Getting to Samaria

How do I get to the Samaria Gorge?

By organised tour, KTEL bus, car or private transfer to Xyloskalo, about 40 km from Chania. At the end, everyone leaves Agia Roumeli by boat to Hora Sfakion or Sougia.

Here are the options side by side. The return leg is where they differ most.

Is there a day trip from Chania to the Samaria Gorge?

Yes, several. They pick you up early, drive about 1.5 hours to Omalos with a breakfast stop, and bring you back after the boat, typically around 20:30.

The day follows the same pattern on every tour. Early pickup from hotels and stops around Chania and the coast west of it. A coffee stop on the plateau, the guide's briefing, then the walk at your own pace with the guide at the back. Free time in Agia Roumeli to swim and eat, the boat along the coast and the coach home.

The full-day trek from Chania (4.6 from 3,552 reviews) is the most booked and returns by boat to Sougia. The hiking guide tour (4.7 from 1,237 reviews) adds a safety briefing and radio support. The all-inclusive tour has the entry and boat in the price. All cancel free up to 24 hours before.

★★★★★

The bus picks you up in Chania, stops at a rest stop right before the entrance, then drops you at the entrance. [...] You then go at your own speed down towards the sea.

The classic Samaria day: hotel pickup around Chania, a live guide on the full 16 km, the boat along the coast and the coach waiting at the port.

★ 4.6 · Full day · from $45

Explore the Samaria trek from Chania → Tour details

How can I get a bus from Chania to Samaria Gorge?

KTEL Chania-Rethymno runs early-morning buses from the main bus station in Chania to Omalos and Xyloskalo during the season. The ride takes about an hour.

The bus station is on Kydonias and Kelaidi streets in the centre of Chania. Timetables change every season and the next one is not out yet, so check KTEL Chania-Rethymno's site, or call the station, once the park announces its opening date. Expect fewer buses outside high summer: KTEL runs a much thinner network from mid-October to the end of March.

Coming back, there is no need to time anything: per ANENDYK, the KTEL buses from Hora Sfakion and from Sougia to Chania leave after the boats arrive. The ride from Hora Sfakion takes about 1 hour 45 minutes. If you would rather stay near the start, the park itself suggests a night on the Omalos plateau to avoid the very early ride.

Can you drive to the Samaria Gorge?

Yes, Xyloskalo is about an hour's drive from Chania. The catch is that you finish 16 km away with no road, so you need a way back to the car.

Drivers have two ways to close the loop. Take the boat from Agia Roumeli to Sougia, where ANENDYK's timetable notes say the bus to Chania and Omalos leaves after the boat arrives. Or arrange a taxi from the port back up to Omalos. Either way it is a long evening, and the park's old advice was blunt: driving is possible but not ideal.

A car makes more sense for the easy way or for staying in the area. Park at Hora Sfakion, take the morning boat to Agia Roumeli, walk up to the Iron Gates and come back the same way. Or drive to Omalos the evening before, sleep there and take the first bus or a taxi to the gate in the morning.

How can I get to Samaria Gorge by ferry?

Only the bottom end is reached by sea. ANENDYK boats link Agia Roumeli with Hora Sfakion (via Loutro), Sougia and Paleochora, and the hikers' boats leave Agia Roumeli at 17:30.

On a normal day trip the boat is the way home, not the way in. The trip to Hora Sfakion takes about an hour, Sougia about 40 minutes and Paleochora about 90 minutes. In summer, morning boats also run in the other direction for people doing the easy way. Outside the season the schedule shrinks sharply: this winter ANENDYK lists a single afternoon departure at 15:15 on only a few days a week.

A few practical points from ANENDYK and from hikers. Tickets sell at the port office, or online up to one hour before departure. The 17:30 boat is busy and seats run out, so queue early if you want one. In strong autumn wind boats can be cancelled, and hikers then stay the night in Agia Roumeli.

★★★★★

If you want to sit for the 1 hour ferry ride, be sure to lineup early on the dock before it leaves at 17:30.

How do I get to the Samaria Gorge from Rethymno or Heraklion?

By a tour with pickups along your coast. From Rethymno it is a full day with about 1.5 hours on the coach each way; from Heraklion, Agia Pelagia or Malia it is a very long day.

The trek from Rethymno (4.6 from 1,768 reviews) picks up along the Rethymno coast, from Panormo to Georgioupoli, and comes back by boat to Hora Sfakion where the coach waits. The day trip from Heraklion (4.4 from 387 reviews) collects from Malia, Hersonissos, Heraklion and Agia Pelagia. The coach alone is over two hours each way, and reviewers describe a day of about 14 hours with a pickup around 5 a.m.

If you are based in the east and want an easier day, spend a night or two in Chania first. Public buses from Heraklion and Rethymno reach Chania, and the morning connection to Omalos is then simple.

Is there a private transfer to the Samaria Gorge?

Yes. A private SUV collects you anywhere from Georgioupoli to Kissamos, drops you at Xyloskalo and waits at the port where your boat lands.

The private transfer (5.0 from 16 reviews) suits couples and small groups who want to start on their own timing or avoid the big coach. Poles and a snack box are included; the entry, the boat and lunch are not. The provider is clear about the timing at the bottom: there is one boat, at 17:30, and no earlier one.

It also helps when plans change. If the return boat runs late or lands at another port, a private driver can follow you there.

★★★★★

The private transfer was perfect for us, especially when our return ferry was delayed and we were able to work with the driver to pick us up at the alternative ferry port.

Can you stay overnight in Agia Roumeli or Omalos?

Yes, both have places to stay, and the park itself recommends a night in Agia Roumeli over a rushed day trip. Camping inside the park is not allowed.

Agia Roumeli has hotels, rooms, tavernas, cafés, mini markets and a regional medical clinic, per ANENDYK. A night there means no race for the 17:30 boat, a quiet evening once the day-trippers leave and a morning boat onward along the coast. It is also the base for walking up the gorge from the sea.

A night on the Omalos plateau works the other way round: you are at the gate when it opens at 7:00, ahead of the coaches. Book either ahead in summer. How hard the walk is helps you decide whether a two-day plan suits you, and our winter closure post covers when the next season can start.

Frequently asked questions