milliebz

Originally I did not intend to include Peloponesse in the trip. I planned on:
2 days Athens
2-3 days Santorini
5 days Crete
3 days Naxos
Then from Naxos to Samos and Kusadasi. After reading trip reports on this board Nafplion and Mycenae look very appealing. I guess I think its a shame to just Island hop. Crete looks great to because of the diversity. I thought with five days it would be enough but I see lots of posts where people say to eliminate it in favor of spending time elsewhere if you don't have enough time. My kids want to mix their time at historial sites, forested areas and beaches. I am very flexible. Santorini is a must no matter what but I can do 2 days instead of 3. I would like a mix but don't want to shortchange any venues. Please give me your input. Thanks.

Vera

You have a pretty balanced trip. Now you just have to decide between Crete and Peloponnese. The Pel has more famous classical period sites. In Crete you can follow the trail of the fascinating earlier Minoans. Both have opportunities for hiking and beaches. You can spend a happy five days in either, but I would not recommend trying to split 5 days between the two.

Vera

Barbara_in_FL

My dad has family in the Peloponnese, so it's the only part of Greece I've visited (and a bit up north). I highly recommend it as a travel destination, but I think you would have to cut something else entirely out of your itinerary to do it -- perhaps save it for another time? Santorini is a "must," you said. Five days in Crete is not a very long time (more like a minimum, IMO), but is enough to get a taste of it, and it seems to fit really well with the mix of activities you're looking for. So that would mean eliminating Naxos entirely. And even if you do that, it just gives you three days to travel south from Athens and then get back for the trip to Crete. My suggestion would be to try to return to Greece and really plan to visit the Peloponnese then.

Such dilemmas. If only all of life's questions had such win-win answers!

milliebz

Thank you for your replies. It does seem a little more difficult to add the Peloponesse. My oldest son read in one of the guidebooks (unfortunately it was a library book I have returned and cannot remember which one) that talked about taking a respite in a forested area. Because it interested him so I hoped to be able to add this aspect to the trip. Are there any "forested areas" on Crete or Naxos that might fit the bill?

Barbara_in_FL

If you search the Greek National Tourist Organization site (www.gnto.gr) for "Crete" you will find references to forested areas there -- perhaps something will ring a bell.

milliebz

Barbara,
Thank you so much. There is a wealth of information on this site and I will explore.

sheila

millie

You'll find good info on Crete at explorecrete.com (and we have a wee forum of our own if you want to get very specific)