Hi- we are going to Crete for the first time. Unfortunately, we are only able to spend 3 nights there- too short! What area of Crete should we stay in? We don't want to be in an secluded beach area, which is why Chania looks interesting. Any thoughts?
Another question, does anyone know the distance (by car) from Chania to Rethymno, and Chania to Heraklion?
Thanks in advance!

Chania is definitely the place to go; it is picturesque and much more the Cretan experience than east of Rethymnon. We drove from there to Rethymnon for a day trip, but I can't remember how long it took. Couple of hours, maybe? www.mappy.com might help

Have fun; Crete is wonderful!

Whoa, I was really off base. First of all, www.mappy doesn't work for Greece.

I tried www.viamichelin.com, and Rethymnon from Chania takes less than an hour.

Thank you very much. We were definitely leaning towards Chania, but weren't 100% sure. Thanks for passing the website to get distances. The distance from Chania to Heraklion is about 1.5 hours. That doesn't sound too bad.

I would second the Chania recommendation. It's a nice town with plenty to do even if you never leave it. It's a good base to visit Samarai and KNossos is not that far away. Mind you the only place it's hard to drive in Crete, assuming you have a good suspension, is Iraklion.

I am going to Crete this summer and was told that it was a 3 hour drive between Chania and Heraklion.

Chania it is! We are going from Chania to Heraklion to catch the ferry to Santorini. We'll probably spend 1 night in Heraklion since our ferry is early in the morning. Any suggestions on accomodation? We are staying at the Palazzo di Pietro in Chania. Has anyone stayed at the Lato in Heraklion? Are there any nice hotels near the ferry port?

Lato is fine. Clean and decent, smallish rooms (but typical for Europe), and best breakfast of the trip. Convenient to the harbor. We did it the other way around and took a taxi to the Lato since we arrived after dark. Just as well since it's either up a steep flight of stairs or a circuitous route from the harbor. Probably more walkable in daylight if not too much luggage (and steps are down, not up, going from the hotel to the harbor) but a cheap taxi ride - maybe 8 Euros.

Would recommend dinner at Ippokambos (Hippocampus) Ouzeria on the old harbor just to the other side of August 25 St. and a short walk from the Lato.

We drove from Iraklio to Hania via Phaestos and it didn't take much more than 3 hrs. on slow roads through the mountains (and we were mostly lost). Picked up the National Road at Rethymno and it was quite quick from there. Can't see why it would take 3 hrs. going all the way via the Nat'l Rd.

Heraklion to Chania takes about 2 hours to drive. Chania is about 1 hour drive west of Rethymnon. There is an Airport at Chania as well as at Heraklion.
Carolena

Lato sounds like a decent place to stay, especially since we are only there for 1 night. Has anyone rented a car from Chania, and returned at Heraklion? Thank you for all your responses so far.

We've rented in Heraklion & returned in Chania from a company that delivered & p/u at point of arrival & departure.

We rented in Chania and returned in Heraklion; no problem. Can't remember if we paid more for this; if we'd known how short the driving time is between the two cities, we could have flown in and out of Chania, easily. We spent a week in a little village near Chania (Megala Chorfia), and then drove east for few nights in Ag. Nichalaous (sp?); that is when we realized the great difference between the western and eastern areas of Crete.

Hi- I will be spending 1 week in Crete and then island hopping for 1 way as I work my way to Athens to fly out. I am looking for suggestions on which islands between Crete and Athens to stop and spend a night at. Also, any experiences from anyone who did such a trip and how difficult it will be to catch ferries working my way north to Athens. Which ferry site should I check for schedules as I wil need to book hotles for whichever islands I receive suggestions to stop at. ANY help will be appreciated so very much! Thanks

The Minoan line was a big one when I was there. It shouldn't be hard to ferry your way north to Athens if you want to stop at some of the Cyclades islands; I'd recommend Santorini as a "don't miss."

Just a suggestion. The Aegean Sea can get very, very choppy, and ferrys are often cancelled. We chose to fly from island to island, and we were glad we did. When we were in Santorini, the sea was so rough that even the cruise ships were not allowed to dock, and it was in mid-summer.