Boat trip
Boat from Hersonissos harbour.
Photo: Laura Meinhardt / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Heraklion
- Start town
- Hersonissos
- Typical duration
- 3–5 hours
- Type
- Boat trip
Hersonissos harbour sends out short coastal boats: a swim stop, a look at the resort shore, and back. You are not going to Dia unless the trip says so, and you are not going to Santorini. The afternoon meltemi on this stretch of the north coast is reliable in summer. Morning boats match the sea you hoped for. The harbour is below the resort road, which is a reason to confirm the meeting point before you walk the wrong waterfront.
Meet at the harbour, not at a hotel pool. Morning departures are the calm ones. Ask whether Dia is included before you assume it.
It suits swimmers staying in Hersonissos. Skip it if the palace or a winery was the day’s actual goal. Those are inland.
Boat from Hersonissos harbour needs 3–5 hours from Hersonissos. The months that usually work are May to October. Wind can still cancel a morning inside that window. Pack a hat, water and a layer for the return to Hersonissos, and read the meeting quay the evening before rather than guessing from a postcard of the harbour. The quay for Boat from Hersonissos harbour is in Hersonissos. A boat from another harbour is a different crossing, even when the postcard looks similar.
Is it worth it
Boat from Hersonissos harbour is worth the hours from Hersonissos when it suits swimmers staying in Hersonissos. You are not going to Dia unless the trip says so, and you are not going to Santorini. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because Hersonissos harbour sends out short coastal boats: a swim stop,
- Shoes that match the ground on Boat from Hersonissos harbour. Meet at the harbour, not at a hotel
- A layer for the start in Hersonissos. May to October still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Boat from Hersonissos harbour takes 3–5 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- May to October is the window to trust for Boat from Hersonissos harbour. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Hersonissos with 3–5 hours clear. Meet at the harbour, not at a hotel pool. Morning departures are
- Search “Boat trip from Hersonissos Crete” and check that the meeting point really is Hersonissos.
Related tours
Boat tripBoat toward Dia island
Heraklion4–6 hours
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. The usual length is 4–6 hours, and the months that usually work are May to September, wind decides. 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. Boats leave Heraklion harbour. Check the evening before. Bring everything you will drink and a hat. Dia does not have a promenade of shops.
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Hersonissos harbour and beach
Hersonissos2–4 hours
Hersonissos is a resort town east of Heraklion with a small harbour, a sandy town beach, and a hillside of older houses above the strip. The walk is short. The swim is the point for most people staying here. The harbour is pretty in the morning and loud at night in August. Neither version is the whole town. The hillside is the quieter half. The usual length is 2–4 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits people already sleeping in the resort who want a local day. It is an odd excursion from Chania. You would drive past better uses of the same hours. The harbour is the centre. The older village is uphill, signed from the coast road. Beach beds are in front of the hotels. The public sand is between them.
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Discover scuba from Hersonissos
Hersonissos4–5 hours
An introductory dive from Hersonissos is a first tank with an instructor, usually by boat, on a site chosen because the north coast is calm that morning. You do not leave with a certification card. The bottom is rock and seagrass. A windy afternoon is a moved or cancelled boat. The medical form is part of the booking. Blocked ears and a casual attitude to the briefing are how the morning ends early. The usual length is 4–5 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits healthy adults who can swim. Skip it if you needed a certified course this week. That takes longer than a resort morning. Centres collect from Hersonissos hotels or meet at the harbour. The transfer is inside the hours. Fill in the form before you arrive rushed.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 3–5 hours from Hersonissos. It suits swimmers staying in Hersonissos.
- May to October. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Hersonissos.
- Meet at the harbour, not at a hotel pool. Morning departures are the calm ones. Ask whether Dia is included before you assume it.
- It suits swimmers staying in Hersonissos. Skip it if the palace or a winery was the day’s actual goal. Those are inland.
- Boat from Hersonissos harbour is worth the hours from Hersonissos when it suits swimmers staying in Hersonissos. You are not going to Dia unless the trip says so, and you are not going to Santorini. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.