Ferries from Heraklion

The harbour in the photographs and the harbour your ferry uses are not the same place. Heraklion has a Venetian basin guarded by the Koules fortress, and a modern commercial port next to it where the ships actually berth. Between the two is about a kilometre and a half of waterfront.

Two ports, one after the other

The old Venetian harbour, with Koules — Rocca al Mare, begun in the early sixteenth century — closing its mouth, is the picturesque one. It takes small boats.

The working port beside it handles the ferries and the cruise ships across several piers, numbered II, III and IV to V. It is an active commercial harbour rather than a passenger terminal with a view.

Getting from the ship to the city

The port authority runs a free shuttle from the berths to the main passenger terminal, roughly five minutes. From the terminal exit it is a flat walk west along Leoforos Nearchou — about 1.5 km, fifteen minutes — to the Venetian harbour and the old town, with Koules ahead of you the whole way as a landmark.

That walk is entirely doable with hand luggage and unpleasant with a suitcase. Taxis wait at the terminal.

⚠ Which pier, and why it matters

On a busy morning several large vessels are alongside at once and the piers are far apart. The berth is assigned by the operator and printed on the boarding information rather than fixed by route, so a crossing you have taken before may not leave from where it did last time.

Check the pier number on the day rather than walking to the one you remember.

Where the ships go

Piraeus overnight, plus the Cyclades links that make Heraklion the only Cretan port from which you can sail on to Santorini, Milos, Naxos and beyond. The Heraklion guide sets out that network and how it compares with Chania at the other end of the island.

Season

The Piraeus service runs all year — it is Crete's supply line, not a holiday product. The island links and the cruise traffic concentrate between May and September, which is also when the piers are busiest and the shuttle most useful.