Crete - monasteries near Chania and Rethymno?
Apr 10th, 2016, 04:28 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Crete - monasteries near Chania and Rethymno?
I'm going to Crete in July and have found two monasteries that look interesting. One is near the airport in Chania, the other just a bit south of Rethymno. The problem - depending on the source, map, etc. their names keep getting interchanged.
I THOUGHT the one near Chania airport was Agia Triada, on the Akrotri Peninsula and the one near Rethymno was Arkadhi. Is that correct. All the map sites are confused and when I put in Agia Triada they take you the one near Rethymno.
Can someone confirm the names of these two monasteries?
Are they worth visiting?
If I can't figure it out on maps on my computer I'm guessing maps on my phone when I get there will be even worse. Are things well marked and are these places easy to find? I will have a car for that part of the trip.
Related question - Would it be reasonable to go from Rethymno (where we would have spent a few nights) to Knosos, then to the monastery near Rethymno (Arkadhi?) and then to the other monastery (Agia Triada) and then drop the car at the Chania airport? So that would be three sites in one day, but it looks like total distance is about 150km.
We have three nights in Rethymno (with car) and then plan 5 nights in Chania (without car).
I THOUGHT the one near Chania airport was Agia Triada, on the Akrotri Peninsula and the one near Rethymno was Arkadhi. Is that correct. All the map sites are confused and when I put in Agia Triada they take you the one near Rethymno.
Can someone confirm the names of these two monasteries?
Are they worth visiting?
If I can't figure it out on maps on my computer I'm guessing maps on my phone when I get there will be even worse. Are things well marked and are these places easy to find? I will have a car for that part of the trip.
Related question - Would it be reasonable to go from Rethymno (where we would have spent a few nights) to Knosos, then to the monastery near Rethymno (Arkadhi?) and then to the other monastery (Agia Triada) and then drop the car at the Chania airport? So that would be three sites in one day, but it looks like total distance is about 150km.
We have three nights in Rethymno (with car) and then plan 5 nights in Chania (without car).
Apr 10th, 2016, 05:13 AM
#2
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,356
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There are 4 monasteries in Akrotiri
Agia Triada, Gouverneto and Katholiko, all close to each other.
They are easy to find, but you will have to walk from Gouverneto to Katholiko.
The 4th monastery is located in Korakies/Akrotiri and it is
Moni Timiou Prodromou
You can find more information on all 4 here : http://chaniatourism.com/
Arkadi is about 30 km from Rethymno and is famous allover Greece for it's history and architecture, it is worth visiting and can be combined with the pottery village of Margarites.
The itinerary Rethymno-Arkadi-Knossos-Akrotiri Monasteries - Chania is doable i think.... but
Rethymno- Heraklion is 80 km or around 70 min drive, Heraklion - Chania 150 km.. that would make 230-250 km.
With stops at all the places you mentioned, that would be a very exhausting full day.....
Agia Triada, Gouverneto and Katholiko, all close to each other.
They are easy to find, but you will have to walk from Gouverneto to Katholiko.
The 4th monastery is located in Korakies/Akrotiri and it is
Moni Timiou Prodromou
You can find more information on all 4 here : http://chaniatourism.com/
Arkadi is about 30 km from Rethymno and is famous allover Greece for it's history and architecture, it is worth visiting and can be combined with the pottery village of Margarites.
The itinerary Rethymno-Arkadi-Knossos-Akrotiri Monasteries - Chania is doable i think.... but
Rethymno- Heraklion is 80 km or around 70 min drive, Heraklion - Chania 150 km.. that would make 230-250 km.
With stops at all the places you mentioned, that would be a very exhausting full day.....
Apr 10th, 2016, 05:23 AM
#3
Isabel,
I just checked my 2011 trip report to Greece, where we spent 6 days on Crete, and took a brief trio to the Akrotiri peninsula. We visited the Agia Triada monastery which is, as you believe, on the peninsula. I remember enjoying it very much as it was beautifully sited, and think you would enjoy it.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...tober-2011.cfm
We didn't visit the other, so can't compare. Signage is generally poor off the main highways, but I don't remember whether the signage on the Akrotiri peninsula was bad or good.
I can't answer your question about visiting all 3 sites in one day, but my sense of it would be too much to do. We traveled from Chania to the south and then toward Iraklion over the course of a few days, so our routing was different than yours.
I just checked my 2011 trip report to Greece, where we spent 6 days on Crete, and took a brief trio to the Akrotiri peninsula. We visited the Agia Triada monastery which is, as you believe, on the peninsula. I remember enjoying it very much as it was beautifully sited, and think you would enjoy it.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...tober-2011.cfm
We didn't visit the other, so can't compare. Signage is generally poor off the main highways, but I don't remember whether the signage on the Akrotiri peninsula was bad or good.
I can't answer your question about visiting all 3 sites in one day, but my sense of it would be too much to do. We traveled from Chania to the south and then toward Iraklion over the course of a few days, so our routing was different than yours.
Apr 10th, 2016, 05:53 AM
#4
Ahh, I'm glad clausar was able to answer te questions - he is a wonderful help and great source of information.
Here are photos we took during our trip -- I never did identify the pictures, but we began in Chania for 5 days and took day trips to Elafonissi and to the Akrotiri peninsula from Chania, before driving to the south coast for a night.
There are a few photos of the monastery -- I'm afraid I don't see any numbers to associate with the photos, but if you need help figuring out what you're looking at, please ask!
https://www.flickr.com/gp/130174933@N04/480Q
Here are photos we took during our trip -- I never did identify the pictures, but we began in Chania for 5 days and took day trips to Elafonissi and to the Akrotiri peninsula from Chania, before driving to the south coast for a night.
There are a few photos of the monastery -- I'm afraid I don't see any numbers to associate with the photos, but if you need help figuring out what you're looking at, please ask!
https://www.flickr.com/gp/130174933@N04/480Q
Apr 10th, 2016, 10:45 AM
#6
Trying one more time: here are photos from our 2011 trip:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/130174933@N04/6skX80
(looks like it still works!).
https://www.flickr.com/gp/130174933@N04/6skX80
(looks like it still works!).
Apr 10th, 2016, 01:53 PM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks
progol - the photos are great, thanks for sharing. Did you drive to Elfonissi? So the first set of beach photos is Elfonissi? Where is the second set?
I agree the three sites I initially said I might want to do in one day is too much. So now I'm thinking - we arrive Chania around 3pm and pick up rental car and drive to Rethymno where we will stay three nights. So one day we could do a day trip to Knossos and Arkadi and on the other full day we could do a day trip to Matala. That wouldn't give us any full days IN Rethymno but we'd have three late afternoon/evenings and mornings. The last day we'd just do Akrotiri before returning the car. Then we have five nights in Chania and are planning on day trips by public transportation from there.
Does that sound more reasonable?
progol - the photos are great, thanks for sharing. Did you drive to Elfonissi? So the first set of beach photos is Elfonissi? Where is the second set?
I agree the three sites I initially said I might want to do in one day is too much. So now I'm thinking - we arrive Chania around 3pm and pick up rental car and drive to Rethymno where we will stay three nights. So one day we could do a day trip to Knossos and Arkadi and on the other full day we could do a day trip to Matala. That wouldn't give us any full days IN Rethymno but we'd have three late afternoon/evenings and mornings. The last day we'd just do Akrotiri before returning the car. Then we have five nights in Chania and are planning on day trips by public transportation from there.
Does that sound more reasonable?
Apr 10th, 2016, 03:12 PM
#8
Hi, Isabel.
We rented a car after we were in Chania for a day. The first day trip,was too Elafonissi; most of the beach pictures are from there -- the last shot is of the straw huts along the water.
We then drove along the coast to Falassarna, and there are one or two views overlooking a peninsula. We ate at the simple but wonderful restaurant, Panorama, and had a fabulous dish of dolmadakes that you see.
The next day, we took a drive through the Akrotiri Peninsula, first stopping by the bay (I'm told part of Zorba the Greek was filmed here) and then we drove to the monastery; there are a handful of shots of the Agia Triada monastery.
As far as your planned itinerary, it sounds fine,to me, but I would leave it to one of the others to make that determination, as I really don't have experience with the drives you are describing,
I would make one extra recommendation, if you have a chance -- we were very glad to see Phaestos and Knossos; we felt one enhanced the other. Where Knossos is more "realized" as a site, it is also an interpretation. Phaestos, on the other hand. Is a ruin that is not in great shape, but is extensive and really gives a feeling of what was once there. We enjoyed the small museum, too. We felt that seeing Phaestos gave us a better appreciation when we visited Knossos.
Hope this helps and doesn't make you too overwhelmed!
We rented a car after we were in Chania for a day. The first day trip,was too Elafonissi; most of the beach pictures are from there -- the last shot is of the straw huts along the water.
We then drove along the coast to Falassarna, and there are one or two views overlooking a peninsula. We ate at the simple but wonderful restaurant, Panorama, and had a fabulous dish of dolmadakes that you see.
The next day, we took a drive through the Akrotiri Peninsula, first stopping by the bay (I'm told part of Zorba the Greek was filmed here) and then we drove to the monastery; there are a handful of shots of the Agia Triada monastery.
As far as your planned itinerary, it sounds fine,to me, but I would leave it to one of the others to make that determination, as I really don't have experience with the drives you are describing,
I would make one extra recommendation, if you have a chance -- we were very glad to see Phaestos and Knossos; we felt one enhanced the other. Where Knossos is more "realized" as a site, it is also an interpretation. Phaestos, on the other hand. Is a ruin that is not in great shape, but is extensive and really gives a feeling of what was once there. We enjoyed the small museum, too. We felt that seeing Phaestos gave us a better appreciation when we visited Knossos.
Hope this helps and doesn't make you too overwhelmed!
