A private transfer from Chania Airport to Omalos covers 59.0 km (36.7 mi) in about 1 hr 16 min and costs a fixed fare from €90 per vehicle, not per person.
One booking covers the journey in either direction: arrival from Chania Airport, or the departure run back from Omalos at the same fixed fare.
Fares are per vehicle, not per person, and cover the whole car, so a family of four pays once. The price you see is the price confirmed on your voucher; it does not change with traffic, time of day, or a delayed flight.
| Vehicle | Typical models | Passengers | Bags | Fare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SUV | Skoda Karoq | up to 4 | 4 | €90 |
|
Minivan | Peugeot Traveller, Mercedes Vito | up to 8 | 8 | €124 |
|
Minibus | Mercedes Sprinter | up to 18 | 18 | €197 |
The same fare applies in both directions: Omalos back to Chania Airport costs the same as the arrival leg. Child and booster seats are added at booking, at no extra charge.
The line is the road a driver actually takes from Chania Airport (CHQ) to Omalos: 59.0 km (36.7 mi), about 1 hr 16 min door to door. Pickup and drop-off are marked at the coordinates the booking engine quotes against, not at the centre of the nearest town.
Your driver meets you inside the arrivals hall at Chania Airport, holding a sign with your name and the company name on it. Your transfer starts there rather than at a taxi rank, so there is no queue and no fare to agree on the spot.
Chania International Airport (CHQ) sits on the Akrotiri peninsula, on high ground east of the city. Chania International Airport handled 1,574,043 international arrivals in 2025, which makes it the island's second gateway after Heraklion and the natural entry point for western Crete.
The airport's position matters for what happens next. The road down from Akrotiri joins the national road just east of Chania, so Rethymno, Georgioupolis and the whole north coast run east without entering the city, while Platanias, Kissamos and the west coast run through or around it.
Chania Airport is a single-terminal airport, so the walk from baggage reclaim to the meeting point is short even when several flights land together.
Inside the arrivals hall, at the exit, where your driver waits with a name board.
Look for the board rather than heading for the taxi rank. If your flight arrives late at night, the driver is still there: the pickup is set against the flight, not the schedule.
Give us your flight number at booking. Your pickup is scheduled against that flight, and we track it, so a delayed landing moves the pickup rather than costing you the transfer.
Tell us as early as you can when a flight is cancelled or rerouted, so the driver can be reassigned.
Omalos is a plateau in the White Mountains south of Chania, at about 1,100 metres, and the village of the same name sits on it. Omalos is where the Samaria gorge begins: the Xyloskalo, the stepped descent at the head of the gorge, is a few kilometres beyond the village.
The plateau is enclosed by mountains and used for grazing, with very little on it besides the village and a handful of guesthouses.
Winters here are severe by Cretan standards and the road can close with snow, which is why the accommodation on the plateau is aimed at walkers in the season rather than at year-round visitors.
We drop you at the door of your guesthouse or hotel on the plateau, or at the Xyloskalo if you are starting the gorge.
Walkers usually want the gorge entrance rather than the village. Say which you need at booking, and give the intended start time, since the early departure is the point of staying up here.
The drive climbs from sea level to about 1,100 metres, 59.0 kilometres in about 1 hr 16 min. Omalos is the plateau at the head of the Samaria gorge, and this route is booked mostly by walkers.
The car crosses Akrotiri, passes Chania on the bypass and takes the road south out of the city.
The climb begins almost immediately and does not stop. The road turns back on itself repeatedly through the villages on the lower slopes, and the vegetation thins as height is gained.
The plateau opens at the top, flat and enclosed by the White Mountains, with the village on one side and the Xyloskalo, the stepped descent into the gorge, a few kilometres beyond.
An hour and a quarter for 59 kilometres is entirely the climb, and it is slower again in the dark, which matters because gorge walkers start before first light. Snow closes this road in winter, which is unlike anywhere else we serve from this airport. The plateau sits at about 1,100 metres and the gorge itself is shut for the colder months, so a transfer here is a seasonal booking rather than a year-round one.
A public bus runs from Chania to Omalos, timed for the gorge rather than for flights.
It leaves very early from the central station, so an arriving passenger would need to be in the city the night before. There is one service rather than a choice of times.
The return leg is the same journey in reverse: 59.0 km (36.7 mi), about 1 hr 16 min, and the same fixed fare from €90 per vehicle. Your driver collects you from your accommodation in Omalos at the agreed time and takes you straight to Chania Airport.
Omalos back to Chania Airport is the same 59.0 kilometres at the same fixed price.
Most walkers do not return this way. The gorge ends at Agia Roumeli on the south coast and the way back is by boat to Chora Sfakion, which is a different journey and a separate transfer.
Book both directions together and the return is held at the same fare. Switch the form at the top of this page to Departure, or select a return when you book.
Seventy-six minutes of driving, the check-in time your airline asks for, and a real allowance for the descent, which is slower than the map suggests.
If you are being dropped for the gorge, give us the start time you want and we work the pickup back from it.
The fare covers the whole vehicle rather than each seat, so 4 people pay the same as 1. The price on your voucher is the price you pay, with no booking fee and no card surcharge.
Your driver waits in the arrivals hall holding a sign with your name on it. You walk out of baggage reclaim straight to the car, without joining a taxi rank or agreeing a fare on the spot.
Child seats cost nothing extra. Reserve the seat in the booking form and state the child's age, so the correct seat is fitted before the driver sets off.
Cancel at least 24 hours before your pickup time and you pay nothing. Plans change; the booking does not lock you in.
The vehicle carries your party and nobody else. It runs from the pickup point to your exact address, with no intermediate stops and no waiting for other passengers.
Your pickup is set against your flight number, not a clock time. Transfers run at any hour, which covers night landings and pre-dawn departures.
Every booking is confirmed by a person and carries a voucher showing your route, vehicle, pickup time and fare.
These are the questions guests ask most often about the Chania Airport to Omalos transfer, answered with this route's own distance, duration and fares.
Anything not covered here is answered when we confirm the booking.
A private transfer from Chania Airport to Omalos costs a fixed €90 for an SUV carrying up to 4 passengers. A Minivan for up to 8 people is €124.
Yes. The Xyloskalo is a few kilometres beyond the village. Say which you need at booking.
Walkers usually set off at first light to finish in daylight. Tell us the start time and the pickup is worked back from it.
The walk ends at Agia Roumeli, which has no road. Boats run east to Chora Sfakion, and a transfer from that quay is booked separately.
Not reliably. The plateau is at about 1,100 metres, snow closes the road, and the gorge itself is shut for the colder months.
Per vehicle. The fare covers the car and everyone in it, up to that vehicle's passenger and luggage limit. Two people and four people pay the same €90 for a Standard car to Omalos.
Yes, at no extra charge. Reserve the seat in the booking form and state the child's age so the correct infant, child or booster seat is fitted before the driver sets off.
Give us your flight number when you book. We track the flight and move the pickup to match the actual landing time, so a delay does not cost you the transfer.
Inside the arrivals hall, at the exit, where the driver waits with a board showing your name. You do not need to find a taxi rank or a car park level.
Yes. Cancel at least 24 hours before your pickup time and there is no charge.
Pay by card online when you book, or in euros in cash to the driver. There is no card surcharge and no booking fee either way.
You receive a confirmation email with your route, vehicle, pickup time and fare on it. Check the details and tell us if anything is wrong. An automated receipt on its own is not the confirmation. The emailed voucher is.
Yes. Chania Airport to Omalos and Omalos to Chania Airport are the same journey at the same fixed €90, and both directions are booked from this page. Select a return when you book and the price is held for both legs.
Those routes are priced the same way as this one: a fixed fare per vehicle, confirmed before you travel. The same applies to every taxi in Crete we run, from the airports and ports to the resorts and villages along both coasts.