The ferry from Athens to Naxos is dreadfully long (6+ hours) so if you have the opportunity to fly there - I would. Arkadi Monastery. Sept 18 Crete. We went to Crete and had an amazing time! Best food, best beaches, best people! And way cheaper. A very short walk to old town and all the sites. Also it makes more sense to go to Santorini and from there to Mykonos or to Mykonos and then to Santorini rather than going back to Crete. Sheltered cove, shallow water, lots of amenities. It’s one of the most iconic vistas in the world and totally unique even among the Greek islands. ago. The city proper is very Central European feeling and the beaches are next level (but colder water). Incredible beaches and warm water that are not swarming with crowds. Im travelling to Crete in June and I just have a couple of questions for someone more knowledgeable. One was in Chania in old town. There's more to choose from in Greece and the weather is Dislikes: long hikes, super expensive hotels. Hello! I am looking to spend a month in Crete. Overnight ferry Athens-Crete : r/GreeceTravel. Planning on spending most of our time in Chania and exploring the western part of the island, but since we will be arriving on the ferry from Santorini in Iraklio in the late afternoon, we won’t be able to see Knossos and the museum unless we spend the night. Day 3: Beach day in Falassarna. Our price limit is 1000 Euro for the flights, but this is seemingly impossible, checked every single possibility with TUI, Aegan, etc. If you have a hot take on a gladiator, centurion, praetorian guard, senator, consul, or emperor, you will get a better reception in /r/roughromanmemes. 11. ArtistAlternative750. People drive 10-20km/hr faster then what the signs are showing. Crete is too big to cover reasonably in 3 days. Crete is a good choice for what you want, but -- and this is the less relaxing part -- things are spread out, even to go to a nice beach you need to get in the car. (And yes, rent a car). Rent a car. Reply. I'm looking in the southern coast of Crete because I intend to go during this summer and don't want to be somewhere too touristy. I didn’t feel the need to swim in Santorini or go the beach at all. Sept 17 Crete. Typically it’s fine to not tip, perhaps polite to just round up a bit (say from €37 to €40). Santorini in 3-4 is good. The pros of this plan is I can fly out of Chania and avoid Santorini entirely, Crete is definitely plenty diverse from the Cyclades, and that I have heard it will be a bit warmer in October. You will be super happy campers!! Just my humble opinion. Since you are going to Crete make sure you visit Elafonisi , it's one of the most unique beaches not just in Greece but all throughout the Mediterranean, it's a nature reserve with pink sand. I’ve been to Istanbul about 5x, staying for a month at a time sometimes. Day 9 - Spend the morning and afternoon seeing any cultural sites or museums we missed, head to the airport in the evening. A great beach for little ones that I don’t see mentioned often is Bali. The better option is Milos. Katholiko. I'm not a vegetarian, but you should be able to avoid meat Acropolis and Parthenon is the same location, they have multiple other sites around and the Acropolis museum. Absolutely Crete is worth a visit! It's a beautiful island full of tourist attractions and AWESOME food! Definately try seafood if you go. Hello everyone, I'm going to be travelling with my family to Greece in the summer and am trying to put together an itinerary. I LOVED this Airbnb and area. The two hotels we have landed on are: Azade Hotel. Go to the north side of Crete for your swim time. one way. So, if you're interested in Greek history, some main sites are: Knossos, of course, the Bronze Age settlement of the Minoans. Milos is smaller and has okay public transport. I’m newly single with busy friends. Sept 20 - Depart Crete>Athens (plane) Sept 21 - Depart Athens, return home. I usually stay at a friendly basic place near the bus station -- Alena Apartments. We said f it and booked flights to Heraklion Crete. You can buffer in a third incase hot air balloon gets cancelled and it’s on your to do list. Day 4 (Early flight to Crete) -Holy Trinity; Seitan Limania and Old Town. After the fall of Crete to the Ottomans in 1669, all of that moves to the Ionian Islands, especially Corfu and Zakynthos. The best two places to visit in Crete are Chania and Elounda, but they’re like an hour from the airport. Day 1 - Arrive in Athen in evening. For such a fast visit no car, just use taxis and public transportation. Day 2 Balos beach and Chania. Day 8: day trip to Elounda Beach. Crete: Iraklio and Chania Spending 6 days in Crete in early October. Go to Rethimno for a day or two and definitely go to the little villages for food. Melidoni Caves. Taxi to Elounda from the airport cost me 80€ per way last month. Sept 19 Crete. Athens wouldn’t recommend a car but some places you may want to visit would make it easier ( lake vouliameni, sounio or day trips to marathon, delphi, nafplio ) 2. You could do Athens for two days, boat of fly to Naxos two to three days, Fly or boat to Crete 5-6 days fly to athens and home. Being able to sleep on board and wake up at my destination was a huge plus. Crete is far different from most of the other Greek islands. All the time. My family (children will be 12 and 15 in summer) go to Crete almost every August - at least 3 weeks or longer and we always have a rental car for the whole time. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Crete was hands down my favorite Greek island. Wednesday - meet my parents arriving in Santorini, spend the day with them, spend the night in Santorini. The other main reason was because of the overnight ferry coming into Crete. my family is from crete so i’m a lil biased but probably the best food i’ve had & super relaxing but with the options of things to do! you can party in malia with all the international australian kids & do laughing gas out of whipped cream cans if you wanna get super crazy lol. -Lodging. You could go Bodrum to Kos very easily. Then we are flying out of Chania and will stay a few days there. Pose a question. 4. Crete has everything. Buses are abundant and straight up cheap. By the way we used Swift Car Rental on Matt Barrett's site. Crete. Hi everyone! So me and my family are planning to visit Crete for 2 weeks in September. Knossos , spinalonga , zeus cave , prevail , Samaria gorge , other gorges , fortezza rethymnon, explore chania , go to balos , agia sofia cave , falassarna , Crete has way to much to see & do. We loved driving through the mountains on all the switchbacks and through the charming towns in the southern part of the island. It’s as likely as unlikely that it will happen. 11-Sitia and Vai beach. Sleep - in Heraklion or Reythimno, if day 3 is another thing above. I would say that at least as good as Crete in the other aspects (maybe Crete better with food), but way better in terms of history is the Peloponnese, which Chania is a wonderful place. Day 7: drive to Agios Nikolaos, use as base. • 4 yr. Looking for some recommendations. rhodes is nice too, been a couple of times & love it there as well. Not much of a partier, staying outside of Sitia for 6 days, then going to spend a couple nights on Santorini, then back to Crete, staying near Matala. Crete becomes the center of the Cretan Renaissance. Would be my last recommended choice. 8-10 nights on Crete, western side. Day 7 - Santorini. For everything about Crete, the Greek island in the Mediterranean. Your pictures, questions, stories, or any good content is welcome. Stay in Chania to start: it’s the most picturesque of the night 3 cities, and has the most convenient proximity to other cool places. The big companies at the airport also were around $230-260. I was all over the place. Add a Comment. Besides that, make it a point to stop and enjoy the scenery whenever you can. fotispap. Has anyone heard of the travel company, For the Love of Travel? They advertise as a “slow travel” group with only 8-14 people per trip, and for people 25-39. Day 2: exploring the Old Town of chania and venetian port + maybe a beach. Crete is not an outlier with regard to car rental prices. Oct 8, 2023 · Hands down, Crete is one of my favorite Greek islands. There seems to be a car shortage. 2. Nafplio is so pretty. 3. You can take a short boat trip to the Spinalonga island which have interesting history as well. Mykonos is very pricey, good for nightlife and eurobeach party vibes, if you dive in to it it's really fun. The Tanneries Hotel. Santorini for the limited amount of days that you have and the towns are beautiful and the beaches there are not as impressive as other islands. Car rental is definitely a plus but I was afraid of driving so I limited my travels around Crete based on what areas the bus served. Day 6 -Elafonisi, Topolia Gorge. r/GreeceTravel. We will rent a car in both islands and will stay in Old Town Chania and Old Town Rhodes, Both airbnbs have private parking. We have never gone for less than 7 days and usually 14-21 . My flight leaves out of Istanbul on Tuesday morning. Way more variety in beaches plus a lot more history than Paros/Naxos in my opinion plus hiking! 4. Crete is very large and you need a week minimum and you will definitely need a car. We visited Crete in 2018 and I would highly recommend a rental car if you want to explore more than just Chania and do so at your own pace. I’ve been to both. They’re still absolutely stunning. It’s very low key, beautiful, and the most amazing food I had in my life. Recount a funny/unique travel related story. But in May, Santorini is even more important because it’s not a beach destination and the crowds will be far, far less. Helpful websites: Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Cretan Beaches, Matt Barrett's greek travel. Day 1 arrival to CHQ late evening, sleep. Malta is cool and interesting, and pretty cheap for Europe, but Greece is better value for money (except Mykonos and Santorini, those islands can fuck right off). The island it’s probably most similar to is Syros, but still I’d say very very unique. We were thinking of staying in Chania the whole time and taking the bus, but were not sure. I personally really liked the botanical park of Crete. Santorini is beautiful, extremely touristy and harder to find decent cuisine, quite pricey but beautiful views. A con is the increased travel time, massive size of the island for only 6 days, and being only 24, renting a car may be a pretty steep price (I rented a End of May is perfect. Everybody seems to be in a hurry, even trucks, so if you are unsure about your driving or the road, or you are just sightseeing, stick to the right so everyone can pass you buy. Day 6 - Crete, and at night we take a flight or ferry to Santorini. And for the Christian era, there's the small Agia Aikaterini (St Catherine) church and museum, a 16th century church (located next to Day 4 - Crete, details TBD. It has more of an “authentic” feel to it, while still providing that hint of luxury/aesthetic we look for on vacations. Not to dump your vacation photos. Feb 4, 2024 · Although Crete offers a wealth of attractions and activities year-round, the ideal time to enjoy this Mediterranean gem is during late autumn when the crowds subside and the island comes to life in a more authentic light. Hands down, Crete is one of my favorite Greek islands. I'm trying get away for a while, and to experience an ancient land and beautiful landscape. I plan on visiting Crete in early to mid May. I've drafted a rough itinerary, but I'm seeking some advice and suggestions to make the most out of my trip. dryden789. There are lots of things to see and do and you really need to do a lot of research. I stayed in 3 different Bnbs. Crete is chill, absolutely amazing food and very unique. TripAdvisor is a good start and a good site to check out is Santorini Dave. There is a great bus that runs from /chora out to the beaches every 15 minutes. Azade is right in the center of things in old town. Can also see a bit more around athens area ie Sounio. We are staying in Chania and then Heraklion for 8 days, but would like to do one more island before spending 2 nights in Athens for the final leg of the trip. There is an airport on Kos. See the main towns , maybe so the Fira to Oia hike , the volcano , wonder a bit and do a vineyard tour. Day 5: day trip to a beach (Balos Beach via Kissamos ferry) Day 6: drive to Rethymno, day trip to Arkadi monastery, stay overnight. Nafplio, Monemvasia, and Mani are all very worthwhile. Santorini is far from cheap for hotels. While im normally an active traveller, I think I need a flop on a beach all day type affair for this trip. I would need help with itinerary… so far I have. Little bit of a modern city in Heraklion, great hiking in center of island, also lovely mountains with really nice views, great small towns, lovely port town with beach in Rethymno, great local town in Chania, best food in Greece, lovely beaches, and best of all honest helpful people in Crete that are not out to scam you or to steal stuff from you. vanoitran. Don't waste precious holiday times on a 9+ hours ferry with potential rough seas. I am overwhelmed by the amazing options in Greece, and right when I thought I was settled on spending 7 days in Crete (hopping all over the island) I learned about Zakynthos and Kefalonia and now I am so torn!! Would love some advice. Cave of Zeus/Psychro. Stay in Heraklion (or drive to Reythimno, if easier for my next day plans) Day 2 - 1 (or 2 things) listed below. Santorini will get you the well known white greek buildings, Crete isn’t like that as much. Day 3 Samaria Gorge Full day guided tour. Most things will be open so there should be a lot of restaurants etc to choose from. There's a minoan palace near Malia which is worth a quick visit and has a fairly quiet beach next to it. Greece is much cheaper than Malta. It was a little pricier than Crete but not as much as Athens or Dubrovnik. Logistics: 7 days total in mid-May (assume 4-5 days actually at the vacation spot, 2 days for travel); Cyprus would be easiest to get to for us. So that will be about a week of the trip. Sort by: Search Comments. Budget: doesn't really matter, but we would consider significant differences in the quality of the trip for the cost between options. ** Or if on the other side Elounda or Agia Pelagia. The one-way cost this year is 2 euro. Corfu is really unique among Greek islands. I’d do Greece, better beaches, friendlier people, amazing seafood. I felt the prices in Crete were the cheapest of my whole trip (Athens, Crete, Naxos, Dubrovnik). From Crete Greece. •La Salumeria (AMAZING Italian food) -walk in. 11K subscribers in the crete community. You may find you want to explore them all after these two…. • 1 yr. Yep, Crete was also my favorite over Santorini and the mainland. Athens -> Direct fight to Crete, stay in Chania? (5 days) -> Flight to Athens (2 days) -> Flight home I have been reading threads, and people are split on if Crete is accessible without a car. Have 100’s of relatives there that have been living there for generations and regardless of a fire not one of us has ever been effected . Hey guys! Is Crete worth visiting in December? Mostly I want to do some hikes and chill a bit. Notice: Are you asking for travel advice about Greece? Read what redditors had to say in the weekly destination thread for Greece. . Hello, Can people post recommended towns in Crete to honeymoon in? I’ve read that most people recommend west side of Crete and thy Chania is one of the main places. It’s only in the touristy places that they’ll even ask or give you an option to tip because they know they can, but declining is never an issue. Naxos wasn’t bad. Fiancé and I are planning to spend about 5-6 nights there and then 3-4 nights in santorini. I’m looking to travel with people my age (32 f) that aren’t interested in just getting wasted at tourist traps. However with a strike going on with the pilots of SAS airlines my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take off. The quieter the better. We plan to fly into Heraklio and stay a few days there. Day 5 - Crete, details TBD. The best ruins and historical sites are on the mainland, and there are a lot on the Peleponnese, south west of Athens. We are basing our stay in Chania, and having a hard time deciding which hotel to select. Go with via ship from chania, because by car you have to walk like 30 min. For topics to do with the wider ancient Roman republic/empire, please post in /r/ancientrome. Meteora is 5 hours one way from Athens, so remove that from your itinerary because it’s not worth two extra days of travel. Taxis are abundant and relatively cheap. Day 4: Exploring Chania and visiting Balos Lagoon Hi all, My wife and I are traveling to Greece in late September / early October. Headed to Crete for 5 days at the end of our 12-day trip to Greece in September, which also includes time in Athens, Milos, and Paros. We would like to stay in a nice beach town. My main Crete for sure. r/travel is a community about exploring the world. I’ve been going to Crete for 30 + yrs , at least 10 yrs of it we would go for over 5 weeks . Having said that, no doubt I’ll get itchy feet and will embark a hike or trips to the Go and enjoy yourselves. The price difference between flying and ferry is likely not going to be that significant. Hi there, I’m looking at a 6 nights stay at either Crete or Serifos for a true break from life. γεια σας! That's yia sas or "hello" in Greek. Ferry hop between islands, likely fly back to Athens from Santorini. Cappadocia deserves two days, max. Photos are a great way to augment your story. Our concerns are: Mykonos may not be as lively in the off season. Share a trip report. It has tons of ancient ruins to explore—if that’s your thing—and charming beachfront towns like Chania, where you can wander the cobblestone streets and stroll along the harbor. Is 16 days too long to stay in Crete or would I find enough things to do around the island? Looking for a mix of beach relaxation, water activities, hiking and night life. Maritime communication at sea is the same around the world, so make sure to tune into the shipping forecast. Visit Knossos and/or Heraklion Archilogical Museum, in the afternoon. Looks decent to me although I haven’t been to Crete or Milos. We will be in Crete for 2 weeks and need a bit of advice. We have 3 days to allot to either Mykonos or Crete, and are confused as to which one to pick. Sea will still be cool but definitely warming up by then. Originally, I wanted to go to Milos because of the relaxing atmosphere and Sarakiniko beach! But I see it will be hard to get around. Paros and Naxos are really similar and both are similar enough to Santorini. It is a great base, but Public transportation is a bit difficult as it doesn’t cover the entire island and buses run only certain days to certain areas. Simply embed them within your text post. Hello, My wife and I are heading to Greece in the first two weeks of July, flying into Athens, with a connecting flight to Crete. Highly recommend getting a car and exploring the south. Day 5 -Balos, Kissamos and more Old Town. 1. Kefali has a better view, Elos has better food. It’s an ancient fortress that was used to protect Elounda from pirate attacks, was used as a place of resistance to the ottoman occupation, and then was used as a leper colony. You can’t really go wrong though bc driving in Crete is never boring. I would also cut 1-2 days from Corfu since Corfu and Milos are very far from each other. EDIT: Just to add to this - if you tip on a credit card, it’s highly unlikely the server is This day in 1941, Fallschirmjäger from Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 executed male civilians from the village of Kondomari, Crete, in response to Cretan civilians who attacked and killed German paratroopers with knives, axes and scythes. Day 8 - Santorini, and at night return to Athens. Spinalonga is an interesting venetian fortress turned leper colony nearby. It doesn’t feel like a slog bc every view is more beautiful than the last. Thursday - early morning, fly to Mykonos from Santorini (I want to go there if I can!), explore myself and spend the night. Somewhere to discuss travel. I'm all ears for any and all opinions. The bus from Chora (the name of main town on most Greek Islands) goes out at best twice a day to the distant cities of Apiranthos, Halki, Filoti and I think Apollonas on the northest end. Fires happen almost every summer all over Greece. Day 5 check out from Chania… either morning in some beach near Chania then bus to Heraklion or bus to Heraklion then afternoon in some beach easy to reach I'd recommend flying instead. It also has later antiquities from Crete in the Classical era. Can't decide if we should stay in just Chania and take day-trips to other parts of the island or split our time between Chania and Elouda or Agios Nikolaus. Definitely going back. Day 2 & 3- Explore Athens. With a full 6 days you can spend half your time in eastern Crete and half in western Crete. Driving in Crete is, unlike what you read everywhere, quite ok. Day 3: day trip to a beach (Stavros Beach) Day 4: day trip - Samaria Gorge hike. I think 6 days in Athens are too much you should be fine with 2-3 days unless you want to day trips. This trip was planned super last minute. If you're up for museums, the Heraklio Archaeological Museum will complement your visit to Knossos, with a wealth of artifacts and art from the site. For the Love of Travel. Plan an itinerary and stick to it. Inform yourself of the currents (anywhere north of Crete will drift you towards Crete VERY quickly), EU requirements and supply stations for pumping sewage, fuel and getting electricity beforehand. Favorable prices, clean, friendly, kitchenettes. It was $85 for 4 days because I am under 27. They are cancelled multiple days in a row. Keep in mind it takes around 5 hours to drive from one end of Crete to the other so it’s really quite large, however day to day you won’t need one in Chania or any of the cities at all and there are buses etc to use if needed. Award. Arkadi Convent. I was thinking a couple days each in Santorini, Naxos, and Paros, and a couple days in Athens at the beginning or end. Crete is too far to do in three days, I suggest you look into other islands, or consider a mainland town like Nafplio if you want that Venentian Vibe of Heraklion / Chania with amazing ruins and a lot more accessible in a short timeframe. The island itself is beautiful. Solo traveller seeking beach to flop on end of May. You should be easily able to get a taxi from the airport to Chania at that time. Between Rethymno and Iraklio. From Kos you should be able to easily ferry either back towards Athens (into the Cyclades) or to Rhodes. I love mountain towns, like I loved Delphi. I rented in Athens (Hertz), Milos (Avance) and Tinos (Vidalis) and they are all much more expensive than in 2021 or 2020 (the Covid years). Rhodes also has an airport and you either fly to Athens or there will be some direct island flight in high season. We have two weeks, and I think that Chania is an absolute must for sure other than that, we don't know. Weather should be warm and you might even get the first heat wave, but you’ll avoid the bull of the tourist season. Mycenae is the perfect compliment to Crete since the Mycenaeans invaded Crete shortly after the Minoan collapse. Start in Chania and then likely rent a car to explore the beaches on the west. Here's my plan: Day 1: Arrival in Heraklion at night heading straight to chania. The very best place to stay near Chania is Chania. A 3 minute walk to the harbor. **Note that images are 100% welcome as part of a longer, thought-out text post. Crete you need a car unless you just want to stay on one town. We don't mind taking the bus a lot. It’s more expensive than Mexico City, which is kind of the gold standard for five star vacations at rock bottom prices. I will be working from Athens in December and was planning a week trip there. I am curious if Anopolis would be a good idea for this trip. Would skip crete and make it a separate trip as it’s quite big. Recommend getting the ferry from Elounda as they are fairly cheap and run frequently. We’ll be renting a car hopefully near the Heraklion airport, and using the car for our stay. Please add your favorite locations and hotels for romance and adventure in Crete down Hello everyone! I was searching for places to visit in Crete and found this amazing blog! You should definitely check it out as it's filled with interesting information! If you're planning a trip to Crete and looking for places to visit, how to travel there and so on, I highly recommend checking out this incredible blog I stumbled upon. Day 4 Elafonisi beach. I slept with windows open and was so nice to hear the chatter of excited tourists. Zeus cave #2 (Dikteon andron) is very fun to explore! 10-Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga island fortress Agios Nikolaos is a very cozy city with a lake-nice for a romantic dinner by the lake. The ONLY thing you’ll miss is neither of those has the ‘white building’ look you may expect from ‘Greek islands’. Most places only take or prefer cash in general there, I took out €800 and had plenty of spending and play money for over two weeks. Instead of having to pay for travel and accommodation, I just pay one price for both. Crete and Corfu have their own local flavors of architecture and have a lot more Venetian influence. Distances to remote places far by bus and usually places to see in between that you would miss. I am curious in the nicest areas of crete, most fascinating, historical, authentic, etc that are (relatively) unspoiled by tourisim and what places I should avoid. Offer advice or ask for it. October and November are widely considered the best time to travel to Crete, as the weather remains warm and pleasant Preveli. Despite what some people have to say about crowds. 5. My Day 2: day trip to Milia + cooking class. The middle of the trip is what we are unsure of. Originally i had plans to visit Lofoten islands in Norway. As to where to stay, basically the Northern side of Crete from I was in Chania Crete for 7 days earlier this summer. • 5 days ago. Delphi is another great site that can’t be missed. What I want. Chania, Rethymno, Heraklio and Lasithi. Here's two restaurant recommendations for Heraklion: •Peskesi (traditional Cretan) -book in advance. You did mention you wanted islands, but that has the better sites, plus beaches, and is less touristy, too. Probably about $50 USD one way. Hello! I spent about 7 days in the beautiful island of Crete with my wife. Also find an app that lista all the nearby beaches. Hit me up for food recommendations. There are so many beautiful beaches all over and i imagine some would be very difficult to get to via public transit. Usually it in areas with lots of dry bush / trees so beach / town holidays are not effected at all. We are flying in Chania and we would really like to have the greek experience (with taverns, the venetian ports, walks through the old town) but also stay near a beach with fine sand, wake up in the morning and drink our coffee with a view, start our day with a swim. It's only a 55 minutes flight from Athens to Heraklion. And yes Santorini is worth it. Clickbait, spam, memes, ads/selling/buying, brochures, classifieds, surveys or self-promotion will be removed. Wouldn’t cancel or be overly concerned. For general travel enquiries please visit /r/italytravel. Now we think we might do 3 places in 14 days. 4 nights between Paros and Naxos, 3-4 nights in Milos, 1-2 nights in Santorini. Still haven’t seen it all and we used to go for 5 weeks a year for 10 yrs. If you want to be efficient about it get flights in and out of Athens which is faster, the other option is the ferry. I've been able to find parking in Chania, near the fort. The advantage with Crete is that if you do get bored there are many other options, including changing cities. Friday - in the afternoon, fly to Istanbul, spend a few days there. Istanbul is one of the few cities that actually deserves a full week. Also Mili Gorge is a relatively light hike that is particularly nice. Trudestiny • 26 days ago. When you’re in Elounda make sure to take a boat to Spinalonga. For context, we are a mid 30s couple traveling by ourselves. Matala Beach and Caves. I can recommend Balos. Got questions? Need advice? Overwhelmed with your itinerary? Want to share your travel tips and experiences in Greece? Then this is the place for you! /r/GreeceTravel is for any and all looking to visit Greece — including those who have already been. What are the best areas in Crete to visit? Question. bk rb az ku am ll hk rf hx cd