Getting from Antipaxos to Rethymno

If you are heading to Rethymno from Antipaxos you are making your way from a tiny island in the Ionian Sea to the most intimate of Crete's three main cities, with a Venetian old town of narrow lanes, a fortress above the sea and a long sandy beach running east from the town centre.

Take the ferry

There are no scheduled ferries from Antipaxos to Rethymno. Antipaxos has no ferry port of its own and is accessible only by sea taxi from Gaios on Paxos. Rethymno's port receives very limited ferry connections. Getting there by sea means taking the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos, the ferry from Paxos to Igoumenitsa, traveling to Piraeus and boarding the overnight Piraeus to Chania ferry, followed by the bus to Rethymno taking around 1 hour. The total journey takes the better part of two days.

Getting there by air

Rethymno has no airport. The nearest airports are Heraklion, around 80 kilometres to the east, and Chania, around 60 kilometres to the west. Antipaxos has no airport either. Taking the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos, the ferry from Paxos to Corfu and flying to Athens and then Athens to Heraklion or Chania, followed by the bus to Rethymno, gives a total journey time of around 7 to 8 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos, the ferry from Paxos to Corfu, fly to Athens and then fly to Heraklion or Chania and take the bus to Rethymno. Chania Airport is slightly closer to Rethymno and the road between them is a good one. If you are traveling with a car, take the sea taxi from Antipaxos to Paxos, drive to Piraeus and board the overnight Piraeus to Chania ferry, which takes your vehicle directly to western Crete with Rethymno well placed as your first stop.