tessietoes

Santorini!!

As it stands we only have tickets to Santorini. We will have 15-17 nights total in Greece and would like to visit Meteora, Crete and maybe 2 nights in Athens. We leave late September.

I'm really confused how to efficiently route our trip and need advice please! We were unsure if adding Meteora to our adventure made sense but those monasteries look too incredible to pass up. I can only imagine the views from up there! Maybe 3-4 nights in Meteora? What do you think of the location of Hotel Doupliani House? Do you have a better suggestion? Any tour companies you were happy with? Do you recommend renting a car?
https://www.visitmeteora.travel/en/t...-and-day-trips
http://www.doupianihouse.gr/

In Santorini, no hotel yet but thinking of staying in Imerovigil or Oia if you could suggest hotels with a hot tub overlooking the caldera. Is it possible to get a hotel under $300 with that pre-req? Budget has some wiggle room. We also have a special day to celebrate if you could recommend some of the best dinner restaurants in town with sunset views, very important day!

So back to the route.....Do you suggest from Santorini we take the ferry to Athens then train directly to Meteora? I think we prefer train over bus, what's more efficient? Hoping driving is last resort as we also plan to drive around Crete (good idea?).

Or....Do you suggest from Santorini we take the ferry to Crete and then to Athens, train to Meteora then Athens again? Or does it really not matter which route? There is a direct flight that's the most reasonable from Crete to Moscow where we're heading to next so that route looks enticing for that reason.

In Crete....Is it advisable to stay in the Old Venetian Harbor in Chania? Does it get too packed during the day? Cruise ships? The harbor view looks very pretty but is there a better spot to base hotel wise? We also want to spend some days in Elafonisi and Balos and some museums and thinking around 8 days in Crete. Also, how are the ferry schedules? Should we purchase the ferry tickets in advance or are they plenty and frequent and not going to be an issue if booked last minute? Do you have a recommended airline from Athens to Crete?

Lots of questions!! I appreciate your expert advice so much.

Thank you!

stanbr

You state that you already have tickets for Santorini. How are you getting there and what dates. When will you arrive in Athens? Anyway here is an idea of what you may be able to accomplish.

If you arrive Athens and have a flight booked immediately to Santorini that would be good news. Getting to your first island immediately is always a good idea.
Athens http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632121475515/

Oops just rearead your post you plan to do Crete to Moscow.


So arrive Athens get over jet lag and do I would do Meteora as part of your Athens stay.
Rent a car at Athens airport and return it there to connect with your flight to Santorini.
Athens http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54

Its a 5 hour drive to Meteora. Time your arrival in late afternoon early evening. The Monastaries will be closed and all the tour buses will be gone. Enjoy the views of the Monasteries. Stay overnight in Kastraki. The pictures of the hotel are great. We stayed in Kastraki. Its a small village right at the foot of the mountains. Its a perfect jumping off spot.

Get going early next morning and get in as many Monastaries as you can. When the tour buses arrive it will be crowded. Stay overnight the second night and see if you can get into another Monastery the next morning and then drive back to Athens.

Of course if you actually do have up to 4 days for this portion of the trip I strongly recommend you add Delphi to your plan. Its an amazing ancient site. same plan as Meteora. Arrive late afternoon visit the museum stay overnight in the village, Up early next morning. You will have 3 hours of peace before the tour buses arrive. Time to grab the car and be off.
Olympia Delphi Meteora https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...7645469717811/

Ferry from Santorini to Crete gets you in Heraklion around 7pm. You might want to just stay in Heraklion that night and visit Knossos and the museum that first day in Crete.
Buy your ferry tickets at any travel agency when you are in Athens. Ferries are large and are not likely to be full at this time of year.
Heraklion https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57655935354556

Crete can easily be done using KTEL bus service but a rental car will give you the maximum flexibility.

Chania old town is absolutely charming. What a good choice you have made there. We always stay on or near Theotokopoulou street. Its a pedestrian street with hotels in every price range. Its quiet at night and just a 2 minute walk to the harbour.

Chania http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632117917828/

Theotokopoulou St area http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632118491316/

Chania 2016 https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57671465596275


There really isn't any place to stay at Balos. Its a remote lagoon. Best way to get there is a day excursion from Kissamos. Its a 45 minute drive from Chania so just take the kar to teh harbour at Kissamos and buy the excursion ticket.
Elafinissi is a bit of a long drive through spectacular mountains. It is essentially a day trip form Chania as well. both those excursions can be done by KTEL bus easily. Although I am not sure how late in the season the daily bus to Elafonissi goes.
Western Crete http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632115757899/

HappyTrvlr

When is this trip and how many nights do you plan to stay on Santorini? We liked Oia as we could walk/hike down to Amoudi Harbor.
Chania is a wonderful place to stay, history amd culture, charm. We drove to Elafonisi on a day trip from Chania. Drove along water one way and returned throigh the mountains. Lots of foats in the roads!

kja

I thought two nights sufficient for Meteora – it only takes a day to see those glorious monasteries and convents. I was pleased with my stay at the Pyrgos Adrachti, but be aware that it is a long, steep walk uphill from town, where you will need to go to eat dinner.
http://www.hotel-adrachti.gr

In Chania, I was very pleased with my stay at the Porto Antico, from which I had a stunning view of the harbor and lighthouse.
https://www.portoanticochania.gr

Neither of these are full-service hotels, so they might not meet your needs.

I don’t believe that cruise ships stop in Chania every day. When they do, they can tax the city’s tourism infrastructure, but then people go back to their ships and you once again have a truly delightful little city. I'm very glad I stayed in Chania!

Do NOT rent a car immediately upon your arrival unless there is absolutely no possibility of jet lag. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and <b>nothing</b> you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. And please note – microsleeps aren’t dependent on getting sleep or not, they result from shifting your waking / sleeping cycle away from the one to which you are accustomed. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience!

Hope that helps!

stanbr

Just in case kja was commenting on my suggestion of renting a car and driving to Meteora here is what I said about when to rent a car.
So arrive Athens get over jet lag and I would do Meteora as part of your Athens stay.
Rent a car at Athens airport and return it there to connect with your flight to Santorini.

kja

@ stanbr: I was simply commenting on the sequence of the trip (about which the OP had asked) and am sorry if it seemed that I was responding to you. Your advice is, as always, excellent.

stanbr

No problem Kja. I normally recommend getting out to the first island asap so there is no temptation to rent a car while jetlagged. I think we are saying the same thing.

tessietoes

This is a really fantastic thread and your comments will be very useful to us someday. Just an update as I really am grateful even though my response is so late! We didn't make it to Greece. In fact we didn't make it to Europe. Instead we ended up in Whistler for 3 weeks lounging around, eating incredible meals at off season prices and calling a day. It was pure heaven. Thank you!