Iraklion Heraklion Crete... beach or not?

[JustAnOrdinaryGirl]

Hi

 

Im docking here 7am-2pm in September. Think I'd probably pick something beachy here or Marina -chill sun and people watching type (unless someone wows with me another option).... so can anyone recommend anywhere nearby?

 

Would prefer not to do ship excursion but dont want to spend a lot of money/time/hassle getting somewhere. Not keen on taxis so nearby would be good.

 

Any suggestions?

 

As always THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!

 

Paula

[Missus Makkem]

Hi

 

Im docking here 7am-2pm in September. Think I'd probably pick something beachy here or Marina -chill sun and people watching type (unless someone wows with me another option).... so can anyone recommend anywhere nearby?

 

Would prefer not to do ship excursion but dont want to spend a lot of money/time/hassle getting somewhere. Not keen on taxis so nearby would be good.

 

Any suggestions?

 

As always THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!

 

Paula

 

heraklion is a big working city, not very nice , no beach near for the time you are there.

Go to Knossos or the museum in town,just catch the local bus.

[Dante22]

Just returned from a cruise that include Crete. Highly recommend the Agia Pelagia beach which is approx 20 km west of Heraklion. Beautiful clear water, nice chairs and sun umbrellas, nearby restaurants, etc. One of the best beaches I've ever been too (and I'm not a beach person at all). Taxi was 60 euros round trip. Crete is definitely the place to hit the beach.

[jms2362]

Just returned from a cruise that include Crete. Highly recommend the Agia Pelagia beach which is approx 20 km west of Heraklion. Beautiful clear water, nice chairs and sun umbrellas, nearby restaurants, etc. One of the best beaches I've ever been too (and I'm not a beach person at all). Taxi was 60 euros round trip. Crete is definitely the place to hit the beach.

Are you able to take a bus there?

[jms2362]

Just returned from a cruise that include Crete. Highly recommend the Agia Pelagia beach which is approx 20 km west of Heraklion. Beautiful clear water, nice chairs and sun umbrellas, nearby restaurants, etc. One of the best beaches I've ever been too (and I'm not a beach person at all). Taxi was 60 euros round trip. Crete is definitely the place to hit the beach.

 

Is it possible to take a bus there? I know it is vry easy to take a bus to Knossos. Do you know how I can find a bus schedule? Thanks!

[Fafos]

Is it possible to take a bus there? I know it is vry easy to take a bus to Knossos. Do you know how I can find a bus schedule? Thanks!

 

from Herakleion to Ag. Pelagia:

 

Monday-Saturday: 8.30-14.30-17.30

Sunday: 8.30 - 14.30

 

 

from Ag. Pelagia to Herakleion:

 

Monday-Saturday: 09.15 - 09.45 - 15.15 - 18.15

Sunday: 09.15-15.15

 

because we talk about Greek public buses (:p) you better call their offices for sure:

 

+30-2810-245020, +30-2810-245019, +30-2810-246530

Greece has GMT+3 hours.. offices normally are open between 10:00AM to 5:00PM

[Fafos]

Another nice beach (and very popular) is Hersonisos...

 

Hersonisos is 30 minutes by car (45 minutes with public bus) at the east and has a bus from - to Herakleion every 30 minutes all day..

 

more about Hersonisos:

 

Hersonisos (or Limenas Hersonisou) is probably the most popular holiday resort amongst young people on Crete. Situated only 26 km east of Heraklion it attracts thousands of tourists every summer.

Hersonisos definitely is the busiest place to be during summer. It offers tourists a great variety of accommodation, from pensions and self-catering apartments to impressive 5Star luxury hotels. Between the harbour and the Hersonisos peninsula there are two sandy beaches.

 

You will find plenty of traditional as well as international cuisine restaurants, taverns, snack bars and cafes. Hersonisos is famous for its nightlife. There';s a wide range of bars, pubs and nightclubs to satisfy every taste. Shopping is fun in Hersonisos, as there are plenty of stores, such as jewelry and souvenir shops, shopping arcades etc.

Behind the harbour, in a verdant setting is the village of Hersonissos, which remains traditional and picturesque.

 

 

Photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUS STATION MAP: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=35.341185,25.138606&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=18&sll=35.341757,25.138387&sspn=0.003098,0.004823&ie=UTF8&ll=35.341306,25.138725&spn=0.012392,0.01929&t=h&z=16

[JustAnOrdinaryGirl]

Another nice beach (and very popular) is Hersonisos...

 

Hersonisos is 30 minutes by car (45 minutes with public bus) at the east and has a bus from - to Herakleion every 30 minutes all day..

 

more about Hersonisos:

 

Hersonisos (or Limenas Hersonisou) is probably the most popular holiday resort amongst young people on Crete. Situated only 26 km east of Heraklion it attracts thousands of tourists every summer.

Hersonisos definitely is the busiest place to be during summer. It offers tourists a great variety of accommodation, from pensions and self-catering apartments to impressive 5Star luxury hotels. Between the harbour and the Hersonisos peninsula there are two sandy beaches.

 

You will find plenty of traditional as well as international cuisine restaurants, taverns, snack bars and cafes. Hersonisos is famous for its nightlife. There';s a wide range of bars, pubs and nightclubs to satisfy every taste. Shopping is fun in Hersonisos, as there are plenty of stores, such as jewelry and souvenir shops, shopping arcades etc.

Behind the harbour, in a verdant setting is the village of Hersonissos, which remains traditional and picturesque.

 

 

Photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUS STATION MAP: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=35.341185,25.138606&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=18&sll=35.341757,25.138387&sspn=0.003098,0.004823&ie=UTF8&ll=35.341306,25.138725&spn=0.012392,0.01929&t=h&z=16

 

 

This sounds good but I cant seem to get the link to work... is anyone else having problems?

[navigator0709]

We'd really like to do the beach in Crete since all our other cruise stops will be port intensive. We will be there July 30th.

 

Are there any other ideas for beaches even closer to Iraklion/Heraklion?

 

According to this thread, Agia Pelagia beach is 20 km. Are there any other comparable beaches even closer?

 

Thanks,

 

Sally

[PEA2013]

Has anyone done the Navigator of the Seas ship excursion to the Creta Maris Hotel? Sounds like it could be fun.

[navigator0709]

Hi,

 

I did see the navigator excursion to the Creta Maris... but it seems expensive for just a 'ride' to the beach. Plus the Creta Maris seems pretty close to Port, so, I figured it would be cheaper to just get a taxi or private ride there.

 

I would love to know from someone who's been to Crete if the beach at Creta Maris is good, or if we should just get a cab ride to another beach.

 

Sally

[mzharmuny]

How are the wine tours at this port instead of doing the beaches?

[Mareigold]

Hi,

 

I did see the navigator excursion to the Creta Maris... but it seems expensive for just a 'ride' to the beach. Plus the Creta Maris seems pretty close to Port, so, I figured it would be cheaper to just get a taxi or private ride there.

 

I would love to know from someone who's been to Crete if the beach at Creta Maris is good, or if we should just get a cab ride to another beach.

 

Sally

 

 

If you check out the web site for the hotel Creta Maris http://www.maris.gr/creta/ it says it is in Hersonissos.(click on location/directions) We are thinking of this excursion also. Some one recommended Star Beach in Hersonissos also.

 

Mary

[navigator0709]

Mary,

 

Are you thinking of doing the Ship tour to the beach or taking a cab? There are 6 of us, and the ship tour to Creta Maris seems to be expensive for basically just a ride to and from the beach. I may just "wing it" and get a cab to one either Creta Maris or another beach ... like Star Beach. Need to do a little more research.

[Mareigold]

Sally,

 

We haven't decided yet. I'm a little leery of taking a cab because it is just me and my daughter and her friend. The other problem is the ships tour is from 8:15am to 12:15 pm. Not what you would call prime beach time. My travel agent gave me these links to check out other beaches.

http://www.tour-crete.co.uk/index.html

greeka.com

 

Hope it helps.

[2morrow]

Can any one tell me how long a person would spend at the Palace of Knossos and if it would be possible to go to the Village of Archanes the same day? Could this all be done on a local bus? We are only there from 10:00 - 2:00.

Thanks

Barb

 

 

 

 

heraklion is a big working city, not very nice , no beach near for the time you are there.

Go to Knossos or the museum in town,just catch the local bus.

[2morrow]

We are there from 7:00 - 2:00

 

Can any one tell me how long a person would spend at the Palace of Knossos and if it would be possible to go to the Village of Archanes the same day? Could this all be done on a local bus? We are only there from 10:00 - 2:00.

Thanks

Barb

[navigator0709]

Resurrecting this thread...

 

Any more thoughts from anyone on beach recommendation for Crete. We will be tired from all the touring at the previous ports and really wanted a relaxing beach day. I'd love to hear which is the most beautiful beach on Crete that is accessible from the port of Iraklion.

 

Thanks!

Sally

[orchidj5]

We were in Crete week before last-we went to Kantaros beach-a public beach not far from the city-and easily reachable by public city bus with a few caveats-you willl think i have lead you badly astray and sent you to the slums-but it is very nice when you get there.

allow about 30 minutes for travel-when you leave the port entrance go to the right-its about a 7 minute walk to the bus terminal-cross the main street-then go to the newstand across from the main terminal-this is where you would buy the tickets for Knossos as well-tell them you want Kantaros and return-there is no place to buy tickets at the beach. The cost will be E2.30. walk along this side of the bus terminal -the go to the right-when you emerge on the street look for the shell station-this is where you will get on the bus-Take bus number 7-tell the driver you are going to Kantaros-when you get there there are two stops-one with a sigh that says public beach. Get off at the stop AFTER this. Walk down the road-then go left into the abandoned hotel-walk thur and then down the board walk-boom you are at the beach-its very beautiful-the water is warm and the sand is soft and smooth-and since we were only there a couple of hours they did not charge us for chairs and umbrellas. Its probably not the most beautiful beach on Crete-but it is very nice-very reachable from the ship without spending a ton of money-and that end was not crowded as there were only a few greek families and 10 americans from the ship who had figured this out there the day we were there. To return to the ship go back to the bus stop you got off at-buses come about every 30 minutes-we left the beach at noon and had time for a bit of shopping before we went back to the ship. Get off the bus at the stop where you can see the Mcdonalds near the Shell you got on at-go right after you get off and you will see the entrance to the port.

[navigator0709]

We were in Crete week before last-we went to Kantaros beach-a public beach not far from the city-and easily reachable by public city bus with a few caveats-you willl think i have lead you badly astray and sent you to the slums-but it is very nice when you get there.

allow about 30 minutes for travel-when you leave the port entrance go to the right-its about a 7 minute walk to the bus terminal-cross the main street-then go to the newstand across from the main terminal-this is where you would buy the tickets for Knossos as well-tell them you want Kantaros and return-there is no place to buy tickets at the beach. The cost will be E2.30. walk along this side of the bus terminal -the go to the right-when you emerge on the street look for the shell station-this is where you will get on the bus-Take bus number 7-tell the driver you are going to Kantaros-when you get there there are two stops-one with a sigh that says public beach. Get off at the stop AFTER this. Walk down the road-then go left into the abandoned hotel-walk thur and then down the board walk-boom you are at the beach-its very beautiful-the water is warm and the sand is soft and smooth-and since we were only there a couple of hours they did not charge us for chairs and umbrellas. Its probably not the most beautiful beach on Crete-but it is very nice-very reachable from the ship without spending a ton of money-and that end was not crowded as there were only a few greek families and 10 americans from the ship who had figured this out there the day we were there. To return to the ship go back to the bus stop you got off at-buses come about every 30 minutes-we left the beach at noon and had time for a bit of shopping before we went back to the ship. Get off the bus at the stop where you can see the Mcdonalds near the Shell you got on at-go right after you get off and you will see the entrance to the port.

 

Thank you!!! I am going to print off this post!