Santorini or Crete? or both?
 

Hi! I wrote a few months ago about surprising my husband for his birthday with a trip to Greece. I had to put my plans on hold because of family illness. In any event, it looks as though we can get away around May 18th for about 7-8 days. Neither of us has been to Greece (we're in our mid-40's). Originally, I was thinking of going to Santorini for the week because of the spectacular views that we heard about there, which we both love. We're looking more for a veg-out type of holiday as opposed to an action-packed sightseeing holiday. Of course we would like to see some sites too; but the real goal is beautiful scenery, great walks/hikes and beaches/swimming/relaxation. We're not into partying, bars, etc.

The question is, should we spend the entire time on Santorini or is 7-8 days too much there? Is there another island that is more spectacular in terms of sheer beauty?

I then had the idea of going to Crete for the whole week because someone else told me Hanina is gorgeous. So I started thinking of splitting the week between Hanina and Santorini.

Would you mind giving me your thoughts? Is 7-8 days on either island too much, and if not, which would you choose? (my one concern about Santorini are the tons of tourists which I understood from one of the wonderfully-written travel reports happens on Santorini as opposed to the larger Crete). I'm also thinking of the many comments regarding the time it takes to travel from one island to another, and so am thinking maybe it is good to stay put in one place so as not to eat up a day in travelling. But again, is staying put for one week too much?

thanks for your ideas,
tt

We are flying to Crete at the beginning of May for 10 days and spending two nights out of this period on Santorini.
We have been to Crete before twice but the last time was in 1982 when we back-packed and public transport wasn't great so we didn't see as much as we would have liked.
Crete is very very big and we have already accepted that we are not going to get both to the extreme west and the extreme east in the time we have available.
We have wanted to go to Santorini for many years but are rather afraid of the glitz spoiling the Greek island experience and so we shall be there for two nights only.
We arrive in Heraklion on Thursday and travel to Santorini by Dolphin on Friday- back on Sunday. Pick up hire car on Monday and off. Chania (watch the spelling) is on our list having loved it the last twice.
Our plans are more active than yours and we are certainly doing both in a space of 10 days.
You would also (from Britain) have a larger choice of flights to Crete than you will to Santorini

Crete takes a minimum of a week with a rental car just to scratch the surface, so if you decide to go there don't try to go to Santorini as well. Either Chania or a south-coast town such as Agia Galini or Matala would be a great place to veg out on Crete. If you decide to go with Santorini focus your search on the village of Oia for the most beautiful location, on Imerovigli for the quietest, or on Kamari Beach if you want a more active environment right at the beach. Avoid Fira unless you want walking-distance access to all the youth-oriented nightlife.

I think you have time for both islands, and in the time frame you've chosen ( May 18th) you will avoid the heavy summer crowds that start arriving mid-June through August.

I would recommend flying straight into Chania, Crete from Athens. It's such a beautiful, old harbor city with a fascinating history that is a mix of Turkish, Venetian, and Greek cultures. The winding streets of the old town are full of very good tavernas and boutiques. There's a small public beach within walking distance of the center of town, or a much more beautiful one which you can get to by bus ( about two hours as I remember from Chania).



From Chania, you will need to drive or take the public bus to Heraklion for the Fast Cat to Santorini. By car, the drive is about two hours. It's a little longer by bus.

The Fast Cat takes about 2.5 hours between the islands.

I would split your time 3/3 between the islands, and spend your last night in Athens, so that you avoid any potential delays/cancellations before your flight home.

I think Weadles' idea is excellent. Aegean Air flies right into Chania

Another option for Chania (IF you can book it -- there are only 30 rooms) is the charming Hotel Ammos, about 15 minutes WEST of Chania. It's a lovely place with a pool and ALSO directly on a nice sandy beach (nicer than the public beach of Chania). You wouldn't need to rent a car because the local bus goes right by. Go sightsee in the mornings, come back & veg out on the beach afternoons. I hear their restaurant is very good too.

You can make the 9:45 fast-ferry to Santorini by taking the very earliest bus from Chania bus station.... it arrives on the dock right by where the ferry goes.

Thank you all for your replies. It is so difficult to decide what to do when it's a first trip and you want to maximize the experience (especially when it's a surprise for a loved one!).

Brotherleelove, do you think that if we focussed on only Chania, it would still be too much to divide the week between Chania and Santorini (if we focused only on Oia?). From your previous very helpful postings on this site, I understand that you feel Oia is gorgeous which is why I'd choose to stay there while on Santorini. Do you feel that one week on Oia is too much? My big debate is splitting it up or not.

also, do you think that week in May (3rd) is okay for Santorini crowd-wise?

Weadles, thank you for your suggestion - I'm wondering though, do you think that 3 days in Santorini is enough? I'm thinking of the beauty of the place and having the feeling that it's not enough (which is usually the case...). Would you ever consider one week in Santorini, or do you feel that is too much?

Traverjan, thanks for your details - I'm going to look at the Hotel Ammos - is the place though, (apart from the hotel), where it is situated also nice? Also, is the fast-ferry you mentioned to Santorini the same as the Fast Cat mentioned by Weadles? (ie. is it also 2.5 hours from Chania to Santorini?)

Here is another question - what about Athens? I feel a bit guilty of leaving that out. If we do decide on 2 places instead of one week in either Santorini or Chania, would it be better to combine Santorini with Athens? And if so, in what way?

thank you all so much for your help. As you can see, I'm having a really difficult time deciding what to do. Oia for one week, Chania for one week, a combination of the two, or a combo of one of them with Athens??

All of your suggestions are so helpful and I appreciate them.

tamara

Splitting your time between 2 places in 1 week limits your ability to get into either of them with any real depth, but if you think you won't be satisfied with just one place then I think you should go with Crete or Santorini for 5 days and leave 2 days at the end for Athens. Crete and Santorini just doesn't make the best sense to me if you only have a week. Leave it for the end so in case of a cancellation or mechanical breakdown you have that extra time to get back to the mainland for your flight home instead of waiting until the last minute and having all the stress and anxiety that comes with it.

Early May weather on Santorini will be mostly sunny with some clouds, cool nights and damp mornings.

I've never been to Santorini, but my reading is that it's a bit small for a week. You could spend anything over a couple of days usefully based in Chania, provided that you realise you will have to focus down. As Frances said, Crete is very big.

I read in this thread that you are from the UK. That makes a difference because you have options on where you fly into Greece.
You can fly to Athens or Santorini or Crete.

Once you decide where you are going to arrive that will determine your departure point. If it is Athens then yes it is worth two days at the end.

If you fly directly to one of the islands you clearly have time to see two locations. However I would presume that wherever you fly into will also be your point of departure for the flight home. A return trip from one island to the other will easily take half a day by the time you catch the ferry, arrive then find your hotel. Thus the commute will have effectively reduced your 7 day stay to 6 days.

Both Chania and Santorini are great destinations and you can easily spend a week at either.

Here is a suggestion, in May it is still early season so you can be totally flexible. Choose one location and if you love it just stay the whole time. If you decide you have had enough then go to the second destination. There is no need to pre book a hotel or the ferry this early in the season so have an adventure and go find a hotel on a walk up basis.

I have just completed an album of pictures of Chania. perhaps they will help you.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/571195659jPcKjK

If you really want to just veg out, pick one destination- either Chania or Oia- and spend the whole time( except the last night) there. However, I do think you have time for both destinations. They aren't all that far from each other, and flying into Chania, makes it an easy first stop.

While I could easily spend the entire week ( or a month) in one of the islands, especially Crete or Santorini, my husband gets antsy after a few days, despite the gorgeous scenery, great hikes, and food. That's why I recommended splitting your time between the two.

As for crowds, not so much a worry at the time you're going. We were there exactly at that time last May, and were delighted with the LACK of crowds and great weather, although it was too cool for swimming.

FInally, about Athens. I really think you only need a day or two at most there, but for me the islands and the areas on the mainland OUTSIDE Athens are what makes Greece such an amazing destination.

Ok, I finally decided, with your help and also as a result of when we could leave, flights etc. (btw, I'm not from UK but from Israel, originally Canadian). I decided on Santorini from Tuesday to Sunday and then on Sunday to Athens (we leave Santorini by air at 1 p.m. so we have the morning in Santorini) where we stay until first thing Tuesday morning. So we have Sunday (1/2 day) and Monday in Athens. (all in all 5 days Santorini, 1 1/2 days , Athens).

Is that enough? what would you do in Athens for 1 1/2 days? Any must-sees?

Does that sound like a good plan to all of you who really know what you're talking about?!

Any suggestions for a fabulous hotel in Oia? And likewise in Athens?

thanks again!

Tamarat,
Few years ago during spring break, we arrived in Athens 5am and had a flight at 9am to Chania, Crete, had a rental car reserved for us in the airport drove to our hotel and enjoyed the beautiful Chania for three days. On the fourth day, returned the car to the airport at 5am for an early flight to santorini. Loved Santorini for 3 days(we got to see everything including a short bus ride to Oia for a lovely 4 hour visit)on the fourth day, we took a flight to Athens and had one and half day stay but because of our hotel location, we did get to see alot and loved it and had a late night night flight back home. It is doable but I planned everything months before as far as planning the flights so that we don't waste any time. I think we would have managed to squeeze everything we did in Chania for 2 days too.

Tamarat,

What is your budget for hotels?

Atoosahermosa,

thank you for the info. What did you do in Athens for 1 1/2 days? Is there anything that was a "must"? Would you recommend the hotel that you stayed at?

Weadles,

re budget - I'm not sure. Part of me wants to splurge for this special occasion (husband's birthday) but my idea of splurge might not get what I want! (a luxury hotel with a spectacular view and great service). I was thinking in the $200-$250 range.

thanks.

Although you do have time to see two islands I applaud your decision to just choose one. I am a great believer in slowing down and really taking the time to see one place thoroughly.
I have recently completed an album of the Plaka area of Athens. This can give you an idea of what there is to see.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/570719132pdjjHG

We stayed at Herodion, great location and close to everything.It is located in Plaka and few minutes walk to the Acropolis, We visited
the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and many other historical sites and had a great time exploring the Plaka area which is truly beautiful.Also visited the Lykavittus Hill, the highest point of Athens, which was great and after coming down the hill with the funicular, we walked around the neighborhood before heading back to Plaka area. Here is the website for the hotel
www.herodion.gr
I highly recommend this website for planning your days in Athens, it helped me a great deal:
http://www.athensguide.com/
Have a great trip

Atoosahermosa, thank you very much for the information. Did you cover all that in just a couple of days? Did you go to the Archeaological Museum that everyone raves about, and if so, was it a "must-see"? If you had to just do two or three things, which would you choose as being just incredible (either from a visual scenic perspective or otherwise - we love gorgeous views and am a bit "museumed-out".

thanks.


Stanbr, thanks so much for your pictures - they're beautiful. \could you also tell me, with only 1 1/2 days in Athens, what few things you would do that are fantastic?

thanks again!

If you are museumed out and you only have 1.5 days then I would concentrate on the Plaka area and just take it all in. It is compact and easy to walk around.

The most economical way to see virtually everything in my photo album would be to purchase the 12 euros combined ticket - this can be bought at any of the main historical sites and it provides entry to the following;
Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's Library, Theatre of Dionysos, Roman agora, Ancient agora and Karameikos.

If you have the chance check out Athens Market. It is about 400 meters up Appolonos St from the Monastraki metro station

thanks stanbr. Out of the historical sites you mentioned, which would be the top three?

we had five days on santorini
four would have done us nicely

two days in athens is enough
one and half is good too
just to see the plaka and the acropolis

havent been to crete but would like to ( like the story of the minotaur)

oia is lovely
definitely worth the money to stay
the views are awesome
we almost moved to oia after seeing how good it was but decided to stick with the apartment we had near fira
the caldera side of the island is definitely the way to go for a special occasion like a birthday