Boat trip
Boat toward Dia island.
Photo: About Heraklion / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Heraklion
- Start town
- Heraklion
- Typical duration
- 4–6 hours
- Type
- Boat trip
Dia is the island on the horizon north of Heraklion. Boats cross when the wind allows, for a swim and a walk on a nature reserve with almost no facilities. The crossing is the risk. The meltemi hits this channel. A cancelled morning is common and correct. There is no village to wait in if you miss the return, so the boat’s timetable is the visit.
Boats leave Heraklion harbour. Check the evening before. Bring everything you will drink and a hat. Dia does not have a promenade of shops.
It suits people who want a boat day without crossing the island to Balos. Skip it in a strong north wind, with small children who need shade, or if you need a guaranteed departure.
Boat toward Dia island needs 4–6 hours from Heraklion. The months that usually work are May to September, wind decides. Wind can still cancel a morning inside that window. Pack a hat, water and a layer for the return to Heraklion, and read the meeting quay the evening before rather than guessing from a postcard of the harbour. The quay for Boat toward Dia island is in Heraklion. A boat from another harbour is a different crossing, even when the postcard looks similar.
Is it worth it
Boat toward Dia island is worth the hours from Heraklion when it suits people who want a boat day without crossing the island to Balos. Boats cross when the wind allows, for a swim and a walk on a nature reserve with almost no facilities. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because Dia is the island on the horizon north of Heraklion.
- Shoes that match the ground on Boat toward Dia island. Boats leave Heraklion harbour. Check the evening before.
- A layer for the start in Heraklion. May to September, wind decides still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Boat toward Dia island takes 4–6 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- May to September, wind decides is the window to trust for Boat toward Dia island. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Heraklion with 4–6 hours clear. Boats leave Heraklion harbour. Check the evening before. Bring everything you will
- Search “Dia island boat from Heraklion” and check that the meeting point really is Heraklion.
Related tours
HistoryKoules fortress at Heraklion harbour
Heraklion1–2 hours
Koules is the Venetian fort on the Heraklion mole. The visit is the ramparts, the views back to the city and out to Dia, and a short circuit inside. It is not a half-day site. It is the right hour when you have finished the museum or you are early for a boat. Wind on the mole is stronger than in the streets behind it. The usual length is 1–2 hours, and the months that usually work are Year round. It suits a short stop and children who will climb a wall. It is not a substitute for Knossos. Do not let a tour spend the morning here and rush the palace. The fort is on the harbour, walkable from the centre. Combine it with the market street rather than with a south-coast beach.
See prices on GetYourGuide
View detailsBook now on GetYourGuide- Diving and snorkel
Snorkel stop on the Heraklion coast
Heraklion3–4 hours
A snorkel outing from Heraklion is a short boat or a guided entry from a calm beach, with a mask and a briefing. Morning is when the water is still flat. You will see rock and small fish. You will not see a coral garden. The coast east of the city, toward Amoudara and the coves before Hersonissos, is the usual water. A north wind moves the plan. The usual length is 3–4 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits swimmers. It is not a dive course. Non-swimmers and toddlers need a beach, not a mask. Say so before you book. Boats and guides meet at harbours and beaches east or west of the city centre. Book the first departure. Afternoon slots meet the wind.
See prices on GetYourGuide
View detailsBook now on GetYourGuide 
Day tripSantorini day boat from Heraklion
Heraklion10–12 hours
A day trip from Heraklion to Santorini is a ferry there and back with a few hours on the island between. You will see Fira or Oia briefly and you will spend more time on the boat and in ports than the brochure implies. It is a taster, not a Santorini holiday. Missing the return ferry is an overnight you did not plan. Wind in the strait delays boats. The usual length is 10–12 hours, and the months that usually work are April to October. It suits people who accept a long marine day for a short look. Skip it if this is your only full day in Crete. Knossos will teach you more about where you actually are. Ferries use Heraklion port. Book the return before you leave the Cretan side, and do not plan a tight flight the same evening.
See prices on GetYourGuide
View detailsBook now on GetYourGuide
FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 4–6 hours from Heraklion. It suits people who want a boat day without crossing the island to Balos.
- May to September, wind decides. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Heraklion.
- Boats leave Heraklion harbour. Check the evening before. Bring everything you will drink and a hat. Dia does not have a promenade of shops.
- It suits people who want a boat day without crossing the island to Balos. Skip it in a strong north wind, with small children who need shade, or if you need a guaranteed departure.
- Boat toward Dia island is worth the hours from Heraklion when it suits people who want a boat day without crossing the island to Balos. Boats cross when the wind allows, for a swim and a walk on a nature reserve with almost no facilities. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.