Transportation

Crete has two international airports in Heraklion and Chania, while it has a daily ferry connection from the port of Piraeus to the ports of Heraklion and Chania.

Travel economically to Crete

  1. By air with Aegean Airlines from Athens and Thessaloniki and arrive at Heraklion or Chania airport. There are additional options such as Volotea and SkyExperess. The cost, if you book in time, can be very low. Don’t forget to declare your equipment which is now charged by all airlines. The organization tries to secure ticket discounts and/or free transfer of ski equipment with the airlines. We will notify you of any such sponsorship.
  2. By ferry from Piraeus and arrival at the ports of Heraklion or Chania. There are daily services from Anek Lines, Minoan Lines, and BlueStarFerries whose ships depart around 21:00 and arrive in the early hours around 06:30. The organization is trying to secure a discount for participants and we will update you.

ANEK LINES will be a transportation supporter for Pierra Creta 2026. Specifically, a 40% discount is provided for the transportation of 250 people and 100 to 150 (passenger cars, mini vans, or pick-ups) for the routes Piraeus – Crete – Piraeus, depending on availability. Tickets are valid for the period from 24/02/2026 to 18/03/2026, and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. The discount applies to all seats except luxury and single cabins. More information in the Anek Lines 2026 section below.

AEGEAN AIRLINES is the official air transport supporter of Pierra Creta 2026, offering free transportation of athletes’ winter skiing equipment on all its flights to and from Crete. The total discount provided is up to €140 for the transportation of each sports equipment only on a round-trip Aegean ticket from February 27, 2026, to March 15, 2026. You can book your flight tickets INDIVIDUALLY without adding ski equipment, and as soon as registrations close we will send you an email with the individual discount code so you can add the equipment later. More information in the Aegean Airlines 2026 section below.

Move within the island

For transportation, we recommend you rent a car, since during the race the cost for a small and medium car for four days ranges from €50. You can search for cars from RentalCars.com.

You can also travel with KTEL intercity buses from Heraklion, Rethymno, or Chania. In Crete, there are two long-distance bus companies, KTEL Chania-Rethymno, and KTEL Heraklio-Lassithi, from whose websites you can find exact timetables for the dates you want. We recommend that you contact these companies to confirm that the route you wish will take place without changes. The route takes about an hour from both Rethymno and Heraklion.

If for some reason you are not comfortable with any of the above or you are concerned, please contact us, we may be able to help.

Anek Lines 2026

ANEK LINES will be a transportation supporter for Pierra Creta 2026. Specifically, a 40% discount is provided for the transportation of 250 people and 100 to 150 (passenger cars, mini vans, or pick-ups) for the routes Piraeus – Crete – Piraeus, depending on availability. Tickets are valid for the period from 24/02/2026 to 18/03/2026, and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. The discount applies to all seats except luxury and single cabins.

Reservations for seats and ticket issuance on the day of the ship’s departure will not allow for the discount. It should be noted that sponsorship tickets are not open and any cancellations or changes to tickets can only be made before the scheduled departure, based on the company’s commercial policy and from Monday to Friday 09:00 – 16:00. For the reservation and issuance of tickets, please contact the following port offices directly before your departures, providing a nominal list of passengers and a letter that will be sent to interested parties via email once registrations are closed.

Heraklion – ANEK LINES – BLUE STAR FERRIES

Piraeus – Gelasakis Shipping & Travel Center

Χανιά – Gelasakis Shipping & Travel Center

Aegean Airlines 2026

Aegean Airlines is the official air transport supporter of Pierra Creta 2026, offering free transportation of athletes’ winter skiing equipment on all its flights to and from Crete. The total discount provided is up to €140 for the transportation of each sports equipment only on a round-trip Aegean ticket from February 27, 2026, to March 15, 2026. For more information on transporting special equipment, visit Aegean’s page for special baggage. We note that the individual discount code will be sent to those interested via email once registrations close.

It is clarified that each discount code (promo code) is individual, and can only be activated for bookings that have only one person. In group bookings, meaning bookings with more than one name on the booking code, it cannot be activated, and you must follow the steps described below in the existing group booking section. Below are instructions for activating the individual discount code in three cases: new individual booking, existing individual booking, and existing group booking.

If you have already paid for the transportation of the equipment regardless of the type of booking, unfortunately, there is no technical possibility of refunding and activating the individual discount code. Finally, it is emphasized that the sports equipment will be transported on flights where availability allows, it must be well packaged, and the company is not responsible in case of loss or damage.

New individual booking

A new individual booking is defined as the process in which no tickets have been booked, neither one-way nor return, resulting in the individual discount code being unable to be activated. In this case:

  • 1. Open the website of Aegean, in the Book a flight tab, select the departure point (Where from?) and the destination (Where to?) of your trip, and click the Search button.
  • 2. Next, ensure that the ticket is round-trip, the dates you choose are from February 27, 2026, to March 15, 2026, and the passengers are 1 Adult.
  • 3. Then choose Promo Code or Credit Voucher.
  • 4. Finally, enter the discount code (copy/paste is recommended) and click the Search button. If there is no problem, the process continues to the next stages of your booking.
  • 5. If the discount code has been entered incorrectly, an error message with code 1003 will appear.
  • 6. If the booking dates are outside the period from February 27, 2026, to March 15, 2026, an error message with code 1026 will appear.
  1. Open the website of Aegean Airlines, in the Book a flight tab, select the departure point (Where from?) and the destination (Where to?) of your trip, and click the Search button.
  2. Next, ensure that the ticket is round-trip, the dates you choose are from February 27, 2026, to March 15, 2026, and the passengers are 1 Adult.
  3. Then choose Promo Code or Credit Voucher.
  4. Finally, enter the discount code (copy/paste is recommended) and click the Search button. If there is no problem, the process continues to the next stages of your booking.
  5. If the discount code has been entered incorrectly, an error message with code 1003 will appear.
  6. If the booking dates are outside the period from February 27, 2026, to March 15, 2026, an error message with code 1026 will appear.

Existing individual booking

The existing individual reservation is considered the process in which tickets have already been booked and the individual discount code has not been activated. In this case:

  • 1. Open Aegean Airlines website and select the My Booking tab.
  • 2. Enter the Booking reference or e-ticket and the Last Name used for the booking, then click the Continue button.
  • 3. In your booking, look for and find the section for Sports equipment and click the Add sports equipment button.
  • 4. By clicking the next Add sports equipment button, select from the Snow sports menu, and choose Ski or Snowboard equipment.
  • 5. After you have entered your selection, click the Continue button.
  • 6. Copy and paste the promo code into the Enter here field, and click Apply.
  • 7. Ensure that the Total is zero euros and enter the First Name, Last Name, and E-Mail used in your booking. Finally, check the Terms and Conditions, and click the Pay now button.
  1. Open Aegean Airlines website and select the My Booking tab.
  2. Enter the Booking reference or e-ticket and the Last Name used for the booking in English, then click the Continue button.
  3. In our booking, look for and find the section for Sports equipment and click the Add sports equipment button.
  4. By clicking the next Add sports equipment button, select from the Snow sports menu, and choose Ski or Snowboard equipment.
  5. After we have entered our selection, click the Continue button.
  6. Copy and paste the promo code into the Enter here field, and click Apply.
  7. Ensure that the Total is zero euros and enter the First Name, Last Name, and E-Mail used in your booking. Finally, check the Terms and Conditions, and click the Pay now button.

Existing group booking

If you have made a reservation for two or more people, the discount code cannot be applied as it is personal. Please send an email to the Aegean Servicing Office at servicingoffice@aegeanair.com, including your reservation code and the surname under which the reservation was made, so they can provide you with a booking code for each person individually. You can also contact the specific office by phone at +302106261709 from Monday to Friday, between 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM & 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.