kittycatangel

We will be spending about 10 days in Crete in the summer. It will be our first time there! We will have NO CAR and plan to take the bus. I hear the bus is reliable. Please help me decide where to go, and where to base ourselves! We will have young kids, so can't move around from place to place with luggage, and prefer to base ourselves in one scenic quaint location and take day trips. Hence, we were thinking of basing ourselves in Chania for 7 days, and then moving to 3 nights in Heraclion. From Chania, we can take day trips to Rethymnon, ancient city of Gortyna, Paelochora, etc. We are staying in Heraclion as our plane departs from there, and we have to be at the airport early. Also, staying in Heraclion allows us to visit Knossos for 1 day and the Archeological museum another day. We are more interested in culture, food, and scenic areas (as opposed to spending alot of time on the beach). We want to some easy hikes, but can't do very long ones with small children. Also, any suggestion on family -friendly budget accommodations apartments/hotels will be great! We are traveling on a budget and prefer to pay less than $100/ a night. We have been successful renting apartments in the past, so prefer apartments for the space and kitchen usage. We don't need the hotel amenities like breakfast, pool, TV, etc, just a larger than average clean place that is central to places, and safe. Thanks!

brotherleelove2004

Don't waste 3 days in Heraklion. You can see Knossos and the Archaeological Museum in one day. Public access to the museum exhibits is limited to about 30% of what's there. The facility is "under renovation", has been for about 6 years. You should also know that Knossos is not highly regarded by scholars as an authentic archaeological site. The "discoverer" of the ruins, Sir Arthur Evans, rebuilt the site according to his own vision of what he thought it should be, not what proper rearch and science would have dictated.

clausar

It is important to know when in the summer exactly you will travel.
Since you are on a budget this is affecting the price of your accommodation.
How many persons will travel and how many children? what is their age?
Even though the bus system in Crete is excellent, very often you have to change bus, for example there is no direct connection between Chania and Gortys, which is located in the very south of the island.
(plus i am not sure this would be doable with small children)

Being in Crete during the summer you have two choices. Either to stay in one of the beach resorts near to a city like Chania or Rethymno, or stay directly in a city.

Most chances of finding a suitable apartment, as you
describe it would be outside of a city. Resorts like Platanias in Chania or Adele, Platanes in Rethymnon have many shops and restaurants.

Brotherlee's advice not to stay in Heraklion is very wise, as it is the less attractive city of the island.
If you are having to catch a very early flight you could overnight in Amoudara, just outside of Heraklion, so that you will be near to the airport.

Quark

You may want to take a look at the Kalamaki area. While it may not be quaint the bus into Chania is very convenient. We also noticed that along the route to Chania there were many accommodations along the route and near beaches if you'd like to spend some time that way. Also, we did Knossos in a couple of hours.

rushngal

we spent one week in crete just a few weeks ago. i know you want to take buses but if you get a car its so easy to drive around chania. basically just one road. samaria gorge is excellent to see. we stayed near the beach but our accommodation was over $200 a night, very inexpensive by aussie standards and it was almost a palace. its name was Minoa Palace. there is a big water park in chania that your kids would love. some towns in chania have little tourist trains. heraklion was busier but once out of the small city, very easy to drive. we went to agios nikaloas and that was very nice. also went to knossos but only spent an hour there cause it was stinking hot and we werent that impressed since it was rebuilt. but we have also been to pompeii and knossos didnt seem much compared to pompeii but your kids might like it.

think about getting a car because i remember seeing people sitting or standing in the bus shelters in the heat and so happy we had an air conditioned car.

crete is fabulous, you will have a great time.