I would concentrate on more scenic Western Crete and drop Ag.Nik and Spiralonga Island. You will hardly be able to see most of the western side in 5-6 days. Include Falasarna Beach and Elafonisi Beach on the western shore. Stay all three nights in Chania or Rethymnon and visit the other; I prefer Chania.

Hi Kirstin,

in 5 days you won't be able to see everything on your list, and i agree with HT that i would prioritise the west, especially as you want to do the samarian gorge.

you could possibly do Knossos [a must IMO] on the day you arrive, and then drive to Reythemnon for one or two nights. otherwise spend the first day in Herakleon, then see Knossos in the next morning, then head for Reythemnon for the next night.

then go to Chania. [this is day 3] Day 4 is for the samarian Gorge, and day 5 is to recover on those beaches! Day 6 you could explore before flying out in the evening.

have a great trip!

Kirstin

6 days are not enough to see Crete.... but you can see some of the highlights.....
You can fly to Heraklion and out of Chania, assuming you will be coming/leaving from/to Athens.

Heraklion is not a very interesting city, you can visit Knossos, and the Archeological Museum ( only 3 rooms there are accessible, since the Museum is closed for a major renovation.) You can have a stroll to the centre of the city which is not far away from from the Museum, see the Venetian Loggia and the Venetian Lion fountain, and visit perhaps the local market, which is always a great experience.

East of Heraklion you can see Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga in a day... Agios Nikolaos is a modern city, what is worthseeing is the small lake with restaurants and cafes....

Much more interesting is the eastern end of the island, but that would be too far away for the time that you have at disposal.
It would be better to overnight somewhere near Agios Nikolaos than in or near Heraklion....

That would take 2 days of your six in total... ( and 1 overnight)

From Agios Nikolaos you can then drive straight to Rethymno which i find to be nicer than Chania....
The area has a lot to offer,, Rethymno has a wonderful old town, one of the longest sandy beaches of Crete, and nearby you can visit the Arkadi Monastery, the old Adele village or some old venetian villages like Roustika.

Samaria will take up one full day of your time....which would leave enough time to enjoy Chania and surroundings....

Near Chania Elafonisi or Falasarna are great beaches, but the best experience would be to visit Balos with it's great Caribbean like lagoon..... http://tinyurl.com/ajtg7bf

To do the Samaria Gorge i would recommend to book a tour, this you can do either from Rethymno ( all travel agencies are selling that ) or Chania...

In Chania you could use also the public KTEL bus, but personally i find the organized tour to be much more convenient.

A rental car would be advisable, but everything is doable with the public busses as well

Everyone, thank you for your advice. This is very helpful. I think I'll stay in Heraklion the first evening (see what I can of the east side of the island). 2nd night we'll stay in Rethymno and the last 3 nights in Chania.
I will have a rental car so I can get around.

Do you suggest taking a tour to the Samaria Gorge or can we hike it ourselves? I'd rather hike it myself if possible!

@clausar - Thank you for all of your information and the Balos link. I will definitely go there. Beautiful.

I'm very excited. Thank you for the direction!

Clausar...."To do the Samaria Gorge i would recommend to book a tour, this you can do either from Rethymno ( all travel agencies are selling that ) or Chania..."

Tommmo

The organized tours have the advantage that you will be picked in front or very near to your hotel, and you will be brought back to the same point.

You will arrive to Xyloscalos to enter the Gorge from the north, and while you walk through the gorge, the bus will go all the way to Sfakia, to pick you up from there.

The organized tours are being offered from both Rethymno amd Chania. There will be an escort giving you some information on Crete etc during the drive to Samaria, and you can stay with him/her during the hike or do it at your own pace.

This can also be done from Chania with a public KTEL bus, which is of course much cheaper.

You will arrive to Xyloscalos to enter the Gorge from the north, and while you walk through the gorge, the bus will go all the way to Sfakia, to pick you up from there.>>

this sounds like a good idea - when we did it [so many many years ago] you had to catch a boat at the southern end of the gorge and we almost missed it.

annhig...

Of course you will have to take the boat from Agia Roumeli to Sfakia...but if it is the organized tour the escort will take care of that....

The boat from Agia Roumeli leaves at 17:00 or 17:30 hrs to Sfakia,
here is the timetable for 2013 :
http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/ferries.html#2

Of course you will have to take the boat from Agia Roumeli to Sfakia...but if it is the organized tour the escort will take care of that....>>

exactly clauser - IF it is the organised tour.

it wasn't, and we only just made it.

I would definitely recommend the tour.

Hi Kirsten 525,
You have some good suggestions already. My favorite area is the southern coast, but beware - you are still trying to do a lot in the short time you have. Choose to concentrate on one area of Crete for this trip and you will enjoy it more. If you fly into Heraklion for one night, go early in the morning to Knossos then head west. Have lunch in Rethymnon and continue on to Chania for the remaining days. You'll have plenty to see from there.

Have discovered a fabulous video with Highlights of Crete, that i'd like to share with you all.

http://vimeo.com/44873548

enjoy

As everyone has indicated you need at least 2 weeks. I think for the first trip it is great to see Knossos and maybe Chania and Rhymenon and some of the beaches or villages nearby. You can do Sitia, Ag Nik, etc. on your next visit.

Sometimes there is no second visit...
In that case Agios Nikolaos and Elounda are absolutely doable with a bit of planning....

Agios Nikolaos is only 65 km away from Heraklion

Clausar - thank you for sending the link to that wonderful video!

It seems one does best getting quickly from East to West along the northern fast road and takes side trips down to the South where desired, rather than attempting to travel the South coast using the roads along there.
Is this fair to say?

Tommmo

it is a matter of time, generally you are right...
But a nice trip is to go Sounth of Heraklion to the Libyan Sea, see Gortys, Matala, Agia Galini and then up to Spili and the Plakias area, Frangokastelo and up to the North.

This would require an overnight in either Matala or Agia Galini.

Thanks Clausar. My maps don't show clearly a road from Spili to Plakias. Do you know of one , maybe that goes through the Kotsifou Gorge to Plakias?

tommo - google maps shows a road and thinks that it takes about 90 mins.

however, when we visited, admittedly 30 years ago, our map purchased at the time showed a road across the southern coast of Crete. [current maps show the same thing]. when we got there, it was at best half made and had it not been for the fact that we were driving a 2CV which had very high clearance, we might have turned round and gone back.

just because a map shows a road, doesn't mean it's there. OTOH, even if it's not shown...

Ahh annhig, I can see you out there with your 2CV, pith helmet and binoculars....
I think roadworks have gone on a bit these days hopefully?

I vote with parosblue. One night in Heraklion is frankly one night too many and will subject you to the most insane, dangerous traffic I have seen in 20 trips to Europe. If you must see Knossos (we were underwhelmed), then get out fast and head to Rethymno and onto Chania. Wonderful old towns, Elafonisi is spectacular - get someone to show you how to drive there over the mountain!

Tommmo
It's a bit difficult to describe it... but
Yes you can drive through the Kotsifou Gorge when leaving Plakias to Rethymno...
If you look at Google Maps, you will see the road that takes you to Spili ( as you come from the South)and then you have to pass through Koxare and Lefkogeia on your way to Plakias

oliverandharry
Traffic in the city of Heraklion is not that bad and above all not dangerous. ( regardless of your experience)
The city has some nice spots, i like walking from the Eleftherias Square to the Liontaria fountain , for a coffee break amongst locals... you can see there the Venetian Loggia, continue to the municipal Market, where you can buy cretan delicacies that are difficult to find even in Athens.

Crete has an amazing cuisine, that is amongst the healthiest in the world, you won't find in common tavernas that offer homogenized "greek food" ( which is adjusted to the taste of tourists). Locals know where these restaurants are, and can take you there. Cretan restaurants are very popular in Athens in the last 5 years....

Elafonisi is really nice and driving there isn't hard at all... but compared to Elafonissi i find Balos to be even more beautiful and unspoiled.

Years ago i tried to drive to Balos, as i was seeing a road to it, after a few kilometers i had to turn back though, as the roads that i saw were only designed for donkeys....

Ahh annhig, I can see you out there with your 2CV, pith helmet and binoculars....
I think roadworks have gone on a bit these days hopefully?>>

I hope so too, Tommo, but i wouldn't bet my pith-helmet on it. I've mentioned it on several threads on this board, but I've yet to hear back from anyone who's driven the mythical road along the south coast.

Perhaps like Shangri-la, it only appears to the very, very fortunate.

Tommmo can also report on whether he saw the golden step at the Chryssoskalitissa Monastery or not.....
( only non sinners are supposed to see it)

Tommmo can also report on whether he saw the golden step at the Chryssoskalitissa Monastery or not.....
( only non sinners are supposed to see it)>>

can sinners pronounce it?