Car rental in Heraklion

About the rental

Why you need a car on Crete, and why Heraklion

Heraklion is the one place on the island where an international airport, the main ferry port and the roads heading west, south and up into the mountains all meet within half an hour of each other. Most trips around Crete start here.

The KTEL buses do a decent job along the north coast. But everything people actually come for — the Lasithi plateau with its windmills, the red sand at Matala, the empty coves on the south shore, villages where the square holds three chairs and one coffee — sits outside their timetable. A car here isn’t about comfort. It’s about access.

What car hire costs in Heraklion

Price depends on the season more than on the car, and on how far ahead you book more than on either.

For departures in the coming months, local companies in Heraklion start from around €10 a day for a compact. In July and August the same class costs several times that, and choice narrows as the date approaches — automatics go first, then everything else at a sensible price. The final figure depends on your dates, the car class and the insurance package you pick, and you’ll see it in the search before you pay.

Hiring without a deposit

The usual arrangement on Crete: somewhere between €500 and €1,500 is blocked on the main driver’s credit card and sits there until you bring the car back. With the big international brands there’s no way around it, and a debit card often won’t be accepted at all.

Local Cretan companies work differently. More than two thirds of the offers in Heraklion carry no deposit at all, and a similar share need no credit card — a debit card in the main driver’s name is enough. Instead of tying up your money, they offer extended cover with zero excess, often already included in the price. These offers are flagged separately in the search filters.

If you’ve ever landed somewhere and watched a four-figure hold vanish from your available balance for a fortnight, this is the part worth reading twice.

Driving on the right

Crete drives on the right. If you’re coming from the UK or Ireland, the first twenty minutes out of the airport are the ones to take slowly — roundabouts and left turns are where habit fights you hardest.

One practical point: if you hold an automatic-only licence, book early. Automatics are a small share of the Cretan fleet and they sell out first, especially between June and September.

Picking up at Heraklion Airport (HER)

Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is five kilometres east of the centre — closer in than most hotels.

Local companies meet you differently from the international brands: someone waits in arrivals with a sign, and the car is either in the nearby car park or a three-minute shuttle ride away at their office. Paperwork takes about fifteen minutes. Flights from the UK, Ireland and northern Europe often land after ten at night, so it’s worth stating your pick-up time when you book — late arrivals are covered, but advance notice helps. Drop-off works the same way in reverse: you hand the car over in the car park and walk to the terminal.

Which car to take

A compact covers nearly every scenario. There’s tarmac everywhere tourists go, including the switchbacks up to Lasithi and the road down to Matala, and in Heraklion’s Venetian old town a large car becomes a liability.

Class	Typical models	Seats	Large cases	Best for
Mini	Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10, Toyota Aygo	4	1	Couples, old town parking, lowest price
Economy	Fiat Panda, Fiat 500, VW Polo, Hyundai i20	5	2	The default choice for most trips
Compact	Opel Corsa, Suzuki Swift, Fiat Tipo	5	2–3	Four adults, longer drives, motorway comfort
Compact SUV	VW T-Cross, Kia Stonic, Fiat 500X	5	3	Gravel tracks, mountain roads, higher seating
Automatic	Available across all classes	—	—	Book early; a small share of the Cretan fleet

Four-wheel drive genuinely matters in two cases: the gravel tracks out to remote beaches like Kato Zakros, and four adults with a full boot.

A weekend’s radius

Heraklion works well as a zero point — it sits roughly halfway along the north coast, with an even reach in both directions.

Destination	Distance	Drive time	What’s there
Knossos	5 km	15 min	The Minoan palace, doable on your first morning
Heraklion Airport (HER)	5 km	10 min	Pick-up and drop-off point
Lasithi Plateau	55 km	1 h 15	Windmills, Dikteon Cave, mountain villages
Agios Nikolaos	65 km	50 min	Lake Voulismeni, gateway to Elounda
Elounda & Spinalonga	75 km	1 h	Venetian island fortress, boat from the harbour
Matala	70 km	1 h 15	Red sand, cliff caves, south coast sunsets
Rethymno	80 km	1 h	Venetian old town, second-largest harbour
Preveli	100 km	1 h 40	Palm gorge running down to the beach
Chania	140 km	1 h 45	Old Venetian port, base for the far west
Vai	145 km	2 h 15	Europe’s largest natural palm forest
Elafonissi	230 km	3 h	Pink sand lagoon — full day, early start

Balos and Elafonissi are worth calling what they are: a full day with a very early start, two hundred kilometres each way, and Chania is the more sensible base for them.

Roads, parking, and the size of your car

The northern highway, the VOAK, isn’t a motorway whatever it looks like on a map: one lane each way, a wide hard shoulder, and local drivers who habitually pull onto it to let faster traffic past. You get used to the move within the first half hour.

The roads south are another story. Switchbacks, few barriers, an average speed of around forty kilometres an hour. If the satnav says an hour, allow ninety minutes.

In Heraklion itself, blue lines mean paid parking, settled at a machine. Free spaces in the centre are effectively nonexistent. It’s easier to leave the car at the port car park or on Eleftherias Square and walk from there.

When to go, and when to book

HER is among the three busiest airports in Greece, and demand hits its ceiling in July and August — which is also when the UK school holidays land. The gap between booking three months ahead and booking three days ahead isn’t measured in percentages. It’s measured in multiples.

Period	Prices	Crowds	Sea	Book ahead
April – May	Low	Light	Cool, 17–19 °C	2–4 weeks
June	Rising	Building	Warm, 22 °C	6–8 weeks
July – August	Peak	Heavy	25–26 °C	3 months
September	High, easing	Moderate	Warmest, 25 °C	6–8 weeks
October	Low	Light	Still swimmable, 23 °C	2–3 weeks
November – March	Lowest	None	Too cold	Walk-up availability

Driving in Crete: the essentials

Drives on	The right
Speed limits	50 km/h in town, 90 rural, 110 expressway, 130 motorway
Alcohol limit	0.05% — 0.02% with under two years’ experience
Tolls	None on Crete; the VOAK north road is free
Vignette	Not required in Greece
Winter tyres	Not required
Seatbelts	Compulsory front and rear
Phone	Hands-free only
UK and EU licences	Accepted as-is, no international permit needed
Non-Latin-script licences	An International Driving Permit is required alongside
Fuel policy	Full-to-full with most companies
Currency	Euro

FAQ