AussieSteve

We are planning to go to Crete for a week in early October, basing in (C)Hania. We want to explore sites in the west and south (including one Central area day at the Palace of Knossos). How are the local buses? How hard/expensive is it to rent a car and try to find places ourselves? Would we be better off with a couple of day tours and if so, does anyone offer them? How are the services that time of year? We have been warned to avoid Crete in summer due to crowds and later in the month we are off to Albania and Venice. In the latter, late October sounds like it will be out of massive crowd season.

kja

I only used a few of the intercity buses on Crete, but those I rode were comfortable and convenient. Renting a car is not difficult, although you will probably face pressure to take out the rental company’s insurance;. Note that fuel is expensive. If you have a decent GPS, getting around shouldn’t be a problem. Most signage is in both Greek and Roman lettering, but I would urge you to at least learn to transliterate so that you can sound out any signs not in English.

You might find some useful information on Crete in my trip report:
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece

I found Crete delightful -- enjoy!