Student accommodation near the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU)

If you are looking for student accommodation near the Hellenic Mediterranean University, the simplest thing you can do for your year is live close enough to walk to the gate. We have nine furnished homes in two buildings, 4 and 5 minutes on foot from the HMU gate, from €400 a month with bills included. Below is what we think you should know about renting in this corner of Heraklion, including the parts that have nothing to do with us.

Last checked: 28 September 2026.

HMU, formerly TEI of Crete

The Hellenic Mediterranean University was the TEI of Crete until it was renamed in 2019. Its central campus is at Estavromenos, Heraklion, and the Heraklion schools are Agriculture, Management & Economics, Health Sciences, and Engineering.

That old name still matters when you search. If an older listing says “near TEI”, it means the same campus.

HMU’s 2026-27 teaching dates

Here are the dates from HMU’s academic calendar for 2026-2027:

Semester	Teaching starts	Teaching ends
Winter	28 September 2026	15 January 2027
Spring	15 February 2027	4 June 2027

Two practical points. Winter teaching runs into mid January, so a winter semester lease that ends at Christmas may leave you short. And if you are only coming for spring, there is a gap of a month between the two teaching periods, which is a good window to arrive, find your feet and sort out paperwork. For more on timing, see when to start looking for accommodation in Heraklion.

What living a few minutes from the HMU gate is like

The honest summary: your day gets shorter. A 4- or 5-minute walk to the gate means you can go home between lectures, cook lunch instead of buying it, and get to an early start without planning around a bus.

Around our Estavromenos building there is a supermarket 3 minutes away on foot, and the building stands opposite the Estavromenos church. Around the Profiti Ilia street building, a bakery and a mini market are 2 minutes away. The HMU section of the Erasmus Student Network, ESN Hellenic Mediterranean University, is also based at Estavromenos, which helps if you want to meet people in your first weeks.

Most of the people in our Estavromenos building are Erasmus students. If you want neighbours who are in the same situation as you, that is useful. If you want a quiet street, the Profiti Ilia building is the calmer of the two.

One more honest point: if your lectures or lab are at the University of Crete or FORTH, living near HMU is probably not the right choice for you. Both are in the Voutes area, which the University of Crete describes as about 10 km from the city centre. You will be happier living near your own campus.

What to expect when renting near HMU

The norms below come from sources that cover renting in general, not Estavromenos alone, but they apply here too.

• Money upfront. The University of Crete’s Erasmus page says to expect one month’s rent upfront plus a deposit of the same amount.
• Bills on top. The same page says rent usually excludes electricity, water and phone.
• No linen. Furnished flats usually come without bed linen or towels, so budget for them.
• Agency costs. ESN UoC notes that renting through an agency often means paying three rents upfront: two to the landlord and one to the agency.
• A Greek tax number. A residential lease is declared electronically to AADE, the tax authority, and needs both parties’ AFM. Non-residents can apply remotely through myAADE with a video call, or through a representative. AADE’s page lists no fee.
• Rent by bank transfer. Since 1 April 2026 rent must be paid by bank transfer to the landlord’s declared account (To Vima).

Our guide to renting in Heraklion as an Erasmus student goes through each of these in more detail.

What to look for in student accommodation near HMU

When you compare listings, these are the questions we would ask.

1. How many minutes to the gate, really? “Near HMU” can mean anything. Ask for the address and check the walk on a map.
2. What is included in the rent? Since bills are usually extra, a cheaper rent can end up costing more. Ask which bills are covered and up to what amount.
3. What is in the flat? Bed linen, pillows, blankets, pots and plates. Buying them for one semester adds up.
4. Heating. Winter teaching runs until 15 January. Ask how the flat is heated.
5. A lift. It matters on arrival day with two suitcases.
6. A contract you can read. Ask for a written contract in a language you understand.
7. Proof that the flat exists. Ask for a live video walk-through before you pay anything. Our guide on avoiding rental scams covers the warning signs.

Line 12, the bus that serves HMU

The line that serves HMU is line 12, EL.ME.PA, run by Astiko KTEL Heraklion. On the timetables valid from 1 August 2026 it has 78 weekday departures, from 06:00 to 00:40, every 15 to 17 minutes. It starts at the airport terminal, and many trips continue to Amnissos. Heraklion airport is about 5 km east of the city (Wikipedia).

Full timetables are on Astiko’s itineraries page, and the official “Heraklion Urban Bus” app sells e-tickets and shows live bus positions. Fares in zone A (the city, within 5 km) are €1.30 bought before boarding and €2.30 on board; in zone B (beyond 5 km) they are €1.80 and €2.80. Student fares are €0.80 in zone A and €1.00 in zone B, and a 30-day student card is €45 instead of €70. Whether Erasmus and other foreign students qualify for student fares is not published, so ask Astiko or ESN before you rely on it.

For other routes, plan them in the app. Our guide to getting to campus by bus covers UoC, PAGNI, FORTH and HMU.

Our two buildings near HMU

We are the owners and we run both buildings ourselves, with no agency and no platform in between. You can read more about us.

Agathangelou Papadaki 2, Estavromenos

A 4 minute walk to the HMU gate. Opposite the Estavromenos church, with a bus stop outside the entrance, a lift, private parking, a solar water heater and Wi-Fi.

Home	Size	Rent per month
The top-floor studio	25 m²	€400
The wide studio	55 m²	€500
The cosy one-bedroom	45 m²	€600
The bright one-bedroom	45 m²	€630
The two-bedroom with the long balcony	55 m²	€800
The two-bedroom on the third	55 m²	€800
The renovated three-bedroom	110 m²	€1,200

The top-floor studio, on the third floor with its own front balcony, is our cheapest home. The cosy one-bedroom on the second floor is the one people ask about most. The two-bedroom with the long balcony has two separate bedrooms, so if you split it with a friend you pay €400 each. The renovated three-bedroom on the first floor is brand new, with two bathrooms; split three ways, it is €400 each too.

Profiti Ilia 7

A 5 minute walk to the HMU gate, on a quieter street. A bus stop outside, autonomous heating and a smart meter. There is no lift, but every home here is at or near street level.

Home	Size	Rent per month
The ground-floor studio	25 m²	€420
The ground-floor one-bedroom	45 m²	€420
The backyard studio	45 m²	€450
The upper-ground studio	35 m²	€500
The alcove studio	25 m²	€500
The courtyard one-bedroom	45 m²	€600

The ground-floor studio has a private back balcony and suits someone who wants a calm place close to campus.

What every home includes

All thirteen are fully furnished, including bed linen, pillows, blankets and kitchenware. Bills are included, with the detail on each home’s page. There is no agency fee, you get a written contract in English, and we give you a video walk-through before you commit. The minimum stay is two months, and most of our tenants stay one Erasmus semester.

How that compares

Averages are rough, so treat these as a sense check rather than a quote. Erasmus Play (updated 16 February 2026) put the average Heraklion studio listing at €661 and a room at €500. Numbeo (updated 28 August 2026, crowd-sourced) gives €437.33 for a one-bedroom outside the centre.

Those figures mix sizes, conditions and what is included, so compare like with like: a furnished home with bills included is not the same thing as an empty flat with bills on top. Our cost of living guide puts rent next to everything else you will spend.

Asking about a home

If one of these fits your dates, you can send us a request with the home and the months you need. There is nothing to pay on the site.

If none of them fits, the checklist above still works for any place near HMU. Good luck with the semester.