Hm... i don't think that there are so many reviews here about Rethymno, but i happen to know the city perfectly well, as i was living there for 2 years

It has a beautiful old city, with more houses being renovated than Chania, and many restaurants cafes bars etc.

The old harbour of the city is smaller than Chania's but it has some excellent fish restaurants ( overpriced though).

There is a fortress that you should visit and one of the longest sandy beaches of Crete, that begins right at the old harbour.

I always loved walking around in the old city looking at the shops, and the amazing restored old houses, among them some great small palazzi.

In the old city i recommend the restaurant Avli, and while there have a look at their small exclusive hotel.

From Rethymnon you can do some very nice day trips to the Arkadi Monastery, Margarites etc, or to the Libyan Sea and the small village of Plakias,the beach and castle of Frangokastello and Rodakino, plus the drive through the gorge of Kourtalioti and Kotsifou, both amazing and very scenic.

I wouldn't recommend to go through the Samaria Gorge, you will be dead for the next 2 days... except if you are in a very very good physical condition.....

I personally believe that 2 daysnights in Rethymnon will keep you occupied, and that you will love the city....
Most people who stay only for a short time in Chania, are just passing by and don't know what the city has to offer....

Thanx Clausar!

I trust your opinion - and it is nice not to have to move around so much. I'm pretty sure I could do the gorge okay (Im going to do a 1/2 marathon in a week!) - but my S.O. might not manage so well and might enjoy some down time in a beach instead
Feel free to through out any other CRETE suggestions

That would be "throw" out - stupid auto-correct....

I know what you mean about auto-correct. My MacBook keeps trying to change the island of Ios into the Apple Operating System iOS.

as for the Samaria gorge, this can only be done with an organized tour, that is on sale everwhere in Rethymnon or Chania.
The bus will bring you to the entrance of the Samaria, which is also the highest point, Xyloscalo, and will pick you up from Chora Sfakion, to take you back to your hotel.

There is also the much cheaper possibility of taking a KTEL ( public)bus from Chania, and another one from Chora Sfakion ( or Sfakia as it is usually called.

That IS funny Heimdall - and, by the way, managed to find a way to to Ephesus without a propeller
Clausar - I am okay with skipping the gorge. Any specific scenic drives you recommend? Anything through the mountains?

I'll put in a plug for the Samaria gorge (not that you're asking), as it was easily one of the most beautiful hikes we've done. Seeing the mountain goats (can't remember their name) scamper up what looked like nearly vertical cliffs was amazing. With that said, we do a lot of walking and hiking, so it wasn't too bad from that perspective. More difficult frankly was the bus ride back in the afternoon to Chania. Why I'm drawn to places with windy, steep roads that make me nauseous I'll never know, but, man was that some ride... Amazing olive trees all over the hills (at least from what I could see peaking out from behind my scarf!)

We stayed in Chania for 3 ro 4 days, and then drove to Iraklion to catch the ferry to Santorini. I'll say that frankly, Knossos didn't really make a great impression. I think it was the overdone renovation, or that it was really hot that day, hard to tell. Chania was lovely, but we really kind of just wandered around and relaxed. I think your timing sounds fine - given Clausar's Rethymnon recommendation.

dunia
The mountain goats in the Samaria Gorge are called Krikri ( also in Greek it sounds ridiculous), the official name is Capra aegagrus creticus, but Cretan call them Agrimi in their dialect.

I totally agree with you that Samaria is a great experience, and the road from Sfakia was my horror too...
I went there with my own car, but looking at the road that was going down to the village, scared me enough to drive back....

I did as well an organized tour, and was more than happy to sit in a bus on the way back to Chania.....

Also agree with you that Knossos isn't that impressive, many blame Sir Evans and his restoration for creating something that doesn't correspond to Minoan reality, and archaeologists - friends of mine- call it a Minoan Disneyland....
But still it attracts thousands of visitors.... it wouldn't be my first priority. ( but i say that after having seen it....)

Thanx all.

We'll see about Samaria - missing it isn't due to a lack of interest - more about a lack of time. We will go to Knossos for sure - how often are we in Crete anyway? And the S.O. has a hard time recreating anything from fallen columns etc - Disneyland might not be such a bad thing in his case

We drove to Skafia and took the ferry to the bottom of Samaria Gorge and hiked up.
Then back down, got on a ferry, stayed overnight in magical Loutro before returing to Skafia annd Chania.