Istanbul to Crete

by Jenny

We want to go from Istanbul to Crete may be Santorini then to Athens as we fly home from there.

How big are the planes that fly to Crete?

What is the baggage weight allowance?

Would it be waiting time to go to Athens from Istanbul to go to the Greek Islands or make our way across the islands to Athens?

Thanks for any advice

Istanbul, Crete and Santorini Travel Info

Hi Jenny,

Istanbul to Crete

Aegean Airlines flies out of Istanbul daily to Athens with a connecting flight to Heraklion daily. There were direct flights in the past but now it is a short connection with total travel time approx 3-4 hours.

For example leaving Istanbul on 30 July at 10.35 (A3991 and A3314) arriving into Heraklion 14.10. Trip duration 3 hours and 35 minutes.

The planes that fly this route for Aegean Airlines are Airbus Industrie A320 with one bag up to 23 kg included in the Flex fare, today €180 for above sequence.

Or another trip leaving Istanbul on 30 July at 16.00 (A3993 and A3320) arriving Heraklion at 19.40 trip duration 3 hours 40 minutes, today €62.

Turkish Airlines fly from Istanbul to Athens and you could then take either Aegean or Olympic onwards to Heraklion. Turkish Airlines planes that fly on that route are Boeing 777-300ER and the same weight applies.

Crete to Santorini
After your time in Crete, you would take a ferry to Santorini. There are super fast cats that make the trip in about 2 hours.

To get back to Athens from Santorini you could fly or take a ferry.

The flight takes 45 minutes and there are many flights per day with Aegean, Olympic and Ryan Airlines in peak season. Aegean Airlines uses Airbus Industrie A321 for this route.

The ferry from Santorini to Athens takes 5 hours on the Highspeed during peak season and about 7-8 hours on the Blue Star regular ferry.

Mykonos Sidetrip
You could always take a side trip to Mykonos and then return to Athens. Travel time on the fast ferries from Santorini to Mykonos is 3-4 hours and from Mykonos to Athens is 6 hours on the regular ferry 2-3 hours on the fast ferries.

There is a good option here to use Rafina port instead of Pireaus port, because Rafina is closer with easier to access the Athens International Airport. So if you are departing directly, or very quickly, take the ferry to Rafina port from Mykonos, stay overnight at the Sofitel Athens Airport and then you don’t have to go into Athens again.

Alternatively, if you want to see Athens upon your return, take the ferry to Pireaus port then the metro or taxi into the centre of Athens. See more details on our Athens Stopover page...

With regards to baggage, less is always best, if you are taking ferries, keep it light, because you will need to handle it quite often as you board and disembark each ferry...

Kalo Taxidi! Bon Voyage!