Private transfers from Heraklion International Airport "Nikos Kazantzakis"
Heraklion's Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is Crete's main gateway, on the coast about 5 km east of the city centre. It handled more than 10 million passengers in 2025, and many of them head east along the north coast: to the big resorts of Hersonissos and Malia, to Agios Nikolaos, or to the luxury hotels around Elounda and Plaka.
We run fixed-price transfers from arrivals to Elounda, about 70 minutes away, and quote any address on the island, from Heraklion's old town and Knossos to Rethymno, Ierapetra and the villages of Lasithi. With a car you skip the bus changes in Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos, and your luggage goes into the boot once.
Arriving at Heraklion Airport: where to meet your driver
After baggage reclaim, and passport control if you are flying in from outside the Schengen area, walk out into the arrivals hall. Your driver waits there with a sign showing your name and walks you to the car, parked a short distance from the terminal. Non-EU travellers now register in the EU Entry/Exit System at the border, so the queue can be slow at busy times; your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you land.
Transfer times from Heraklion Airport
- Heraklion city centre and port: 15–25 minutes
- Knossos: about 15 minutes
- Amoudara: 15–25 minutes
- Hersonissos: 25–35 minutes
- Stalida and Malia: 30–45 minutes
- Agia Pelagia: 30–40 minutes
- Agios Nikolaos: 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes
- Elounda and Plaka: 1 hour 10 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rethymno: 1 hour 25 minutes – 1 hour 45 minutes
- Ierapetra: 1 hour 30 minutes – 1 hour 45 minutes
The new airport at Kastelli
A new airport for Heraklion is being built at Kastelli, about 40 km south-east of the city, to replace Nikos Kazantzakis. In January 2026 the Greek government said construction was about two-thirds complete and that it expects operations to start in 2028. Until the new airport opens, all flights use the current airport, and our transfers run from here as described on this page.