Welcome to the Iraklion cruise port guide. Iraklion or Heraklion is the capital city of Crete. Crete is the largest and most populous of all the Greek islands. The modern city of Iraklion has over 5000 years of history and currently 175.000 inhabitants. Heraklion is known throughout Greece for its tourism, financial fortune and history with the Minoan civilisation. Crete is the biggest island of Greece. It is 260 km / 160 miles long and 56 km / 35 miles at its widest point. It is a gorgeous island with a variety of beautiful landscapes and a lot of historical sights. Find out what to see and do in this incredible cruise destination.

Your cruise ship will dock at the large port of Iraklion. Walking is prohibited and therefore a shuttle service is provided that will take you to the cruise terminal.

Iraklion’s free shuttle service will take you to the cruise terminal building, where you will find lots of useful facilities.

In Iraklion’s cruise terminal you will find free wi-fi and lots of souvenirs shops.

Taxis and the hop on hop off bus are waiting for you outside Iraklion’s cruise terminal to take you to the city and Knossos.

Iraklion's bus station from cruise port to Knossos.

When you exit the port area by foot you will spot Iraklion’s bus station to the right. See map for exact location. Take the public bus from here to the Palace of Knossos.

Also visit cruise port guides for:

Piraeus
Marmaris
Istanbul
Kusadasi

Cruise Port Guide Iraklion – Crete – Greece: docked

Your cruise ship will dock at the port of Heraklion. The cruise pier will most likely not be in front of the cruise terminal. Since it is prohibited to walk in the port area you will need to take a free shuttle bus to take you to the cruise terminal. The cruise terminal is equipped with several souvenir shops and free wi-fi. You will also find taxis and the hop on hop off bus in front of the cruise terminal. Distance from the cruise terminal to the city centre is approximately 1600 meter / 15 minute easy walk. You can simply follow the yellow line on the ground that will lead you to the city centre. A taxi to the city centre costs 5 euro.

Public Transportation

About 1 km from the cruise terminal you will find a public bus station. See map above for the exact location. This is where you can catch the public bus to Knossos. Buy your tickets for a few euros inside the bus terminal. Busses go every 30 minutes or so.

Taxis at the Iraklion cruise terminal

Taxis will be waiting for you at the cruise terminal. The taxi prices are on display just outside the cruise terminal. Always check if the driver honours the price before you step into the taxi. Please find an example of the taxi prices underneath: Cruise port, Knossos, cruise port = 50 euro Cruise port, Knosos, St. Minas, Kazantzakis grave, market, cruise port = 80 euro One way to the city centre = 5 euro One way to the Cree Aquarium = 25 euro

Iraklion’s hop on hop off bus

There is an hop on hop off bus in Iraklion. You will find the nearest stop at the Iraklion cruise terminal. The route of the hop on hop off bus also includes a stop at the Palace of Knossos.

Wi-fi

You will find free wi-fi in the cruise terminal of Iraklion. There are also lots of coffee spots with free wi-fi in the city centre.

Distances from Iraklion’s cruise port

City centre – 1,5 km / 1 mile west of the cruise terminal Palace of Knossos – 6 km / 3,5 miles south of the cruise terminal Lassithi – 61 km / 38 miles east of the cruise terminal Arkadi Monastry – 22 km / 14 miles south of the cruise terminal Rethymnon – 82 km / 51 km west of the cruise terminal