Two weeks from east to west, from Heraklion airport to Chania airport: Knossos, the Lasithi Plateau and its windmills, Spinalonga, Rethymno, Balos, Elafonisi, then the south coast and the hike down the Samaria Gorge. You soon leave the northern national road for winding mountain roads, dirt tracks and villages where the goats often have right of way.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 2 | Heraklion | Start |
| Day 3 | Tzermiado (Lasithi Plateau) | 55 km · 55 min |
| Days 4 to 5 | Agios Nikolaos | 49 km · 1h |
| Day 6 | Rethymno | 156 km · 2h45 |
| Days 7 to 8 | Kissamos | 108 km · 1h55 |
| Day 9 | Paleochora | 88 km · 1h40 |
| Days 10 to 11 | Sougia | 32 km · 40 min |
| Days 12 to 13 | Chania | 60 km · 1h10 |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
May-June and September-October: warm sea, fewer people, and the Samaria Gorge opens on 10 April at the earliest and closes on 31 October. In summer, the heat can close Knossos in the afternoon; in winter, snow on the Lasithi Plateau, ice and fog on the mountain passes.
🚗 55 km · 55 min of driving from Heraklion
VOAK national road east to Hersonissos, then a winding climb up to the plateau, at 840 m above sea level.
🚗 49 km · 1h of driving from Tzermiado
Winding descent via Krasi towards Malia, then the VOAK east. Watch for goats and farm machinery on the way down.
🚗 156 km · 2h45 of driving from Agios Nikolaos
VOAK west, past Heraklion, then minor plateau roads via Arkadi Monastery. A long day: set off early.
🚗 108 km · 1h55 of driving from Rethymno
VOAK west, a detour to Lake Kournas, then the Chania bypass. Two lanes with no central barrier: frequent overtaking.
🚗 88 km · 1h40 of driving from Kissamos
Topolia Gorge, Elafonisi, then Kefali and Strovles towards Paleochora. Narrow, winding roads, goats, beach buses.
🚗 32 km · 40 min of driving from Paleochora
Back up towards Rodovani, then a winding descent to Sougia on the road from Chania. Narrow and twisting.
🚗 60 km · 1h10 of driving from Sougia
Winding mountain road north via Agia Irini, with possible flocks on the road, then the plain to Chania.
Keep to the west: Heraklion (1 night, Knossos), Rethymno (1), Kissamos (2, Balos), Sougia (1, Samaria) and Chania (1). Lasithi, Agios Nikolaos and Paleochora are dropped.
| Car hire only, August | ≈ €32 a day |
|---|---|
| Car hire only, January | ≈ €9 a day |
| Annual average in Heraklion | ≈ €22 a day (Kayak, Sept 2026) |
| One way Heraklion-Chania | €20 to €100 in fees depending on the rental company |
| Vehicle | A small manual car: easier on hairpins, dirt tracks and in narrow villages. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | At Heraklion airport, returned at Chania airport: budget for the one-way fee. |
| Insurance | Excess of €700 to €2,500; tyres, windows and underbody often excluded, even with an excess waiver. |
| Deposit | €500 to €2,000 blocked on a credit card; debit cards often refused. |
| Age | Usually 21 (23 to 25 for an SUV), €5 to €15 a day under 25. |
| Over 70 | Some agencies refuse to rent, according to the French foreign ministry. |
⚠️ On dirt tracks like the one to Balos, a puncture or a damaged underbody is at your expense: insurance generally does not cover it.
Any European Union licence is enough, with no International Driving Permit. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
As in mainland Europe. Seat belts compulsory in the front and back.
Towns, main roads, expressways, motorways. On the VOAK, often 90 or less; speed cameras.
0.2 g/l for new drivers, professional drivers and motorcyclists.
Locals drive half on the hard shoulder to let others overtake; overtaking on bends.
Blind bends, ravines, single-lane sections; goats and farm machinery on the road.
If another party is involved, a police report is required for your insurance to pay out.
Check they are in the hire car before you set off.
Holding a phone while driving is banned; use a mount with a speaker or a wireless earpiece.
An attendant fills the tank; some stations refuse cards, so keep some cash.
≈ €2.22 a litre for unleaded 95, €2.25 for diesel
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Check it before you go.
⛽ 548 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €90 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
Averages for the four Cretan prefectures on 23 September 2026 (Greek Ministry of Development). Fill up before the mountain roads of the south-west.
| Roads in Crete, including the VOAK | No tolls: in Greece, only motorways are tolled |
|---|---|
| Future Chania-Heraklion motorway | 35-year concession signed in 2025, completion expected in 2031 |
| Palace of Knossos | €20 per adult, €10 reduced rate |
| Palace of Malia | €10 per adult, €5 reduced rate |
| Samaria Gorge | €10 per adult, €6 per family member, online ticket compulsory |
| Agia Roumeli-Sougia boat | €17 per adult |
| Balos track | Small fee for the Gramvousa reserve |
| Xyloskalo car park (Samaria) | May be charged, run by a private company |
| Samaria Gorge | From 10 April at the earliest to 31 October, entry 07:00-13:00 |
|---|---|
| Samaria Gorge, unscheduled closures | Wind, storms or heat; announced the evening before |
| Agia Roumeli boats | Not allowed to sail in strong winds |
| Knossos | Closed in the afternoon on some heatwave days |
| Lasithi Plateau and mountain passes | Snow, ice and fog in winter |
Allow 10 to 14 days to cross the island from Heraklion to Chania with Lasithi, Spinalonga, Balos, Elafonisi and the Samaria Gorge: this itinerary has 8 stages and 13 nights. With 7 days, keep to the west, from Rethymno to Samaria. The island is about 260 km long, but the mountain roads are slow.
Excluding accommodation: about €420 of car hire in August (€32 a day over 13 days, Kayak), €20 to €100 for the one-way fee, no tolls, petrol at €2.22 a litre (September 2026). Add Knossos (€20), Malia (€10), Samaria (€10) and the Agia Roumeli boat (€17). In January, car hire drops to around €9 a day.
Stay in Sougia: the 07:00 KTEL bus goes up to Xyloskalo, then 13 km of gorge and 2 km to Agia Roumeli (6 to 7 hours), and the 17:30 boat brings you back to Sougia (€17). Or park at Xyloskalo and catch the 18:15 bus back from Sougia. Entry €10, online.
No rule requires one, but the 10 km track from Kaliviani is unpaved, and tyres and underbody are usually excluded from insurance. From the car park, a 1 km path leads down to the lagoon, steep on the way back. The alternative is the boat from Kissamos, around €25 to €30, with a stop on Gramvousa island.
The fatal accident rate is high, the French foreign ministry points out. On the two-lane VOAK, Cretans drive on the hard shoulder to let others overtake and sometimes overtake on bends. In the mountains: blind hairpins, single-lane sections, goats on the road. Keep to the right of your lane and do not drink and drive.
Not with an EU licence: any valid European Union licence is enough. Rental companies often require a minimum age of 21 (23 to 25 for an SUV), at least one year's driving experience, and a credit card for a deposit of €500 to €2,000. Some agencies refuse drivers over 70.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/crete · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
