Airport For airport information call 0810/245 644. Bus #1 runs from PlatA­a EleftherA­as to the airport every few minutes; buy a ticket (a?¬0.45) from the booth outside the Astoria Hotel first.

Banks There are now 24hr cash dispensers all over town, but the main bank branches are on 25-AvgoA?stou.

Car and bike rental 25-AvgoA?stou is lined with rental companies, but you'll often find cheaper rates on the backstreets; it's always worth asking for discounts. Good places to start include: Blue Sea, KosmA? ZA?tou 7, near the bottom of 25-AvgoA?stou tel 0810/241 097, for cars and bikes, which gives a twenty percent discount to Rough Guide readers; Sun Rise, 25-AvgoA?stou 46 tel 0810/221 609, also does both cars and bikes. For cars: Reliable, Epimenidou 8 off the east side of the same street tel 0810/344 212; Motor Club, PlatA­a A?nglon 1 at the bottom of 25-AvgoA?stou facing the port tel 0810/222 408; and Ritz in the Hotel Rea , KalimerA?ki 1 tel 0810/223 638, are other possibilities. All offer free delivery to hotels and airport.

Ferry tickets Available from Minoan Lines, 25-AvgoA?stou 78 tel 0810/229 646 (handles the islands and Athens), ANEK Lines, 25-AvgoA?stou 33 tel 0810/222 481 (Athens only), or any of the travel agents listed in the guide. Another source for tickets and ferry information is the long-established Paleologus Travel, 25-AvgoA?stou 5 tel 0810/346 185; their comprehensive website, www.ferries.gr , is excellent.

Hospital Most central is the hospital on ApollA?nion, southwest of PlatA­a KornA?rou, between AlbA©r and MoussoA?rou.

Internet IrA?klion now has a number of internet cafA©s located in and around the city centre. NetcafA© , OdhA?s-1878 4 (daily 10am-midnight, near the sea to the west of the Historical Museum; a?¬3.50 for 1hr; www.the-netcafe.net ) is good; other central places with similar charges and hours are Istos , MalakoA?ti 2 near the Arsenali; Gallery Games , Korai 6; and Konsova , DhikeosA­nis 25.

Laundry Washsalon, HA?ndhakos 18 (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm) is reliable and also does service washes (a?¬5.90 for 6kg). Laundry Perfect at MalikoA?ti 32, north of the Archeological Museum, will do the same for a?¬5.30 (Mon-Sat 9am-9pm).

Left luggage Offices in the eastbound and southwest bus stations (daily 6.30am-8pm; a?¬0.90 per bag per day), as well as a commercial agency at HA?ndhakos 18 (daily 24hr; large locker a?¬1.50 per day). You can also leave bags at the youth hostel (even if you don't stay there) for a?¬1.50 per bag per day. If you want to leave your bag while you go off on a bike for a day or two, the rental company should be prepared to store it.

Newspapers and books For English-language newspapers and novels, as well as local guides and maps, DhedhA?lou is the best bet, where Bibliopoleio (no. 6) stocks a wide selection of books in English. The excellent Planet International Bookstore, on four floors behind PlatA­a VenizA©lou at the corner of HA?ndhakos and KydhonA­as (tel 0810/281 558), has the island's biggest stock of English-language titles and is a great place to browse; they also buy, sell and exchange secondhand books in English.

Pharmacies Plentiful on the main shopping streets - at least one is open 24hr on a rota basis; the others will have a sign on the door indicating which it is. There are traditional herbalists in the market.

Post office Main office in PlatA­a DhaskaloyiA?nnis, off EleftherA­as (Mon-Fri 7.30am-8pm). There's also a temporary office (a van) at the entrance to El Greco Park (daily 7.30am-7pm).

Taxis Major taxi ranks in PlatA­a EleftherA­as and by the Morosini Fountain (PlatA­a VenizA©lou), or call 0810/210 102 or 210 168. Prices displayed on boards at the taxi stands.

Telephones The OTE head office is on the west side of El Greco Park; it's open 8am-11pm, but most overseas destinations can now be phoned from street booths using a phonecard ( telekA?rta ) obtainable from a perA­ptero (street kiosk).

Toilets In El Greco Park and the public gardens near the cathedral, or at the bus stations and the Archeological Museum (no entrance charge).

Travel agencies Budget operators and student specialists include the extremely helpful Blavakis Travel, PlatA­a KallergA?n 8, just off 25-AvgoA?stou by the entrance to El Greco Park tel 0810/282 541, and Prince Travel, 25-AvgoA?stou 30 tel 0810/282 706. For excursions around the island, villa rentals and so on, the bigger operators are probably easier: Irman Travel, DhedhA?lou 26 tel 0810/242 527, or Creta Travel Bureau, EpimenA­dhou 20-22 tel 0810/227 002. The latter is also the local American Express agent.