10 digits)
Mobile Numbers : 6xxxxxxxxx (10 digits)
Mobile Network: GSM 900/1800 Mhz
See how to dial to Crete

Voltage

220 - 240V, Frequency: 50 Hz, Sockets/Outlets: 2 pin + earth/ground "Shuko" or 2 pin (round) lighting type.

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