Acqua Plus Water Park Admission with Optional Transfer
Acqua Plus is the largest water park in Crete, and this ticket combines entry with a return coach from hotels in the Rethymno area. Acqua Plus sits on a hillside 5 kilometres from Hersonissos and 30 kilometres from Heraklion, split into an adult section and a children’s section. Pick-up runs from around 08:00, the coach reaches the park near 10:30, and you stay until 17:00, so the ticket buys roughly six and a half hours inside the gates.
What this water park ticket actually covers
The ticket covers the coach, the gate, every slide and a sunbed, which means the only thing you spend money on inside is food.
Platanos Tours runs the transfer. The park itself is built across a terraced hill, so the walk between rides is short and mostly downhill, and the layout puts the adult slides on one side and the children’s pools on the other. Slides include the Kamikaze drop, the Tsunami, the Black Holes tunnels and the Crazy River, which zig-zags through three linked pools. A lazy river, a playground and shallow pools make up the children’s half.
Qualified lifeguards work the pools and a doctor stays on site through the day. Reviewers consistently single out how closely the lifeguards watch the water, which is the detail that matters most if you are bringing small children.
Places this tour visits
The trip runs between the Rethymno coast and the Heraklion regional unit, and two of the places on the route have their own page here.
- Acqua Plus, the coach drops you at the gate of Acqua Plus, which is the only stop of the day and where you spend the full six and a half hours.
- Heraklion, the park lies 30 kilometres east of the city, so it pairs naturally with the rest of the things to do around Heraklion if you are building a week rather than a day.
What’s included and what isn’t
The fare covers transport, entry and shade, and it excludes food, drinks and anything sold separately inside the park.
Included:
- Return coach ticket from Rethymno-area hotels
- Entrance fee for Acqua Plus water park
- Access to all the water games and slides
- Sunbeds and umbrellas
- Free Wi-Fi
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Not included:
- Personal expenses, including all food and drink
- Pick-up from remote hotels such as Grand Rimondi, where you board at the Creta Star bus stop instead
Children aged 0 to 4 enter free.
Why we recommend this experience
We recommend Acqua Plus as the family day out that survives a hot week, and we send people here rather than to the coast when the north wind makes the sea uncomfortable. A water park is one of the few things in Crete that works better at 35 degrees than at 25, and this one is big enough that the crowd spreads out.
The reviews back up three things in particular. Supervision is genuinely tight, several reviewers mention lifeguards positioned everywhere and watching properly. Queues are short outside peak weeks, with visitors reporting they got round every slide without stress. The park is large enough to feel uncrowded even on a busy day, which is the single most common observation across the review record.
Now the things we would flag before you book, because this tour scores 4.13 out of 5 and the gaps are worth knowing.
The journey is the weakest part. Transportation scores 3.9 out of 5 and guiding 3.8, the two lowest marks the tour carries, and reviewers from Rethymno report a coach journey of at least 90 minutes each way. Add the 08:00 start and you are committing the whole day, not the afternoon.
The Grand Rimondi exclusion is real and it catches people out. One reviewer described a 1.2-kilometre uphill walk to reach the Creta Star bus stop, and that is the official pick-up arrangement rather than a mistake.
Spending inside the park is the third point. Entry costs around €29 and the food is described as good but priced up, and a few attractions such as the Ninja course carry their own charge on top of the ticket. Budget for extras rather than assuming the ticket is all-in.
CreteLocals insider tips
Arrive at opening, stake out shade early, and treat the coach timetable as the fixed part of your day.
- Head for the slides in the first hour, since reviewers who arrive at opening consistently report walking straight onto rides.
- Claim your sunbed and umbrella on arrival, because they are included in the ticket and the shaded rows go first.
- Pack a full water bottle per person, as drinks inside are priced for a captive audience.
- Check your pick-up point the evening before, particularly if you are staying at Grand Rimondi or another hotel off the coach route.
- Bring water shoes for the children, given that the walkways between pools get hot by midday.
- Keep €20 spare for the pay-extra attractions, so nobody is disappointed at the Ninja course.
What to know before you go
Show your ticket at the Acqua Plus entrance, there is no separate meeting point at the park itself. Pack sunglasses, a sun hat and strong sunscreen, because the hillside layout offers little shade between the rides and the reflection off the pools is harsh.
The park runs from late spring to early autumn. Infants and children under 5 enter free, and the children’s section has its own shallow pools, playground and lazy river well away from the drop slides.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you get at Acqua Plus?
You get about six and a half hours in the park, arriving around 10:30 and leaving at 17:00 when the coach departs.
Is hotel pick-up included?
Hotel pick-up and drop-off are included for most Rethymno-area hotels, though guests at remote properties such as Grand Rimondi board at the Creta Star bus stop instead.
How long is the bus journey from Rethymno?
The coach takes at least 90 minutes each way, according to reviewers travelling from the Rethymno area, with pick-ups starting around 08:00.
Is Acqua Plus suitable for toddlers?
Yes, and children under 5 enter free. A separate children’s section has shallow pools, a lazy river and a playground kept apart from the adult slides.
Do you need to pay for anything inside the park?
Food, drinks and a few attractions cost extra. The ticket covers every standard slide, a sunbed and an umbrella, but reviewers note the Ninja course and similar add-ons carry their own charge.
Where is Acqua Plus?
Acqua Plus is 5 kilometres from Hersonissos and 30 kilometres from Heraklion, on a hillside in the Heraklion regional unit.
Check dates and prices for Acqua Plus water park entry with transfer.
Location
Acqua Plus Water Park Admission with Optional Transfer is located at Acqua Plus Water Park. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
