Distances between localities in Crete

The table below lists road distances between the better known towns and villages in Crete. The distances are indicators only. Some of the places listed can be reached over more than one route and distances may differ. Bear in mind that many of the roads are small curvy roads and do not assume a high average travel speed

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Heraklion is the biggest city in Crete (and fifth in Greece) with a population in excess of 120000. It concentrates most of the economical activity of the island, and is the main port of entry to Crete for the majority of visitors. The Heraklion airport receives approximately 15% of the total tourist traffic of Greece.

Access
The Heraklion airport (HER), named after the Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis, is one of the biggest in Greece. There are many airlines currently operating flights from Athens and Thessaloniki to Heraklion, Olympic Airways, Aegean Airlines, Cronus and others while during the high season there are flights from/to Rhodes, Mykonos and Santorini. There is also an international airline,Transavia, that connects Heraklion to Amsterdam , Holland. Transavia has two flights per week , during the winter season, with more of these during the tourist period. During the summer season there are numerous chartered flights to Heraklion from all over Europe (mainly Germany, the United Kingdom , and Holland). During the summer months there is a huge increase in air traffic that peaks in August (approximately 130 flights per day).
Heraklion’s airport is about 5km east of the city. Major car-rental companies have desks at the airport. Taxi and public bus are available for trenfer to Heraklion.

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Crete is home to the oldest civilization of Europe. The Minoan civilization predates that of the rest of Europe by a good few hunderd years. The temples and palaces they built were the basis of many myths and are still one of the most impressive archeological sites. Iraklion, the capital of the island, will probably be your point of entry. It is connected to many European capitals by direct flights and boats leave to Athens and Santorini on a regular basis. Sights you will have on your to do list include Hania the second town of the island, the Knossos a visit to some of the Venetian castles ( Imeri Gramvousa, Frangocastello e.g.), the Lassithi plateau, and the town of Agios sostis/lithakia with its great beaches nearby. 

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Steeped in Homeric history and culture, scented by wild fennel and basil, Crete spoils visitors with its wealth of myths, legends and history, a blessed and dramatic landscape, an extraordinary fusion of past and present, and an abundance of choices and experiences. Its stunning mountain ranges are dotted with caves and sliced by dramatic gorges, and its rugged interior is blanketed in olive groves, wild flowers and aromatic herbs. Breathtaking drives along the rugged south coast lead to a sundrenched paradise of long sandy beaches and isolated coves. 

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KRITI, CRETE, or KRETE, Latin CRETA, Venetian CANDIA, island in the eastern Mediterranean that is an administrative region of Greece. The center of one of the oldest and most important civilizations, the ancient Minoan civilization, the southernmost point of Europe where its name originated and to which it owes so much. The meeting point of three continents – Europe, Asia and Africa – and the cradle of most of what we know as classical civilization which has been so instrumental in shaping our world today. This is the legendary birthplace of Zeus, the king of the gods, and where he took his beloved Europa and where she gave birth to the later King Minoas, the mythical all-powerful king of Crete and creator of the fabulous palace of Knossos and the Minoan civilization. Crete has so much to offer and so much that people envy that at times Romans, Arabs, Venetians and Turks all envied it but, however much they tried, they never conquered it!. And this is where the most peripatetic of all Apostles, Apostle Paul, started his quest to bring Christianity to Europe. In fact, after he appointed Titus as bishop in 65AD, Gortyn became the first Christian community in Greece and Europe. 

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