Ferry from Folegandros to Crete (Heraklion)

Folegandros Guide

Located in the Cyclades group of islands, the Greek island of Folegandros lies in the Aegean Sea and forms the Cycladic island chain along with the islands of Sikinos, Ios, Anafi and Santorini. It is a fairly small island, measuring around 32 sq. km, and has around 760 inhabitants who primarily live in three villages: Chora, Karavostasis, which is also the island's port, and Ano Meria. For visitors to the island looking for a vantage point to take in the island's magnificent scenery then the Church of Panaghia is located on the top of a hill and offers great views of Chora and the island's west coast. There are a number of great beaches on the island but visitors should note that all of them are fairly difficult to reach. Some can be reached after a bit of a walk whereas others can only be accessed by boat. The two beaches that can be reached by car are the beaches at Karavostasi and Angali.

The island can be reached by conventional ferry, Highspeed ferry or Flying Dolphin from Piraeus, Rafini, the other islands of the Cycladic islands, Crete, Rhodes and the rest of the Dodecanese islands and the East Aegean Islands. Travel times vary depending on destination and ferry type but journey times range from 3.5 hours to 11 hours. The island's harbour, Karavostasi, has a few shops and restaurants for visitors to enjoy.

Heraklion Guide

Located on the Greek island of Crete, Heraklion is the island's largest city and is one of the main urban centres in Greece. The city can trace its history back to at least the 9th century AD when its development began and then later came under the influence of the Arabs, the Venetians and the Ottomans. Popular sites in the city with tourists include the fortification walls that are essentially the boundary of the old city. These were first built by the Arabs and then reinforced by the Venetians. From the seven bastions, only the Martinengo bastion survives to this day and is where visitors will find the tomb of the renowned writer N. Kazantzakis, overlooking the city. The city was also a venue during the 2004 Olympic Games, and hosted games of the football tournament.

Located in the city's old port, visitors can still see the vaulted tarsanades where ships used to be built and also the 16th century Koule Fortress. From the port, ferries depart to destinations including Santorini, Ios, Paros, Mykonos and Rhodes. There are also ferry services to the Greek mainland port of Piraeus.