Collect your car at HER, the port or your hotel, then set your own route: Knossos Palace, the Archaeological Museum, the Matala caves, the Peza wineries. Clear prices, flexible payment, and local partners who know every shortcut.
Collect your car at HER, the port or your hotel, then set your own route: Knossos Palace, the Archaeological Museum, the Matala caves, the Peza wineries. Clear prices, flexible payment, and local partners who know every shortcut.
Local rates, no airport mark-ups
Prices come straight from local partners, so what you book is what you pay.
Flexible delivery
Airport, port, hotels in Heraklion, Gouves and Hersonissos, or a meeting point of your own.
Rent without a credit card
With the supplier’s own Premium Insurance (zero excess) there is no deposit to block, so no credit card is needed. Pay by cash or debit card.
Real insurance, no middleman claims
You are insured directly by the car rental company rather than by a broker, so there is no ‘pay and claim’ reimbursement to chase.
A fleet for history and beaches
Compact cars for the city, SUVs for the south-coast roads, automatics for stop-start traffic.
Minoan history, food stops and nearby beaches, all on your own schedule.
Go early and you will walk the Minoan capital before the queues build; the wineries nearby make an easy second stop.
The big Minoan collection, right beside the city centre. Park in a public lot and walk the last few minutes.
A seafront walk, cafés and long views along the harbour walls.
Long sandy stretches a short drive from town — a good half-day swim before a late flight.
Short drives to palaces, caves and south-coast sunsets.
60–80 min one way
Minoan ruins in the morning, a swim at the Matala caves after, then lunch at a seaside taverna.
25–35 min one way
Winery tastings, olive oil mills and hillside villages, all close to Knossos.
75–90 min one way
A short hike down the gorge to the beach. Take water and set off early in the summer heat.
60–75 min one way
Cool mountain air, caves to visit and village tavernas well above the city heat.
Beat the queues at Knossos
Arrive before 09:00, park at the site lot and pair the visit with a winery nearby.
City parking
Use the municipal lots around the centre rather than squeezing into the tight old-town lanes.
Airport and port handover
Tell us your flight or ferry time and staff can have the car waiting kerbside with the paperwork ready.
Wind on the drive south
Ease off on the open stretches towards Matala and Agiofarago when the gusts pick up.
Cash for small villages
Cards work almost everywhere, but keep a little cash for remote tavernas and kiosks.
No tolls, but plan the time
Crete has no toll roads. Do allow extra minutes for the scenic single-lane sections.
Choose Premium Insurance (zero excess) and the supplier waives the security deposit altogether, so you can pay by debit card or in cash and never need a credit card. The cover comes straight from the supplier, so there is nothing to pay upfront and claim back later.
It is real insurance, issued directly by the car rental company. Many brokers sell reimbursement policies instead, and those still want a credit card deposit upfront. Our Premium Insurance means no deposit, and no paperwork to chase in the rare event of damage.
You can collect at Heraklion Airport (HER) arrivals, at the port, in central Heraklion, or in the resort areas of Hersonissos, Gouves and Ammoudara. We can also deliver to your hotel — just add the address in the booking notes.
Yes. Many of our partners allow one-way rentals, say picking up at Heraklion Airport and dropping off at Chania Airport (CHQ). Set different pick-up and drop-off points when you search and you will see exactly which options are available.
For central Crete and driving in town, a compact or economy car is plenty. Heading up to the Lassithi Plateau or into the Asterousia mountains, a small SUV or crossover is more comfortable on the climbs. Either way, keep to asphalt – the car can go anywhere that is paved, and that covers every route on this page.
Rethymno is roughly 75–90 minutes west on the E75 motorway, and Chania around 2–2.5 hours. Heading east, Agios Nikolaos takes about 45–60 minutes and Elounda around 60–75 minutes. The north coast motorway is fast; the mountain routes take longer, but they are the scenic ones.
Not especially, as the old town has very little of it. Your best options are the underground car parks near the port and around Plateia Eleftherias. In summer, arrive before 10:00, or park on a quieter side street and walk in. Most hotels outside the pedestrian zone have parking of their own.
Before 09:00 if you can manage it — that puts you ahead of both the tour groups and the heat. Leave the Heraklion Archaeological Museum for the afternoon, as the two share a ticket on many days. In July and August, skip the middle of the day altogether: temperatures can exceed 35°C.
Book in a few minutes, pick the insurance that suits you, and collect the car where you land or where you are staying.
