Crete Heraklion Side Trip
 

Hello All!

We have 3 days on Crete, and we're staying in Heraklion the first night in order to see the Palace of Minos and the Archeological museum.

For the day 2 and 3 we would like to "get out of town" and explore other areas of Crete, but we have to be back to catch a ferry from Heraklion.

Any suggestions for a 2 day explaratory trip around Heraklion? We're history/hiking/food/culture/beach bufs... in that order I guess... :-)

Thanks in advance!

Greg

We spent a week on Crete, but by far our favorite thing was the hike through the Samarian Gorge in the Southwest. We did it as a "package" from Chania -- a bus to the starting point and a boat trip back from the sea (no cars or busses to that point)to another bus back to Chania.

The hike is magnificent, starting high in the mountains and quickly winding down into a gorge and valley eventually ending up at the sea for a dip if it is especially hot.

Incidentally, although the Archeology museum in Heraklion was good, we didn't think much of the Palace of Minos -- poorly recreated in concrete and little of true ruins.

Chania and the western end of the island was our favorite. You might want to do a search here under a number of topics such as "Samarian Gorge" or "Chania" for a lot of previous other posters.

You might want to check out the ferry schedules from Rethymnon. There are ferries that leave from that beautiful town to the some of the same destinations as the ferries from Heraklion. Rethymnon is very close to Chania as well.

I don't think you will go wrong by just getting a car and heading out. The Amari Valley is a beautiful loop drive in the central part of the island. The western coast past Falassarna (my favorite beach) is gorgeous and less touristy. Chania is wonderful, too.

One of our favorite days was spent hiking down to the sea from the Gouverntou (sp?) Monastery on the Akrotiri Peninsula above Chania. There are several ruined monasteries en route. It was quiet, deserted, magic! You'll need to take your own food and water, but it's not a difficult hike.

Ooooh, look what I found while trying to find the correct spelling of Gouvernetou:

http://www.rollins.edu/Foreign_Lang/Greek/gouver.html

You can check it out and see if it looks good to you.

I agree with Marilyn--the Akrotiri Peninsula is a wonderful place to explore, we hiked down to the cathedral and spent a wondeful time swimming in little coves. Also , there is a cool Minoan graveyard in Arcena (I'll look up exact name), just south of Rethymon. Finally, the beach at Volos--which is a long rocky dirt road followed by a hike down to a luscious beach is great. So is Falassarna.

Just got back from a whole week in Crete and while I didn't care for Iraklion, we loved the western part of the island. We also hired a hiking guide who took us on an alternative to the Samaria Gorge--down in Sfakia and then up a quiet but majestic gorge. It was very hard (I suppose that's why my husband calls it "The Death March") but one of those things you feel great about having done.

The Lassithi Plateau is worth a visit. And you can see two more tremendous Minoan sites at Malia (past the tourist tat) and Gournia

I would recommend visting Chania. Beautiful little town with an archaeological museum, and harbor lined with restaurants and shops. I didn't mind Iraklion but it is a city and has the typical noise and traffic that a city has. I stayed at the Astoria Hotel which is a block from the Iraklion museum and a short walk to the bus for Knossos. There are many interesting restaurants and shops to choose from. Another interesting village that I would like to visit is Vrisses (between Rhymenon and Chania). It looked adorable in passing and is known for its yoghurt. Rhymenon which has Venetian ruins is an option as well.

jstockler, you're the only other person I "know" who has done that hike. It remains in my memory a perfect day. We started down mid-afternoon on an impulse. Did not see another human being the whole time and heard nothing but the distant tinkle of goat bells.

Marilyn, you're lucky you only heard goat bells. Our guide tells us that falling goats is a major problem (for the goat,anyway) and while we saw 4 skeletons, we never heard any thuds.

The only souvenir my husband bought in all of greece was antique goat bells, we're putting them on the door to remind us of the Sound of Greece (to be sung to the tune of "The Hills are alive...")

That's a great idea! Now I'll have to return to Greece for the purpose of purchasing some goat bells. (Any excuse will do.)

You might like to try the Ag Irini, Aredhna, or Imbros gorges in west Crete or the Zakros gorge in the east.

That's it! I must plan a trip to Crete. I have been to several places in Greece, but I keep putting off Crete, until I can spend at least a week to explore. It is time to start reading and planning, which is sooooo much fun.

If you mean the Akrotiri walk to Gouverneto, we've done it twice:) It's stunning.

We also did Samaria three years ago and, gie or take the crowds, thoroughly enjoyed it. We walked Zakros Gorge the same holiday- much shorter and very pleasant with the nicest Minoan Palace on the island at the bottom (look for the terrapins in the ancient basin) and a gorgeous beach to swim at when you've eaten your fill at one of the wee cafes on the beachside.

Ah; must book a flight SOON.

Yes, Sheila, that's the walk. I have recommended it to several people I knew who were going to Crete, but no one's taken my advice. Their loss!

This whole thread is making me yearn for Crete. You are lucky it's such an easy trip for you from the UK. From California it's an endless journey.