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KTEL Chania – Rethimnon Public Bus service in Crete
KTEL Chania – Rethymnon, the primary intercity bus provider in Western Crete, is based in the centre of Chania, on Kydonias Street, and serves as the island’s key transport hub.
Whether you’re travelling without a car or prefer to leave the driving to someone else, this is the most reliable and cost-effective way to explore Crete and beyond. Buses depart daily to destinations across the Chania and Rethymnon regions and cities on the Greek mainland, including Larissa, Thessaloniki, Patras and Ioannina.
About KTEL
KTEL stands for “Common Fund of Bus Proceeds” (in Greek: Κοινά Ταμεία Εισπράξεων Λεωφορείων) and refers to a system of privately owned bus cooperatives under state supervision. Crete has two main KTEL networks: KTEL Chania – Rethymnon and KTEL Heraklion – Lasithi. These networks aim to provide safe, efficient, modern road transport across the island.
KTEL Chania – Rethymnon operates a fleet of modern buses with air conditioning, ergonomic seating and spacious luggage compartments. For the popular Chania to Kolymbari route, articulated buses run along the scenic northern coastline, stopping at tourist hotspots such as Stalos, Agia Marina, Platanias, Gerani, Maleme and more.
Chania Bus Station
The central bus station in Chania has significantly improved in recent years. It now offers a comfortable, air-conditioned waiting area, a mini market, a café-restaurant, ticket counters, an information desk, clean public toilets with regular cleaning staff, and secure baggage lockers. The locker service is perfect for storing your luggage for a few hours or even a whole day – it costs €4 for 8 hours or €6 for 24 hours, with additional charges applied if time is exceeded. If you lose the locker key, there’s a €25 replacement fee.
Another essential service is parcel delivery. KTEL allows you to send documents, luggage, boxes, bikes and other items safely to any destination it serves. This is especially helpful for locals and travellers transporting goods within Crete or the mainland. You can contact the relevant storage departments in Chania, Rethymnon or Heraklion for details and pricing.
Routes
Daily routes cover Rethymno, Georgioupoli, Kavros, Bali and Heraklion destinations. At the same time, long-distance connections include Lamia, Larissa, Thessaloniki, Patras and Ioannina. KTEL also runs regular services between Chania and Chania Airport. However, it’s worth noting that there’s no direct KTEL connection to the Port of Souda from Chania – that route is handled by Chania City Bus. There is, however, a KTEL route from Souda Port to Rethymno.
Some of the most popular routes include Chania – Rethymno – Heraklion, Chania – Kasteli, Chania – Paleochora, Chania – Airport, and Rethymno – Chania Airport.
If you need assistance or want to book tickets, call the reservation offices in Chania at +302821093306, in Rethymno at +302831306190, and in Heraklion at +302810246530 (ext. 2).
Ktel Chania - Rethimnon timetables
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DEPARTURES FROM CHANIA |
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FROM & TO CHANIA AIRPORT |
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›TIMETABLE VALID FROM 20-05-2025 |
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THESSALONIKI & PATRA-IOANNINA |
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FROM CHANIA TO HINTERLAND VILLAGES |
Tips for a smooth journey with KTEL Chania – Rethymnon
Advance booking is mandatory to guarantee a seat on any KTEL route. You can reserve your seat online at www.e-ktel.com or in person at the ticket offices. This is not just a suggestion – it’s a strict policy. Each Chania – Rethymno – Heraklion line bus has exactly 50 seats. Once those are booked, no additional passengers can board. That means even if you arrive at the station early, you might not be allowed to travel on your preferred departure without a valid reservation.
Having a reservation is even more critical if you plan to board from a mid-route stop outside a bus terminal. The driver cannot allow boarding at intermediate locations unless your seat is confirmed in the system. Booking in advance ensures that the bus will stop for you, and you’ll have a guaranteed seat for the whole trip.
Tickets sell out quickly during high season and busy periods, especially in summer. Booking a few days in advance is strongly recommended. If you’re using the parcel service, call the relevant department beforehand to ask about packaging requirements, delivery times and costs, which vary depending on the destination and item.
Ticket price
Prices for the bus tickets
Chania to Airport: 2.50€
Chania to Kissamos: 5.10€
Chania to Palaiochora: 8.30€
Chania to Rethymnon: 7.10€
Rethymnon to Chania Airport: 7.30€ – Duration: 00:30′
Chania to Heraklion: 16€ – Duration: 02:45′
Chania to Elafonisi 10.90€ – Duration: 02:10
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Sarah Taylor
2 months agoI highly recommend taking this bus to and from the Chania airport over taking a taxi. It was a safe, clean, and affordable.
V R
2 weeks agoEasy to catch a bus to the airport, Heraklion etc. You can book the tickets online. Bus parking slots are allocated as per the destination. A digital board is displayed with the destination, bus number and departure time on each slots. Super easy to identify. I travelled to the airport from there. AC was not working on the bus though.
Tara
a week agoLong modern buses, with good air-conditioning. €2 pp for a 30 minute journey from Agia Marina to Chania. They do get crowded in high season though, so you may have to stand.
Timo
a month agoTook the bus back from the city, but it drove a different route than on the way into the city. I asked the assistant where my stop was and he told me to get out 4 stops early in the middle of nowhere. Had to walk back for almost 20 minutes through the burning sun with everything I had bought, except for a water bottle. Could have waited for the next one, but I had no idea how far it was. If I was elderly or had consumed less water before… All the other times it was very good with friendly and helpful employees, but this was just pure negligence and completely inacceptable for a tourist route.
David Cheung
a month agoBeing a silly tourist, too excited to explore a new destination, accidentally left my sling bag on the bus. Only to realise the mistake after 24 hours, imagine the panic. Long story short, their staff was very helpful as I was able to retrieve the bag without anything missing. Honest people, respect & thank you - a company you can trust