Heraklion Airport by Car: Hire Car Pickup, Parking and Drive Times
Arriving at Heraklion Nikos Kazantzakis airport with a hire car: where to collect it, what the official car park costs, how long the drive takes to the main resorts, and the bus and taxi options.
Compare Car Rental DealsChecked 2 November 2026 · new page · changelog
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Heraklion airport at a glance
Heraklion airport "Nikos Kazantzakis" (IATA code HER) is Crete's main airport and sits on the north coast about 5 km east of Heraklion city centre. The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority runs it as a state airport (ypa.gr), and it takes many of the summer charter and low-cost flights to Crete. For a driving holiday Heraklion airport is the natural start for central and eastern Crete: Hersonissos, Malia, Agios Nikolaos and the Lasithi plateau.
The drive times on this page are our own measurement: road distance and free-flow driving time from the OpenStreetMap road network (the OSRM route planner), checked on 2 November 2026. Real journeys on Crete's northern road are slower in July and August and through roadworks, so add a margin. Takeaway: from Heraklion airport, the central resorts are under 30 minutes away and Chania is more than two and a half hours.
Collecting your hire car at Heraklion airport
How you collect a hire car at Heraklion airport depends on the supplier, not on the airport. International brands keep desks inside the terminal: Enterprise, for example, lists its Heraklion airport desk in the arrivals terminal (enterprise.com, checked 2 November 2026). Many local Crete firms instead meet you in the arrivals hall or the car park opposite the terminal and hand the car over there.
- Read your booking voucher for the exact meeting point and the phone number to call when you land.
- Walk round the car with the agent and photograph every scratch, the tyres and the fuel gauge before you drive off.
- Check whether your excess cover includes tyres, glass and the underbody: Crete's unpaved roads are where these are damaged.
Our Crete car hire comparison sets out deposits, excess and fuel policies supplier by supplier, and the renting guide walks through the pickup step by step. Takeaway: the meeting point at Heraklion airport is in your voucher, and ten minutes of photos at pickup protect your deposit.
Heraklion airport parking prices
The car park at Heraklion airport is run by DEPANAL, the municipal company of Heraklion. It is an outdoor car park with 722 spaces plus 10 covered VIP spaces on Ikarou Avenue, directly opposite the terminal, and it is open 24 hours a day. The prices below are DEPANAL's own published tariff, checked on 2 November 2026; DEPANAL notes that prices may change without prior notice.
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| Stay | Price (DEPANAL tariff) |
|---|---|
| Up to 30 minutes | €1.50 |
| 31 minutes to 1 hour | €2.40 |
| 1 to 4 hours | €4.60 |
| 4 to 7 hours | €5.70 |
| 1 day | €11.30 |
| 3 days | €25.70 |
| 7 days | €50.30 |
| 14 days | €66.30 |
| 15 days to 1 month | €70.00 |
DEPANAL takes advance reservations only online, through the Parkvia booking platform, not by phone. Source: DEPANAL, airport parking page (depanal.gr). Takeaway: a quick pick-up or drop-off at Heraklion airport costs €1.50, and a week costs €50.30.
Driving times from Heraklion airport
Heraklion airport sits right on the northern road (the BOAK), which links all of Crete's north-coast towns. The table gives road distance and free-flow driving time from Heraklion airport, from our OSRM route check on 2 November 2026.
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| From Heraklion airport to | Distance | Driving time (free-flow) |
|---|---|---|
| Heraklion city centre | 5 km | about 10 min |
| Hersonissos | 24 km | about 25 min |
| Malia | 32 km | about 30 min |
| Agios Nikolaos | 60 km | about 1 h |
| Rethymno | 82 km | about 1 h 25 min |
| Chania old town | 153 km | about 2 h 40 min |
| Elafonisi beach | 222 km | about 3 h 50 min |
The northern road is part motorway and part older single carriageway, with roadworks on the new BOAK sections, so these times are a floor, not a promise. Our guide to driving in Crete explains the speed limits and the old road's hard-shoulder etiquette. Takeaway: if your trip is mainly western Crete, flying into Chania airport saves more than two hours of driving each way.
Bus and taxi from Heraklion airport
Heraklion airport has a city bus station run by Astiko KTEL Heraklion, the city bus company, which lists the airport departure station as staffed from 05:30 to 21:00. A single ticket costs €1.30 in zone A (the city within about 5 km) or €1.80 in zone B (the suburbs) if bought before boarding, and €2.30 or €2.80 if bought on the bus. Source: Astiko KTEL Heraklion ticket page (astiko-irakleiou.gr), checked 2 November 2026.
We found no official list of fixed taxi fares from Heraklion airport, so ask the driver for the price before setting off. Buses to the resorts are run by the separate intercity KTEL company, with its own timetables and fares. Takeaway: for anywhere beyond Heraklion city, a hire car collected at the airport is the simplest option.
Frequently Asked Questions
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