Crete Road Trip: 562 km from Chania to Heraklion in 5 Days

This road trip crosses Crete from west to east in five days and about 562 km. It starts in Chania, goes out to the lagoon of Balos and the beaches of Falasarna and Elafonisi, then follows the north coast to Rethymno and the Arkadi Monastery. From Heraklion it visits the archaeological museum and Knossos, climbs to the Lasithi Plateau, and ends in Agios Nikolaos and at Spinalonga, before you fly home from Heraklion airport. Knossos is one of the six Minoan Palatial Centres that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025.

Greece drives on the right. Under the 2025 Road Traffic Code the default limit in built-up areas is 30 km/h, or 50 km/h on roads with two lanes in each direction or a central island. Outside towns it is 90 km/h, 110 km/h on expressways and 130 km/h on motorways, unless signs say otherwise. None of the toll roads that ADAC lists for Greece are on Crete. The main road along the north coast is the BOAK (Northern Road Axis of Crete). A 35-year concession to rebuild the 187 km from Kissamos through Chania to Heraklion as a motorway began on 30 January 2026, with the first five years set aside for design and construction. Work has started on the bypasses of Chania, Rethymno and Heraklion, so expect roadworks. The contract allows tolls once new sections open.

Fly into Chania Airport, about 16 km from the old harbour, and out of Heraklion Airport. One-way hire between the two is possible, but not with every company and not free: Enterprise, for example, offers one-way rentals between some of its Greek branches, for a one-way fee and only if you ask when you book. If you need to return the car where you started, Chania to Heraklion airport is about 153 km on the north coast road. You can also come by ferry from Piraeus, the port of Athens: ANEK Lines sails to Chania and Minoan Lines to Heraklion.

Day 1 — Chania to Kissamos via Balos (90 km)

Start with a walk around the old harbour of Chania and its lighthouse. Then take the north coast road west for about 33 km and turn north towards Balos. The last 7 to 8 km are a gravel road that ends at a paid car park. From there you walk to the lagoon. Balos is a Natura 2000 site. Vehicles have already been moved away from the beach and the sunbeds cut back, and in August 2026 the Municipality of Kissamos proposed time slots of 1,200 visitors per three hours. That plan was not in force when this route was written.

Between April and October you can also come by sea. Cretan Daily Cruises sails daily from the port of Kissamos (Kavonisi), 3 km west of the town, to Balos and to Gramvousa island, whose Venetian castle was built in 1579–1584. The full trip takes about seven hours, and the Municipality of Kissamos adds a small fee for each passenger over 13.

Drive back and south-west to Falasarna, on the west coast. The remains of ancient Phalasarna, whose Classical and Hellenistic harbour has been excavated, are an archaeological site that is not organised for visitors. Finish the day in Kissamos, 16 km away.

Day 2 — Kissamos to Rethymno via Elafonisi (179 km)

This is the longest day. Drive south through Topolia and Kefali to the south-west coast, past the monastery of Chrysoskalitissa, to Elafonisi, about 40 km. Elafonisi is part of the Natura 2000 network. Since 2023 the Municipality of Kissamos has banned vehicles from the protected zone, so you park in the car parks set back from the beach and walk the rest. A barrier stands at the entrance to the beach.

Drive back the same way to the north coast and take the BOAK east past Chania to Rethymno, about 139 km from Elafonisi. In the evening walk up to the Fortezza, the fortress the Venetians built in 1573–1580 on the Paleokastro hill against the Ottoman threat. It is star-shaped, with six ramparts and three gates. The same hill held the acropolis of ancient Rithymna and a sanctuary of Artemis. Sleep in Rethymno.

Day 3 — Rethymno to Heraklion via Arkadi (93 km)

Drive inland for 22 km to the Arkadi Monastery. In November 1866, during the Cretan revolt against Ottoman rule, 964 fighters and villagers from the area were shut inside its walls. The two-day siege ended with their deaths in the cells, in the courtyard and in the powder magazine. The monastery remembers the night of 8 November 1866 as the Holocaust of Arkadi. The powder store, the old refectory and the monastery museum are open to visitors.

Then drive back down to the coast road and east to Heraklion, about 71 km. Sleep in Heraklion.

Day 4 — Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos via Lasithi Plateau (122 km)

Start at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which covers more than 5,500 years of Cretan history and holds the main collection of Minoan art. In winter it is open from 8:30 to 15:30, and on Wednesdays from 10:00 to 17:00. Tickets are for a set day and time slot, and the old combined ticket with Knossos is no longer valid.

Knossos is only 6 km south of the city. It is the largest of the Minoan palaces, built around a central court and dated to about 2000–1350 BC. Sir Arthur Evans excavated it, and many of the walls you see were rebuilt in the early 20th century. From 1 November it is open every day from 8:30 to 17:00.

Then take the BOAK east and turn inland up to the Lasithi Plateau. At Seli Ambelou, at the northern entrance to the plateau, 24 of the original 26 stone windmills still stand by the road. They ground grain for the area. On the plateau, above the village of Psychro, a steep path climbs to the Dikteon Cave at 1,025 m, which its excavators identify as the cave where, in myth, Zeus was born. It is closed on Tuesdays.

Leave the plateau north through Krasi to Malia and follow the BOAK east to Agios Nikolaos. The last stretch, between Neapoli and Agios Nikolaos, is being rebuilt as a dual carriageway, so allow time for roadworks. In town, walk round Lake Voulismeni, a former freshwater lake that was joined to the sea by a channel in 1870. Sleep in Agios Nikolaos.

Day 5 — Agios Nikolaos to Heraklion Airport via Plaka (78 km)

Drive north along the bay through Elounda to the small village of Plaka, 17 km. Across the water lies Spinalonga. The Venetians built a fortress on the islet in 1579. In 1903 the Cretan government made it the island’s leper colony, and it stayed one until 1957. Boats leave at fixed times from Plaka, Elounda and Agios Nikolaos. The site is open from 1 April to 31 October. From November to March it is closed, except for groups by arrangement, and even in summer visits depend on the weather and the boats.

Drive back towards Neapoli, join the BOAK and follow it west to Heraklion Airport, about 62 km.

Costs

Use the cost calculator to price fuel and nights for your dates. No road on Crete is on ADAC’s list of Greek toll roads. Budget for accommodation, fuel for about 562 km, a one-way fee if you return the car at Heraklion, and entry to the Heraklion museum, Knossos, the Dikteon Cave and Spinalonga (plus the boat). Add the car park at Balos and, if you prefer the sea route, the Balos boat from Kissamos. From November to March, state museums and sites are free on the first and third Sunday of each month.

When to go

You can drive this route all year, but the boats and some sites are seasonal. The Balos boats run from April to October, and Spinalonga is closed to individual visitors from 1 November to 31 March. Knossos and the Heraklion museum stay open all winter with shorter hours. The Samaria Gorge in the White Mountains, a long walk rather than a drive, is closed from 1 November 2026 to 9 April 2027. From April to October everything is open, and in summer the beaches at Balos and Elafonisi are very crowded, so arrive early.

This trip is also in the free Roadcut trip planner: change the number of days and where you sleep each night, pick your vehicle to see the fuel cost, check the weather on the road, and open each day in Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze.