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Practical information

Crete 

The island of Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and separates the Aegean from the Libyan sea. Crete forms a significant part of the cultural heritage of Greece and retains its own local cultural traits; such as its own music and dialect. Heraklion is the largest city and the capital of Crete. Crete was the centre of the Minoan civilization, approximately 2600–1454 BC, which is the oldest Greek and European civilization. The Knossos palace, one of the two most important Minoan sites on the island, is located in the outskirts of Heraklion. The archaeological museum in Heraklion contains some of the most important treasures of minoan culture such as the Phaistos disk.


Apart from numerous magnificent beaches Crete is characterized by a very diverse landscape and three high mountain ranges (all rise to above 2000 meters from sea-level), that provide excellent hiking opportunities and views on spectacular gorges such as the Samaria Gorge. Among the most famous sons of the islands are the writer Nikos Kazantzakis, the painter El Greco and the poet Odysseas Elytis (Nobel Prize in Literature). Famous musicians are Nikos Ksilouris and his brother Antonis Ksilouris (also known as Psarantonis).

Conference Venue 

Talks will take place in the Amphitheatre of the Hellenic Center for Marine Research that is located approximately 15km east of Heraklion International airport which is the main airport of the island. The Institute is located right next to the Cretaquarium in a small sea-side town called Gouves.


Conference Accomodation 

All particpants will be accomodated in single rooms at the nearby Astir Beach Hotel. The hotel is at approximately 25 minutes walking distance along the seafront from the conference venue (see trajejectory included below). Participants of past events have always enjoyed the walk along the sea before and after the conference. Breakfast and dinners at the hotel are included in the registration fee. 


 
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Conference Lunches 

The conference lunches on Tuesday May 5 and Thursday May 7 will take place in the restaurant of the Cretan Aquarium (also known as Creteaquarium that is located immediately north of the Hellenic Center for Marine Research. See site 2 on the map above.

Getting to Crete 

  • Change planes at Athens airport, there are about 10 daily flights from Athens to Heraklion.
  • Since the tourist season will already have started in May there is a good chance of finding a direct non-stop charter flight to Heraklion from many central European countries.
  • From the US: There are numerous nonstop flights from the US to Athens such that you only need to change planes once. Another option is to fly to a major European hub like Frankfurt or Munich and catch a direct charter flight to Heraklion from there. 

Getting from the Airport to Hotel & Conference Venue

By Bus

There is a bus leaving approx every 30 minutes from Heraklion Airport to Gournes. The trip should take approximately 30-40 minutes.
Look for departures from the port of Heraklion (stopping at the airport, arriving there 5-10 minutes after departure from the port) to Chersonissos, Maila, Ag. Nikolaos, Sitia:
http://www.ktelherlas.gr/page.php?cat_id=1&id=39&lang=en

Ask the bus driver for a stop near by the Cretaquarium or the Hotel.

Heraklion Main Bus Terminus = tel.: +30 2810 246530

Ticket price (2024) = 2.20 EUR (one way)
Travelling time = approx. 20 minutes

By Taxi 

Lastly, those who prefer to come by taxi (trip time 15-20 minutes) but can't find any taxi available at Heraklion airport, may call:

Heraklio radio taxitel.: +30 2810 210 -102/-168/-146
Candia radio taxi tel.: +30 2810 36136 -2/-3/-4

Indicative 2024 taxi fares (please consult https://herakliotaxi.com/price-list/ for up-to-date information):

Heraklion Airport to Conference Hotel (Astir Beach) 30,00 €

Conference Hotel (Astir Beach) to Heraklion Center 35,00 €

Note that you may have to pay additional charges of typically less than 5 EUR for pre-arranged appointments, immediate pick ups by radio taxis following a phone call, and trips after midnight.

By Car 

By following the special brown information signs "CRETAQUARIUM", along the national road (linking all major cities on the Northern Coast from West to East) and several minor roads that are linked to it.
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