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Heraklion Airport is a fan-favorite among the hundreds of thousands of tourists seeking to travel through Greece every year. It is the main airport on the island of Crete, and it also is the second busiest in all of Greece, just behind Athens Airport. Something that makes it so popular is that it is one of the few ways to get to the Island of Crete and, in fact, you only have a couple of hours' drive to get to the island's tourist center.
To get yourself from the airport to your desired location, you are going to need some form of transport. We suggest, for ease of transportation, that you consider getting yourself a hire car, right from the airport. At the airport alone, you will find 8 different car rental companies available, and among them are the most prestigious in all of Europe. From Europcar to Hertz and AVIS, you can find a car rental company that suits your needs and your budget, knowing that the quality of the service is not at risk.
The best thing is that unlike other international airports, here you can find a wide variety of cars available every day of the week for you to rent. If you are taking a trip with friends or with a large family, then you can choose to rent SUVs or other cars with a greater capacity. And if you are doing a trip as a couple, or by yourself, they also offer smaller cars, which will be cheaper and also help you save on fuel.
A fantastic feature is that some companies allow you to rent the car at the airport, and then return it at another of their branches in the city.
If the services they offer to rent cars at the airport do not convince you, do not worry. There are hundreds of small companies offering this service in the center of Heraklion, and the prices are usually lower than the ones at the airport. An advantage of choosing to rent a car outside of the airport is that you will typically spend less on fuel, since you will not have to make the trip from the airport to the center.
Although it is not difficult to drive in Heraklion, it is important to know that there are some differences concerning how it's handled in other countries, and it is important to know them, especially for all those who plan to travel by car and are not from Greece.
The greatest difficulty lies in the fact that it is very easy to get lost. Most of the signs are in Greek, so if you don't know how to speak that language, you may feel lost. Try not to worry, with the help of a GPS you will be able to locate yourself immediately. Also, keep in mind that although it is not the most mountainous region of Crete, there are still ups and downs in most of its routes and roads, so the car you rent must have an engine and power that can support that.
Here are some rules for driving in Heraklion:
You can rent a car from famous companies, such as Hertz or EUROPCAR that are world-renowned, or look for other local companies that will probably be cheaper, although they may not have such a wide variety of cars available.
For example, Niki Cars is a local favorite, since it has great prices and both small and large cars are available. This rental car service has a better rating than every other company in Heraklion, so you should definitely keep them in mind.
Heraklion is the ideal place for those who want to be close to the best beaches in Crete. You only have to drive 20 minutes to reach the fantastic beach of Ammoudara, one of the best known and most popular in the area. You can also drive 20 minutes to the east and you will find Karteros beach, which, although it is not so well known, is one of the best in regards to nightlife, with a promenade full of bars and restaurants to have a good time. Apart from that, the trip to Crete only takes 1 and a half hours.
Our customers rated Heraklion airport with an average of 8.1 based on 18 ratings, and these are the most recent tips, experiences and highlights.
