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Heraklion airporttoHeraklion city center
To Lions Square · One way · All prices are totals for 1 adult · All service hours
2 transfer optionsCar hire · not ranked
Not all night: the City bus 6 or 12 runs 05:50–00:40.
Recommended
The cheapest way in. The Pre-booked private transfer is 5 minutes quicker for €17.70 more, which is not worth it at this party size.
Bus
City bus 6 or 12
6/12 · Astiko KTEL Irakliou
11 min rideEvery 10 min05:50–00:40
The city-bus terminus at the airport→Eleftherias Square
Non-stop
€1.30total for 1 adult€1.30 eachBuy ticketOn Astiko KTEL Irakliou
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. The city-bus terminus at the airport, the stop named Aerodromio
Zone A ticket bought before you board, for example in the Astiko KTEL app; EUR 2.30 bought on the bus. Reduced EUR 0.80 for students; a 24-hour ticket is EUR 6.00.
Hours. Line 6 leaves the airport 05:50 to 00:30 (05:55 on Sundays), every 12 to 20 minutes; line 12 06:00 to 00:40, every 15 to 30. Between the two, a bus about every 10 minutes through the day. Nothing runs from about 00:40 to 05:50.
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Prices marked "from" are starting prices set by the operator. Prices are whole-party totals; group fares are included. Ride times are recorded journey durations — no waiting or onward travel has been added — and road times vary with traffic. Confirm prices and availability with the operator. Going the other way? Heraklion to Nikos Kazantzakis airport: where each one boards and when the first one runs
How do I get from Heraklion airport to Heraklion city center?
For one traveler we recommend the City bus 6 or 12 at €1.30, 11 min, which is also the cheapest way in; the fastest is the Pre-booked private transfer at €19, 6 min. Every option below is priced as a total for your party and says where it leaves you.
A few things for the rest of your trip
Partner offers
Not transport options · Affiliate links
Car hire at Heraklion airportDiscover Cars
Hire a car for anywhere past Malia towards Agios Nikolaos, beyond where the KTEL bus to Hersonissos and Malia runs. You already reach Lions Square and the harbour on City bus 6 or 12 every ten minutes, and Hersonissos and Malia on the KTEL. Discover Cars shows the full price before you book.
A flight three or more hours late, or cancelled at short notice, can be owed up to €600 a passenger under EU and UK rules, depending on the flight. AirHelp charges only if the claim succeeds.
These links pay us a commission. They never change which transfer we rank first.
Arriving late?
Not everything runs around the clock: the City bus 6 or 12 runs 05:50–00:40. Outside those hours, the Pre-booked private transfer is what remains. Set the hour you leave arrivals and the board keeps only what is running.
Luggage
Large bags go in the hold under the bus.
Not going to Heraklion at all?
Other cities from this airport on a published fare, priced for your party
City buses 6, 10, 11, 12 and 15 all start from the city-bus terminus at the airport, the stop named Aerodromio, and all call at the KTEL bus station and Eleftherias Square on the way into town.
Tickets
A city-bus ticket costs EUR 1.30 bought before you board, for example in the Astiko KTEL app, and EUR 2.30 bought on the bus. Tapping a bank card or phone on the bus buys the EUR 2.30 ticket.
Uber and Bolt
Bolt lists Crete among the places it operates; check the app for a ride from the airport before you rely on it.
Before you travel
Where each one starts, how long it runs, what it carries
6/12 · Astiko KTEL IrakliouCity bus 6 or 12
From
The city-bus terminus at the airport, the stop named Aerodromio
To
Eleftherias Square, the Astoria stop, after the KTEL bus station; the next stops are Averof and Kornarou Square
Runs
05:50–00:40
Journey
11 min
Zone A ticket bought before you board, for example in the Astiko KTEL app; EUR 2.30 bought on the bus. Reduced EUR 0.80 for students; a 24-hour ticket is EUR 6.00.
Buy the ticket before you board: the same ride costs EUR 2.30 bought on the bus, EUR 1.30 bought ahead.
Line 6 leaves the airport 05:50 to 00:30 (05:55 on Sundays), every 12 to 20 minutes; line 12 06:00 to 00:40, every 15 to 30. Between the two, a bus about every 10 minutes through the day. Nothing runs from about 00:40 to 05:50.
KTEL · KTEL Heraklion-LasithiKTEL bus to Hersonissos and Malia
From
The KTEL bus stop at the airport, for buses coming from Heraklion towards Hersonissos and Malia
To
Hersonissos, the KTEL stop on the national road above the town; the buses go on to Malia
Luggage
Large bags go in the hold under the bus.
Runs
06:00–00:00
Journey
38 min
EUR 3.90 to Hersonissos, the same as from Heraklion bus station. Children up to six travel free with an identity document; the discount cards are for residents.
Make sure the bus is going east, towards Hersonissos, Malia or Agios Nikolaos: buses the other way go into Heraklion.
The last bus of the night leaves Heraklion at midnight; after it, nothing runs to the resorts until 06:00.
Buses leave Heraklion bus station for Hersonissos and Malia every 15 to 30 minutes from 06:00 to 22:45, then at midnight, and reach the airport stop a few minutes later; Sunday is much the same. Nothing runs between midnight and six.
6/12→Seajets · Astiko KTEL Irakliou and SeajetsCity bus and Seajets ferry to Santorini
From
The city-bus terminus at the airport, the stop named Aerodromio
To
Athinios port, Santorini, by Seajets from Heraklion
Luggage
Seajets lets a passenger carry hand luggage up to 50 kg or one cubic metre.
Journey
141 min
Two tickets: EUR 1.30 on the city bus, bought before boarding, and Seajets' high-speed ferry at EUR 99.70 one way, the price its booking page showed on every date from 7 October to 2 November 2026. Summer fares are not published yet. Neither ticket covers the other.
Seajets runs one boat a day to Santorini, at 08:00, and asks you to be at the quay half an hour before. Take a city bus that leaves the airport by about 07:00; the first leave at 05:50.
The boat lands at Athinios, the port below Fira, not in Fira itself; the island's buses and taxis meet it there.
Seajets' timetable is open only to 2 November 2026; check its site for a later date. High-speed ferries can be cancelled in strong wind.
The city bus stops at the Central Station stop, a short walk from Seajets' quay along the harbour front. The ferry leaves from the quay marked for the Worldchampion Jet and Champions League Jet.
What is the best way from Heraklion airport to Heraklion city center?
For one traveler, the City bus 6 or 12 at €1.30, 11 min. The cheapest way in. The Pre-booked private transfer is 5 minutes quicker for €17.70 more, which is not worth it at this party size. The same holds for a group of up to eight. How we weigh price against time is set out on the fares page, in numbers.
What is the cheapest way from Heraklion airport to Heraklion city center?
For one traveler, the City bus 6 or 12 at €1.30. Per-person fares multiply with the size of your party and per-vehicle fares do not, so check the total for your group rather than the single fare.
How do I get from Heraklion airport to Heraklion city center by bus?
One bus reaches Lions Square: the City bus 6 or 12, €1.30 for one traveler, 11 min, to Eleftherias Square. For one traveler that is the cheapest way into Heraklion by any means. The fastest way overall is the Pre-booked private transfer, 6 min. See every option by bus
How do I get from Heraklion airport to Heraklion city center by taxi?
One taxi reaches Lions Square: the Pre-booked private transfer, €19 for one traveler, 6 min, to any address. It is not the cheapest way in: the City bus 6 or 12 at €1.30 is. See every option by taxi
How long does it take to get from Heraklion airport to Heraklion city center?
City bus 6 or 12: 11 min. Pre-booked private transfer: 6 min
How far is Heraklion airport from the city center?
Heraklion Airport does not publish a distance to the city. By time: the fastest way in, the Pre-booked private transfer, takes 6 min; the cheapest, the City bus 6 or 12, 11 min.
Is there Uber or Bolt at Heraklion airport?
Bolt lists Crete among the places it operates; check the app for a ride from the airport before you rely on it.
Where do I catch the City bus 6 or 12 at Heraklion airport?
The city-bus terminus at the airport, the stop named Aerodromio. Follow the signs from arrivals. It leaves you at Eleftherias Square, the Astoria stop, after the KTEL bus station; the next stops are Averof and Kornarou Square.
Is there a train from Heraklion airport to Heraklion at night?
The City bus 6 or 12 runs 05:50–00:40. Outside those hours the pre-booked private transfer is what remains; it is €19 for the vehicle. Line 6 leaves the airport 05:50 to 00:30 (05:55 on Sundays), every 12 to 20 minutes; line 12 06:00 to 00:40, every 15 to 30. Between the two, a bus about every 10 minutes through the day. Nothing runs from about 00:40 to 05:50.
Does the KTEL bus to Hersonissos and Malia go to Lions Square and the Venetian harbour?
Goes east to the resorts, away from Heraklion: Hersonissos in about 40 minutes, then Malia. For the city centre take a bus the other way.
Does the City bus and Seajets ferry to Santorini go to Lions Square and the Venetian harbour?
This goes on by ferry to Santorini, landing at Athinios port below Fira. It does not stop in Heraklion on the way.
Does the Private transfer to Hersonissos go to Lions Square and the Venetian harbour?
This goes to Hersonissos, not Heraklion: the driver takes you to any address there.
Worth knowing
City buses 6 and 12 leave the airport terminus for Eleftherias Square about every 10 minutes, 05:50 to 00:40. A ticket bought before you board is EUR 1.30; bought on the bus, by cash or card, it is EUR 2.30.
The KTEL buses east to Hersonissos and Malia call at the airport on their way from Heraklion, 06:00 to midnight, every 15 to 30 minutes. Between the midnight bus and the 06:00 one nothing leaves for the resorts.
From the airport the KTEL fare is the same as from Heraklion bus station: EUR 3.90 to Hersonissos, EUR 8.60 to Agios Nikolaos. Children up to six travel free.
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