Crete early planning questions
 

In the early planning stages of a family (couple w/20 something children) to Crete. My plan was to fly directly from Athens to Chania, stay near Chania in a beach hotel. Interests lie in a little beach time (perhaps more for the young adults), hike through Samaria Gorge, a little sight seeing, eating authentic food. My question is would it work to stay put near Chania and drive to various beaches and sites. We will be probably staying in Crete for about 6 days, and will spend the last 2-3 days in Athens.
I would like to see Knossos, which is probably the farthest attraction from Chania, but am reluctant to move hotels.
I understand that we can fly from Athens to Chania, avoiding Heraklion entirely. Is this correct?
Any input on this itinerary or opinions about staying in one place would be much appreciated. Also welcome suggestions on recommended sights, beaches, hiking areas, or archaeological sites near Chania. Thank you!

We did something similar in 2012, in reverse. You do not want to try to drive to Heraklion and back, and certainly not to just see Knossos. There is a mixed feeling about it here on the board, and having seen it, I would skip it.The traffic is horrible and the parking worse. There was a lot to do around Chania, including a beautiful drive over the mountain to Elafonisi Beach. We had come from Rethmyno, with its beach, old town and another mountain drive to the monastery which we enjoyed.

Ryanair now fly Athens - Chania , but many like us hate their cost-cutting and always another fee policy (but they are cheap and you might prefer to go to Chania - I would!) You can take a one day bus trip to Knossos, and base very nicely in Chania for 6 days.

Oh and Look at Natalie's rooms and Nora's Rooms - small 2 brm apartments in a quiet lane beautifully located in Chania town with roof garden,kitchen, balcony etc.

We fly Ryanair from Cyprus into Chania last year. No problems, and it certainly is cheap. Just be prepared to observe their carry-on luggage size restrictions, or it will be way less cheap.

You can easily drive to Knossos from Chania. If memory serves it's under 2 hours one way and freeway, so easy. Traffic at the site is hectic and it's a very popular tourist destination, so you won't be alone. We were there early May, and it wasn't horrible, but it could be in July. If you do go to Knossos,you should make time to visit the Archeological Museum in Heraklion. They were remodeling last year, but the open few rooms were chock full of the most extraordinary objects (two words: Snake Woman). Driving into Heraklion is somewhat of a hassle, admittedly, but you can park at the base of the old Venetian walls and walk up into the city center and the museum. Rethymnon is lovely, and located in between the two cities, so you can stop there on the way back. We didn't get to hike Samaria, but I believe you'd want to stay close to the trailhead (up in the mountains) the night before. Others here can advise you about that. Crete is so beautiful. The Rough Guide has some good suggested driving itineraries, especially for exploring the mountains inland. Have a wonderful time.

First, thank you for my laugh of the day.

"a family (couple w/20 something children)" I got an amusing mental picture of you and your 20 something children. With that many I guess it's easy to lose count. LOL

OK, seriously, I would say yes stick to one base and not move hotels. Crete has enough to see and do to take up weeks and weeks of time. With only 6 days you shouldn't expect to do and see everything your research has turned up that interests you. I call it the 'chicken without a head' syndrome. Running around everywhere and not spending enough time on anything.

If it were me, I would spend my 6 days within a very short distance from your base hotel. That probably means leaving Knossos for another visit.

We spend two weeks near Chania and went to Knossos and Heraklion as a day trip. We were glad we did it that way after seeing Heraklion.

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I like the idea of using a base near Chania and venturing out to explore a smaller area.
And yes, dulciusexasperis, my description was a bit unclear - we are not bringing 20 children!

You can easily do Samaria gorge from Chania. I went on a "tour" - bus to the head of the gorge, boat and bus back to Chania - arranged in Chania.

We stayed in Chania in the fall of 2012 and loved it- rented a car and explored a couple of beautiful beaches, namely Falasarna (gorgeous and virtually deserted in late Sept.) before driving to Heraklion and dropping our rental car there. While we loved Chania (except for all the stray cats everywhere...) Heraklion was well worth visiting,especially the Archeological Museum and Knossos. We took a local bus to Knossos which was very easy to do, and then back to town. I heartily recommend trying to visit both while you are on Crete. We also visited Rhymemnon (sp?) which was less memorable- an interesting core to the downtown but the beach was tacky compared to the beaches around Chania.

Why not fly into Chania and base yourself there for 4 days or so, and then move on to Heraklion for a night or two before flying out of Heraklion to Athens. That way you get a bit of both worlds.

Also- be prepared for strikes if you've never been to Greece! We were unprepared and enountered a taxi strike upon arrival at Chania airport...a metro strike in Athens, an air traffic controllers strike, etc.,etc. One has to be flexible in Greece (and we loved Greece but...)!

Rethymno is located between Chania and Heraklion and has a very veautiful venetian old town with most of the old houses being restored. There is also a fortress that is worth visiting and a venetian( but tiny) harbour.

The beach of Rethymnon is the longest of Crete with 12 km and everything but tacky.It starts right next to the harbour, which is of course the less appealing part.

Personally i like the city of Rethymnon more than Chania, but this is of course a personal call.

OK you brought up strikes - if air traffic controllers strike fairly regularly, is it safer to see Athens after the island experience, thereby (hopefully) avoiding a possible missed flight home?

It is always best to leave time at the end of your trip rather than the beginning, for Athens. Specifically to avoid any problems like a strike or often with ferries, bad weather delaying them.

Hello All,
I will be traveling in September with my 24 year-old daughter, who is an archaeology buff. We plan to arrive in Athens and go to Chania. Her list of "must-sees" is long and includes the Gorge, Knossos, Archaeological Museum and a host of other sites.
I am still confused about where to stay, or which two locations to stay at for the nine days before we depart Heraklion for Santorini.

Any and all help is appreciated. I am overwhelmed!

Thank you.