By car via Germany and Italy to Greece and at the island of Crete.
A journey which could a part of the actual holiday with sightseeing and almost already a cruise trip.
As an alternative to the usual air travel, it is also possible to arrive at Crete by car. This journey is practically a part of the actual holiday, with much more sightseeing possibilities on the way and additional almost already a cruise.
By car from UK to Crete
Table of Contents
Overview
Driving from the UK to Crete is an ambitious journey that requires careful planning and preparation.
Route: The journey typically involves driving through several European countries before reaching Greece. One common route goes through Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Italy, before taking a ferry to Greece.
Ferry Options: There are two main ferry options:
a) Drive to an Italian port (often Brindisi) and take a ferry to Patras, Greece.
b) Drive all the way to Athens or another Greek port and take a ferry from there to Crete.
Driving Time: The total driving time from London to Crete is approximately 42 hours, not including breaks, overnight stops, or ferry travel time.
Border Crossings: Be prepared for border crossings, which can be slow but generally straightforward.
Tolls and Fuel: Budget for toll roads, especially in countries like France and Italy. Luxembourg offers some of the cheapest diesel in Western Europe, so it’s a good place to refuel.
Vehicle Considerations: Ensure your car is in good condition for such a long journey. If you’re driving a UK right-hand drive car, be aware that you’ll be driving on the right side of the road in continental Europe.
Road Conditions: While most of the journey will be on good highways, be prepared for varying road conditions, especially in Crete itself.
Travel Documents: Ensure you have all necessary documents, including your passport, driver’s license, vehicle registration, and insurance papers. Check if you need an international driving permit.
Remember to plan your stops, book accommodations in advance, and allow plenty of time for rest and sightseeing along the way. This journey can be a great opportunity to explore various parts of Europe before reaching your final destination in Crete.
Onwards from southern Germany to Crete by car
Anyone who has ever driven by car to Crete, basically has two options:
On the one hand, only to use the shortest ferry routes, but all about driving your car much more
– or –
to spend most of the trip on the ship to relax and to use the car as little as possible.
The first way leads most travelers down to the Italian port of Brindisi and from there by ferry to Patras.
However, we have decided to spend most of the trip on the sea because the waterway is still the cheapest means of transport since time immemorial. Since the trip was made during the off-season, the prices for the car ferries and cabins were about 1/3 cheaper than in the summer time. And by considering fuel saving and wear on the car, tolls for the Italian highways, etc., this is favorable option.
Moreover, a cruise on which you do not have to drive yourself, is much more pleasant, relaxing and free of stress and risk of accidents on the road. For this sea voyage across the Adriatic Sea you have to go to Venice.
Day 1 – from Germany to Bardolino on Lake Garda
Our trip took us on the first day from the heart of Germany on the highways to Bavaria and Munich of course, where the first photo was taken.
Now we crossed the Brenner Pass from Austria to Italy.
Since we knew Bardolino on Lake Garda well, our first stop for the night was a local Hotel there, which we reached towards evening. In the familiar old town and out of season we could have a nice evening meal with a very good, original Italian pizza.
Day 2 – from Bardolino to Venice
For the second day our destination was just Venice, which is just a ‘stone’s throw’ from Bardolino away.
There we embarked on a car ferry Venice-Patras to Greece, where we booked a two bed inside cabin with meals. Due to the short travel time from Bardolino to Venice and the departure of the ferry in the afternoon, there is also a bit time for a short visit to Venice.
Day 3 – across the Adriatic to Patras
The third day we spent practically almost completely at sea. In total, it was a beautiful voyage from 1 1/2 days on the Adriatic, with a brief stop at Corfu.
If one considers that the fare with cabin on the route Venice-Patras is higher by only about 50% as for the much shorter route Brindisi-Patras, this trip already is worth alone because of the saved gasoline and tolls for Italian highways.
In the evening against 21 hours the ship finally arrived in Patras, where we also found immediately a nice hotel for the night. Since the ferry from Piraeus to Crete is leaving earlier the evening and it takes around 3 hours to arrive there, it would make not much sense to drive there now.
Day 4 – from Patras to the port of Piraeus
Today we drove again only a short journey from Patras via Corinth directly to the port of Piraeus, to avoid the usual traffic chaos in Athens. We spent practical all day at the port until the car ferry Minoan Lines Piraeus-Heraklion on Crete could be boarded in the late afternoon.
If you do not know Athens, you can also use the time for a sightseeing tour.
In the evening, the ship left and the fares from Piraeus to the other Greek islands are not very expensive in general. Practically, the ferries in Greece are the same as the trains in UK.
Again we booked an inside cabin, but many travelers spend the night even on easy chairs or other seating and lying opportunities.
Day 5 – Arriving at Crete
Early in the morning the ferry arrives at Heraklion on Crete, and we were at the destination of our trip by car to Crete.
Information about ferry connections
Minoan Lines has been providing a large European ferry company with a well-equipped fleet in the Aegean and Italy for over 35 years.
Minoan Lines currently mainly use the ferry services
- Ancona (Italy) to Patras (Greece),
- Piraeus (Athens) to Heraklion (Crete),
- Venice (Italy) to Patras (Greece).
It is also possible to leave the ships on Corfu or Igoumenitsa.
ANEK Lines currently mainly handles the ferry services
- Ancona (Italy) to Patras (Greece),
- Bari (Italy) to Patras (Greece),
- Venice (Italy) to Patras (Greece),
- Piraeus (Athens) to Chania (Crete),
- Pireus (Athens) to Heraklion (Crete).
Here, too, the ship can alternatively be left on Corfu or at Igoumenitsa. There are also connections to the Cyclades (e.g. Santorini) and Dodecanese Islands (e.g. Rhodes), but also Sitia in Crete.
Find your best Ferry
FerryScanner
Direct Ferries
Minoan Lines
Minoan Lines is one of the largest ferry companies in Europe and has some of the most dominant passenger ferries in Greece. Its ships operate between Piraeus and Crete as well as in the Adriatic Sea and between Patras and various Italian harbours.
The company was founded in May 1972 and the ferry Minos – a converted oil tanker from 1952 – was used for the first time on the route from Piraeus to Iraklion on 5 July 1974. The following year, a ferry built in 1967 was added to provide a daily service to Crete in each direction.
In 1981, the first international ferry service from Patras to Ancona in Italy was established with the help of additional second-hand ferries.
In 2000, completely new ferries were deployed for Minoan Lines for the first time. However, an older ferry sank off Paros on 26 September 2000, killing 80 people.
By 2002, a total of seven new ferries had been put into service by Minonan Lines.
In 2006, Minon Lines was named ‘Passenger Line of the Year’ according to the Loyds List. In 2009, two cruise ships were added to the fleet.
At the beginning of 2012, the route from Venice to Patras had to be closed, but Trieste was called at the end of the year.
On 5 January 2013, a ferry suffered damage and had to dock in Brindisi, where all passengers and vehicles were able to leave the ship unharmed. The following year, on 21 September 2014, another ferry on the Patras to Ancona route ran aground on a reef north-east of Corfu and all crew members and passengers were evacuated.
Since January 2017, Minoan Lines has been operating again on the route from Venice to Patras, with arrivals and departures now taking place during the night.
The ferries ‘Knossos Palace’ and ‘Festos Palace’ currently operate alternately between Heraklion and Piraeus, while ‘Cruise Europa’ and ‘Cruise Olympia’ serve the Patras route via Igoumenitsa to Ancona and Venice.
The main owner of Minoan Lines is the Italian Grimaldi shipping company. The head office is in Iraklion on Crete and the company has 1,809 employees (2015).
ANEK Lines
The ANEK Line is the largest passenger ship company in Greece. It was founded in 1967 by numerous protesting Cretans after the ferry ‘Heraklion’ capsized on 8 December 1966 due to non-compliance with safety regulations, resulting in more than 200 deaths. The cause was a lorry that was not properly secured, contrary to regulations, and tore open the loading gates.
On 10 April 1967, several hundred Cretans, consisting of traders, self-employed people, pensioners and farmers, thus laid the foundation stone for the ANEK line, which had its headquarters in Chania and was a cooperative people’s share company. At that time, only native Cretans could hold shares in the company and the aim was to replace the purely profit-orientated shipping companies with their unreliable ships on the route to Crete.
It was not until 1970 that the company’s first ship travelled between Piraeus and Chania. It was an oil tanker built in 1953 that had been converted into a ferry in compliance with all safety regulations.
In 1973, the Piraeus to Iraklion route was also served by two more ferries and since 1978, the route to Chania has also been served daily by another ship.
The first international ferry connection from Patras via Corfu to Ancona in Italy took place in 1989. In 1992, there was also the first service from Patras to Trieste and in 1994 to Bari.
Since 1998, the company’s shares have also been freely traded on the Athens Stock Exchange and in 2005 the Patras to Venice route was added.
In 2010, a subsidiary was founded, which also operated ships to Syros, Mykonos, Ikaria, Fourni and Samos in the Aegean.
In 2014, the only significant incident to date occurred when a fire broke out on the parking deck of a ferry chartered by ANEK Lines in the Adriatic on 28 December 2014. The ship was adrift in a storm near Corfu, but almost all passengers and crew members were rescued. Nevertheless, there were at least 13 fatalities; possibly more, as there are often stowaways on board ferries.
The current fleet consists of seven ferries, plus one more that has been chartered out to another company.
Today, the Vardionoyannis family holds over 64 per cent of the shares in ANEK Lines, which had around 1,630 employees at the end of 2015.
Can anyone tell us a vague cost of this trip. Uk to crete using ferrys whenever possible. ??
At the bottom of the article are links to prices, time-tables and so on.
Our jorney to Crete this summer was frugal… It was from Plovdiv, BG through Thessaloniki, Athens to lovely Chania in Crete. A night in Athens, a night by ferry from Pireaus.. and the next you can imagine it – magical island with delicious food and brilliant beaches. <3
We travel from Sweden to Crete, we have to take 6 different boats forward and back,We go through Rostock and the same day we are in Venecia 1440 Km.Now it’s important that the times match the boats. If you take a boat that arrives at Patra in the morning, you can arrive at Piraeus until the afternoon, and then you can take the boat the same day to Heraklion, then you win you time and money.I come from Crete and have lived in Sweden for 43 years now.So I have made that trip many times !!!