Getting from Spetses to Rethymno

If you are heading to Rethymno from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf 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 is no direct ferry from Spetses to Rethymno. Rethymno's port receives very limited ferry connections. 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 Chania ferry, which departs around 9pm and arrives at Souda port in the morning after around 8 to 9 hours, followed by the bus to Rethymno taking around 1 hour. Plan your Spetses departure carefully to allow enough time to reach Piraeus for the evening sailing.

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. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, flying from Athens to Heraklion or Chania and then taking the bus to Rethymno gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours. Chania Airport is slightly closer to Rethymno and the road between them is a good one. 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 or Chania, then take the bus to Rethymno. It is the 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 Chania ferry, which takes your vehicle directly to western Crete with Rethymno well placed as your first stop.