Denise

I'm planning another trip to Greece. This time I would like to visit Crete for about 5 days but am reluctant to rent a car. Based on research, I'm interested in starting off in Hania but can't determine if I can see other areas easily from there without driving. Are there nice beaches or sites which can be visited from Hania via public transport? Your comments and advice are appreciated.

Juliana

It's been years since I visited Crete as a backpacker and we had no problems getting around via bus. But what I'd really like to recommend is you hike the Sumaria (sp) Gorge. It is simply fantastic. It takes the better part of the day and can be challenging at times, but the end result is the most beautiful beach with a tiny taverna serving wonderful food. The only way back is to hike back or take a ferry (we opted for the latter). You can also spend the night at the taverna/pension. Just make sure you know the time of the last ferry or you will be spending the night! The color of the water was just spectacular. The most beautiful I've ever seen - hundreds of shades of turqouise. Good luck and enjoy. We sure did.

stephanie

We just returned from 6 weeks in Europe with 10 days in Crete. We had a car and I am VERY GLAD. It takes about a day to get used to the driving and then you will be passing trucks on corners like everybody else. You have to be able to drive a stick. The cost was cheap. www.europcar.com I think we used . $100 a week. You won't go through much gas. There was 3 of us. The bus is cheap but not always running on time. We wasted a lot of time on Santorini waiting for a bus. We LOVED southern Crete. I don't like cities so Chania, Rethymno, Irakio were interesting but once we saw the harbor or museum or whatever we couldn't wait to get out and back to the hills or beaches on the south side. Crete is a marvelous place if you get away fromt the tourist area. We stayed in a Hostel in Plakias ( 4.50/bunkbed) that was great if you are into that kind of roughing it. We loved the hills and beaches. The people are wonderful. The food is preservative free and so fresh. Ah...I wanna go back ! We actually almost rearrainged our entire trip to stay another week but we forced ourselves to go explore other islands. Santorini is pretty but crowded and expensive. Paros was very nice if you like quiet. We went to a cave on Antiparos that was fun. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip.

theodora

I spent 1& half weeks in Crete without a car and had no problems getting around. The buses from Hania to Heraklion and Rethymno are hourly and to other places such as Agios Nikoloas are quite frequent from Heraklion.

Denise

Thanks for the feedback ladies! A couple of additional questions for each of you: <BR> <BR>Juliana: Samaria Gorge does indeed sound fabulous!! Do you know if it can be easily reached by public transport? (Again, I may not have a car...) <BR> <BR>Stephanie: I don't drive stick shift, hence my reluctance to rent a car while there! Are ANY automatic transmissions available? Which beach areas did you enjoy most on Crete? <BR> <BR>Theodora: Am I interpreting your message correctly that I'd have to take a bus from Hania to Heraklion, then change to another bus to go to beaches like Agios Nikolas? How long is this journey, and are there any other nearby beaches you'd recommend? <BR> <BR>

theodora

Hi Denise, <BR> <BR>In answer to your question, I would recommend staying around Hania for beaches especially if you have only 5 days in Crete. There are many beaches around the Hania area which are about a 15 minute bus ride. The bus comes very often (at least on the hour). A really fabulous beach is Elafonissi which is on the southcoast but quite a ride. The bus leaves at 7:30am for this and the trip takes around 3-4hours. The return bus will pick you up at 4pm.

Denise

Theodora <BR> <BR>Thanks for the additional info, especially since this post 'sank' weeks ago! <BR> <BR>Apart from the fabulous (though far) beach you mention, can you recommend any specific beaches closer to Hania?

Sheila

I've been to west Crete three times in the last four years. You can certainly do it all by bus, but a car will make it much easier. <BR> <BR>Samaria buses leave Chania about 5 in the morning and then pick you up at Sougia at the end. The "tiny taverna" which Juliana refers to is now a tourist village of some dimensions. But none the less welcome for all that