Getting from Telendos to Crete

If you are heading to Crete from Telendos you are making your way from a tiny car-free island off the western coast of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese to the largest island in Greece, with ancient Minoan sites, mountain gorges, excellent food and a coastline that stretches for hundreds of kilometres.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Telendos to Crete. Getting there means taking the local boat from Telendos to Myrties on Kalymnos, which takes around 5 minutes, and then either flying from Kalymnos to Athens and then Athens to Heraklion or Chania, or taking the overnight ferry from Kalymnos port at Pothia to Piraeus and boarding the overnight Piraeus to Crete ferry, which departs around 9pm and arrives in Heraklion or Chania in the early morning after around 8 to 9 hours.

Getting there by air

Both Heraklion and Chania have airports with daily connections from Athens. Telendos has no airport. The nearest airports are Kalymnos and Kos. Taking the local boat from Telendos to Myrties, flying from Kalymnos to Athens and then Athens to Heraklion or Chania takes around 50 minutes on the second leg. Total journey time is around 5 to 6 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the local boat from Telendos to Myrties and fly from Kalymnos to Athens, then fly from Athens to Crete. Choose Heraklion for central and eastern Crete, Chania for the west. It is the fastest and most practical approach. If you are traveling with a car, note that no cars are permitted on Telendos so your vehicle would already be on Kalymnos, from where you can take the overnight ferry to Piraeus and board the overnight Piraeus to Crete ferry, which takes your vehicle directly to the island and arrives in the morning ready to go.