Diafani – Heraklion
Ferry to Crete
Diafani – Heraklion
Ferry to Crete
The Diafani Heraklion ferry route connects Dodecanese Islands with Crete. Currently there is just the 1 ferry company operating this ferry service, Blue Star Ferries. The crossing operates up to 1 times each week with sailing durations from around 7 hours 55 minutes.
Diafani Heraklion sailing durations and frequency may vary from season to season so we’d advise doing a live check to get the most up to date information.
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Located on the thin north-eastern tip of the island of Karpathos, one of the landmasses that form the Greek Dodecanese islands near the coast of mainland Turkey, is the village of Diafani. This quaint fishing community, defined by its narrow streets and the locals’ use of a traditional Greek dialect, sits at the foot of the island’s undulating landscape of low inland hills that descend towards a deep-blue bay lining the village’s eastern border. It’s a spot that can boast to be one Greece’s warmest spots too, with average yearly temperatures topping the country’s leaderboard. The port of Diafani is found to the south of the village, on a curved pier that juts into the Aegean Sea. A twisting rural road leads directly from the harbour side to the larger town of Olympos built atop a hill just 5-miles away on the opposite coast. A bus route runs from the village towards other towns and villages across the entirety of Karpathos, though these services run on a limited schedule. The ferry terminal in Diafani consists of nothing more than a departure point at the end of the pier. There are no facilities at the terminal either meaning that passengers looking to buy food or drink before their journey must use the shops in the village. Currently one ferry operator sails from the port, destined for a multitude of locations across the southern Greek stretch of the Aegean Sea. Anek Lines services offer routes throughout the week to other Dodecanese Islands, including Kasos, Chalki and Rhodes, as well as the long trip to the district of Piraeus on the mainland.
Heraklion ferry port is located next to the city on the central northern coast of the island of Crete in the southern part of the Aegean Sea at the foot of the Greek islands. The ferry port which is around 500 metres to the east of the Koules fortress and all ships depart from the western part of the port at piers 1 and 2. As well as providing a gateway to the Island of Crete for tourists, Heraklion has for many years served the needs of the Cretan residents with the movement of goods to and from the island. Heraklion port is connected on a daily basis with mainland Greece by modern, luxurious and fast passenger ferries. There are also year round connections to the Dodecanese and seasonal services to many of the Cyclades islands. On an annual basis more than 2 million passengers as well as millions of tons of cargo will pass through Heraklion port. Heraklion itself is the fifth largest city in Greece.