Crete or Rhodes?
 

Two couples are travelling to Greece and Turkey in Sept/Oct. We are torn between Crete and Rhodes for a first time visit to Greece. It's one or the other. We will be coming from a week on mainland Greece and Santorini. Ease of continuation of the trip to Turkey is a consideration but more important is the choice of Island. Beaches are not a strong consideration.

How many days will you have in Crete or Rhodes?
If you plan going to Turkey from Rhodes by ferry, then it's the smartest choice, otherwise i would choose Crete because there are much more things to do and see there.

I think interest-wise there are an equal number of things in both Crete and Rhodes. But if you're going to Turkey, Rhodes is only an hour by ferry.

We plan to spend 3-4 days in either Crete or Rhodes. It seems that from Rhodes to Samos (fly) to Kusadasi would take us as long as a flight from Crete so I am not sure it makes much difference whether we get to Turkey from either Crete or Rhodes.

jhkringel you can get from Rhodes to Marmaris in Turkey by a speedboat and you don't have to fly to SAmos. Or is Marmaris too much out of your way for your Turkey trip?

cristine27 My real destination is Ephesus and I could ferry to Marmaris from Rhodes and then bus to Kusadasi/Ephesus. I don't think I could get a dropoff car rental. Anyways, I think I can get to Ephesus one way or the other from either Crete or Rhodes and what I really can't decide is which is the "better island"

There's now a ferry connecting Santorini with Rhodes 3 times/week departing at 12:30 AM, arriving at 7:30 AM. The ferry between Crete and Rhodes takes 15+ hours. From Rhodes the ferry to Turkey is frequent.

http://www.feribot.net/feribot

Of course if you fly it's a lot faster to get to Rhodes. You can also get there from Santorini on http://www.skyexpress.gr.

If your real destination in Turkey is Ephesus then it makes more sense for you to go to Crete first, then take the ferry north to Santorini, then north to Paros, where you can catch a ferry to Samos. From Samos you can get the twice-daily ferry across to Kusadasi and a bus or taxi to Ephesus. This itinerary won't waste time and is more direct.

We picked up a rental car in Marmaris (after leaving friends at the Rhodes ferry dock for the rest of their trip) and drove to Bodrum, Miletus, Dideme, Priene, Ephesus and Sirence and dropped the car off at Izmir airport which is only about one hour from Ephesus. Very easy. The total time was only 3 or 4 days on that part as we had one week split between this part and then flew to Istanbul for the rest of the week. This was 2003. I believe I reserved it through www.autoeurope.com which is where we usually rent our cars in Europe. If you don't know them they are a kind of discount broker who hooks you up with a regular rental agency. I seem to remember ours was from Budget Rent a Car but if not them it was one of the other big names.

Thanks laurie_ann that is encouraging about a one way car rental from Marmaris to Izmir. Thanks brotherleelove, that would be a good idea except I want to go to Delos in addition to Santorini and to do that from Paros would mean a time consuming circle route through Mykonos.

But my focus is not on the best way to get from whereever in Greece to whereever in Turkey.
I really need help on which is the "better Island" Crete or Rhodes? Can anyone weigh in on that topic?

"better island"? Better for what?

I had mentioned beaches were not a big consideration. But we do enjoy history, scenery, interesting towns, museums. We do not want a resort, tour ship experience. This is our first trip to Greece and hopefully, but possibly, not the last trip. So "better" only in the sense of which of the two islands will give us the better exposure to Greek culture and way of life.

The first time I went to Crete, I thought I was in love. Crete, besides the beaches, reminded me so much of my home state, Idaho. Not the rugged mountain part, but the dry, arid part, the natural, untamed part. There is something about the Crete countryside that is down-to-earth, and unsophisticated.

I went to Rhodes last year, but only for a day, and thought I was in love :~) To me, Rhodes is more cosmopolitan and sophisticated without being snobbish. Having been to Crete twice, I would love to spend more time on Rhodes. The people were lovely and kind, the food incredible and the history rich. My vote is for Rhodes.

With all that being said, the people on Crete were lovely as well and the history also rich. Where in Greece can you go and not have a rich history? Still, my vote is for Rhodes.

Best to you and your group on your journey.

I have spent a fair bit of time on both islands. What put me off Rhodes Old Town were the crowds from cruise ships. In Crete I was based in Chania where I didn't see any cruise ships, but I'm sure they are there in Iraklio or Rythymnon. Both islands have a wealth of medieval Venetian history and lots of older stuff: Greek, Minoan. Read your guide book and decide. You can't go wrong really.

I'm not sure what you mean by a time consuming circle route through Paros, but in case you didn't know, there are daytirp excursion boats from Paros to Delos that include a stop on Mykonos for a couple of hours. Besides, this is the first mention of wanting to go to Delos/Mykonos, which makes your itinerary that much more difficult to accomplish, and how else would you get there in the first place? I'm confused.

Thank you rene_lea and gertie, that was the kind of information I was hoping for. Everything I read tells me I can't go wrong choosing between the two, which is probably why I am having the problem choosing.

Well, if based upon the information given, you can't choose between the two, then perhaps you should revert to what is "the best way to get from whereever in Greece to whereever in Turkey."

You say you have 3-4 days for Crete or Rhodes, but how many days do you have to get from there to Turkey? You want to see Santorini, and now Delos as well. You may not appreciate how difficult it is to get from one island to another on different ferry routes. Whether Crete or Rhodes is the "best island" is the least of your worries.

I have been guilty of telling you only what I thought you needed to know - because what I really wanted to know was which was the "better" of the two islands - Crete or Athens. But here is what I plan. Five days in the Pelopenesse and Delphi, two days in Athens, ferry to Mykonos and Delos, ferry to Santorini, ferry or flight to Crete OR flight to Rhodes (depending on the choice of Islands) and then either a flight from Crete to Samos and ferry to Kusadasi OR flight from Rhodes to Samos and ferry to Kusadasi (again depending on the choice of islands). laurie_ann presents an alternative route from Rhodes to Marmaris.
But again, I really would appreciate information from everyone about the Islands of Crete and Rhodes, including from regular contributors like heimdall, brotherleelove and others.

Which is the "better island"? That is like asking a parent which of their children is the "better one." Shame on you.

Also kringel, please don't pull that business about "telling you only what I thought you needed to know..." These boards are full of people asking us for itineraries and when we straighten out the ferry schedule with great painstaking, then the people say, "Oh, I didn't think you needed to know, but I get very seasick so cannot take ferries, can only fly."

And, before you ask us to VOTE on which one to choose ... what is YOUR opinion so far? What have YOU learned about either isle? Any websites/guidebooks? Have you checked out the new format for any trip reports? Have you "googled" "Crete travel logs" or "Rhodes trip reports"? That's the kind of research I always have done before each of my 8 trips to Greece, and it's amazing what turns up. Then I ask forums for specifics, and I really get useful specific information. Give it a try!

Looking at that entry, I realize I sounded very grouchy ... I do want you to have a wonderful trip, and either island will hold some super surprises for you.

It's just that when people simply say they would "appreciate information about Islands x and Y", it sounds as if they want us to sit down and type a complete travelogue on this forum, to answer all questions that were not even asked. If we could do that, we all would be writing travel books not contributing to forums lol :)