Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Paris to Heraklion. The right side delivers the Paris urban panorama on departure — the most visually rewarding moment of the flight — and during cruise you track southeast over the French Alps, where the right side offers oblique views of the Mont Blanc massif and the western Alpine chain. The left side wins at landing but the departure and mid-flight scenery tips the balance to the right overall.

During takeoff from Charles De Gaulle (CDG), sit on the Right side for the best views. CDG typically departs eastward on runways 09L/09R or northeastward on 27L/27R depending on wind. On the dominant eastward departure, the right side gives you a clear view south over Paris — the Seine river, the Eiffel Tower area, and the dense urban grid of central Paris are all visible before the aircraft turns southeast toward the Alps. Left side faces north toward flat suburban sprawl. Notable sights include: Seine river bends through central Paris, Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars district, Bois de Boulogne forest patch west of the city, dense Haussmann boulevard grid of central arrondissements.

When landing at Nikos Kazantzakis (HER), sit on the Left side for the best views. Heraklion's runway 27 (westward landing, the most common approach) brings aircraft in from the east over the sea, then over the northern Cretan coastline. The left side faces south and gives you the dramatic view of the Ida mountain range (Psiloritis, Crete's highest peak at 2,456m) rising above the interior plateau, plus the city of Heraklion itself. Right side faces north over open Mediterranean water. Notable sights include: Mount Ida (Psiloritis) massif dominating central Crete's interior, Heraklion city and its Venetian harbor, the flat Heraklion coastal plain, shallow turquoise waters of the Gulf of Heraklion.

The flight from Charles De Gaulle (CDG) to Nikos Kazantzakis (HER) takes Approximately 3 hours 20 minutes to 3 hours 40 minutes.

The route tracks southeast from Paris over Burgundy's agricultural plains, then crosses the French Alps — the Mont Blanc massif and Gran Paradiso range are visible depending on exact routing — before crossing the Gulf of Genoa and the Italian peninsula near Rome. The flight then crosses the Tyrrhenian Sea, the toe of Italy, and the Ionian Sea before reaching Crete. The Alps crossing around 30-40 minutes after departure is the most dramatic mid-flight feature.