Getting from Spetses to Heraklion

If you are heading to Heraklion from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to the capital of Crete, with the Palace of Knossos just 5 kilometres from the city centre and one of the finest archaeological museums in Greece.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Heraklion. Getting there by sea means taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, which runs up to 10 times daily and takes around 2 to 3.5 hours, and then boarding the overnight Piraeus to Heraklion ferry, which departs around 9pm and arrives in the early morning after around 8 to 9 hours. Plan your Spetses departure carefully to allow enough time to reach Piraeus for the evening sailing.

Getting there by air

Heraklion has an international airport with daily connections from Athens. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and flying from Athens to Heraklion takes around 50 minutes on the second leg. Total journey time is around 4 to 5 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and fly from Athens to Heraklion. It is the fastest and most practical approach. Note that Spetses is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would be at the mainland port of Kosta, from where you can drive to Piraeus and board the overnight Piraeus to Heraklion ferry, which takes your vehicle directly to Crete and arrives in the morning ready to go.