Why the question has no answer anywhere
KTEL Heraklion–Lasithi does not publish a list of its lines. Nor a list of its stops, nor a page per station. What it publishes are service announcements: dated notices headed with a Greek phrase such as « Αναχωρήσεις από Σταθμό Λιμένος » — departures from the port terminal. The split between the two stations therefore exists as no document at all: it exists only in those headings, scattered through the site's news.
The register collected them one by one. Of the 27 line groups recorded for this operator, 16 carry a Heraklion departure station established by an official announcement, 4 leave from a regional station — Agios Nikolaos, Ierapetra, Sitia, Arkalochori — and 7 carry no published departure station at all. Those 7 are not an omission on our side: the operator has never written it.
The split, station by station
Which station does my bus leave from?
Station A — port terminal
Σταθμός Λιμένος / Κεντρικός Σταθμός
Λεωφ. Ικάρου 9, 71306 Ηράκλειο
15 line groups
- Heraklion → Rethymno and Chania — winter programme
- Rethymno and Chania ↔ Heraklion — summer programme
- EXPRESS Heraklion ↔ Chania
- Heraklion → Malia, Agios Nikolaos, Ierapetra, Sitia — winter
- Heraklion → Malia, Agios Nikolaos, Ierapetra, Sitia — summer
- Archanes, Myrtia, Kastelli, Arkalochori, Viannos, Pefko, Sykologos, Asimi, Mesochorio, Ano Kastelliana
- Heraklion → Avgeniki, Venerato, Moires, Matala, Tympaki, Agia Galini, Kamares, Lentas⚠ Contradicts the guidebooks — English-language travel literature still attaches this group to Station B, Chanioporta.
- Cultural line Myrtia — Nikos Kazantzakis Museum
- Galifa, Galipe, Sgourokefali, Kalo Chorio, Mochos, Kato Metochi
- Agia Pelagia beach and the Seaside, Peninsula, Blue Bay and Out of the Blue hotels
- Héraklion ↔ hôtels Stella, Zorbas, Caldera, Lyttos, Serita, Laguna, Nana Royal
- Héraklion ↔ hôtel Athina Palace
- Héraklion → Sisi Bay
- Héraklion ↔ Fodele Beach
- Passages à l'hôtel Creta Maris
Station B — Chanioporta
Σταθμός Χανιόπορτας
Μάχης Κρήτης 3, Ηράκλειο
1 line group
- Anogia, Krousona, Asites, Rogdia
1.3 km apart as the crow flies · on foot, about twenty minutes through the old town
ⓘ The operator assigns a single system identifier (10097) to both of its Heraklion stations. Its booking engine therefore cannot tell you which one a journey leaves from.
Verified on 3 September 2026ktelherlas.grsource ↗
What the guidebooks say, and why it is no longer true
English-language travel writing has repeated the same mnemonic for years: Station A for the north coast and the east, Station B for the south and the mountains — Moires, Matala, Phaistos, Gortyn. That rule was probably true once. It is not any more.
The announcements of 16 and 29 June 2026 attach the Messara group — Avgeniki, Venerato, Moires, Matala, Tympaki, Agia Galini, Kamares, Lentas — to Station A, the port terminal. The south now leaves from the same place as the north coast. Station B keeps exactly one group: Anogia, Krousona, Asites, Rogdia. A traveller applying the old rule to reach Matala turns up at the wrong station, 1.3 km from the right one.
We published that rule too, and we are correcting it. The entry is in the corrections log.
How to check for yourself before you go
Three signals, in order of reliability. First: the heading of the service announcement on the operator's site — that is the primary source, and it is what built the table above. Second: the automated timetable line, answering every day, which gives the departure station if you ask. Third: the ticket counter, which always gives it — but you have to be in the right town already.
What does not work is the online booking engine. It assigns system identifier 10097 to both stations. A ticket bought online therefore reads « Heraklion » and nothing more, and no amount of clicking will reveal which one. This is not a display bug: it is a limit of the operator's data model, and it alone explains most missed buses.
Frequently asked questions
Which bus station for Matala or the Messara plain?
Station A, the port terminal (Λεωφ. Ικάρου 9). This is a change: the official announcements of June 2026 attach the Moires, Matala, Tympaki, Agia Galini, Kamares and Lentas group to Station A. Guides still pointing to Station B for the south are out of date.
What still leaves from Station B (Chanioporta)?
A single line group: Anogia, Krousona, Asites and Rogdia — the villages of the west and the foothills of Mount Ida.
How long does it take to get from one station to the other?
The two are 1.3 km apart as the crow flies, separated by the old town. On foot, allow about twenty minutes; by taxi, a few euros. If you find out at departure time, you have missed the bus.
Why doesn't my online ticket say which station?
Because the operator assigns the same system identifier (10097) to both of its Heraklion stations. Its booking engine is structurally unable to distinguish them. Check the service announcement or call.