What It’s Really Like Traveling Crete by Bus (Pros & Cons)

It’s so important to figure out how to get around Crete before your visit. This is largest island in Greece after all! Essentially, there are two forms of transportation that most people decide on. You can either travel Crete by bus, or rent a car and take the island into your own hands. Do you plan to visit the popular Northern Crete beach towns, or are you looking to explore the rugged southern coast? If you’re a budget traveler, then you’ve probably at least thought about using the buses in Crete. However, there are pros and cons to this method of transportation. 

Pros of Traveling Crete by Bus

Extensive Bus System in Northern Crete: The Crete bus system in the north is awesome! The bus connects not only the large cities, but also the small towns running along the coast. You can even visit the famous Knossos Palace from Heraklion.

Inexpensive and Reliable: The buses in Crete are very affordable by European standards. Most trips will only cost you a few Euros, while the long multi-hour trips will run you between 10 to 15 Euros.

Multiple Buses Per Day: The Crete buses run often down the coast, and you can catch one about every hour. At the main bus stations, there will be large screens with the bus times, and at the small town stops you can find schedules posted on the street signs.

Connects Easily to the Airport: From Heraklion, there is a bus that runs directly to the airport and vice versa. The bus station is directly outside the arrivals terminal on the main road and you can be in the center of Heraklion within 20 minutes.

No Stress about Driving in a Foreign Country: This is one of the biggest benefits in our minds. It can be quite overwhelming driving in a foreign country, but no need to worry about that with the Crete bus!

Parking: This is an issue in the bigger towns like Heraklion, Chania, and Rethymno. Nevertheless, you might end up booking a hotel based on what has parking instead of the area you want to be in.

Cons of Using the Buses in Crete

Forget the South: There will be no possibility to travel with the public buses in Crete along the southern coast of Crete from east to west! This is something we didn’t realize immediately when we arrived. Unfortunately, to travel to the towns in the south, you will have to backtrack the same way you came and the buses are infrequent.

This means you could miss out on epic beaches such as Elafonisi and Matala.

Backtracking: The cities of Heraklion or Chania both have airports, and most likely where you’ll be catching the Crete bus from. If you want to go all the way down the northern coast, you will have to backtrack and return on the same route.

That is unless you do some planning in advance! You could book two individual tickets flying into one airport and out of the other. Not the biggest deal, but it will add many more hours onto your trip.

Freedom: Crete is like a playground for adventure travelers, and not having a car means that you’ll miss out on a lot of the island. If you’re looking for the freedom to go where and when you want and explore lesser known parts of Crete, the bus probably isn’t for you.

Price: Just as the price was a pro, it can quickly become a con if you’re traveling to visit Crete with others. Yes the bus is cheap, but if you’re using it to explore the entire northern Crete coast all the stops and backtracking can add up. 

We found that if you are two people or more the car will cost the same (or less) as the bus in the end. Compare rates and companies with Discover Cars to explore the larger islands with a vehicle. You can check out our full article about renting a car below!

→ Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Rent a Car on Crete Greece

More Tips For Using the Crete Bus System

Know Your Stop Number, Not the Name: There will be a driver and a ticket person working together on each of the Crete buses. The stops have no names unless it is a large hub town, but instead numbers. Don’t be surprised when you hear someone calling out “Stop 31” instead of the name of a town.

Sit on the Coastal Side of the Bus: The views from the bus running along the Cretan coast are stunning. Try and grab a seat on the side of the bus with the view so you can take it all in! Don’t miss out on the famous Vai Beach Palm Tree Forest if you’re heading to the northeast coast.

Cash Only on the Buses in Crete: Make sure to have cash once you’re out of the main bus terminal in Heraklion.

Check the Bus Time Before Waiting: Timetables such as the one below are at every bus stop in Crete. When you get off snap a photo of the timetable, or check the times for your next bus. You can also find some of the schedules online.

→ Crete Greece: The Ultimate Island Travel Guide

Should You Travel Crete by Bus?

So is the bus the best system for how to get around Crete? To be completely honest, we arrived in Crete with all intentions of traveling the entire island by bus. Yet, after only a few days, we made the executive decision to upgrade to a car!

If you’re only visiting the north, then traveling Crete by bus won’t be a problem. You can easily go from Heraklion to Rethymnon, and continue on to Chania.

Still, if you want to explore the vast south, you will absolutely need to rent a car. To sum this all up, it really depends on the type of trip you have planned! Once again, we always use DiscoverCars to find the best deals on rental cars.

Clearly, there are pros and cons to both. We’d highly recommend renting a car to explore the entire island if possible. Check out our 10 day Crete itinerary for some fun inspiration for your own trip.

Have any questions about how to get around Crete or using the Crete bus system? Please share in the comments below! 

Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake

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