Good day! Me (F-39) and my partner (M-38) will be in Chania from Oct 13-20th. I would love any day trip suggestions for beaches and/or exploring. I've heard Rethymno is fantastic and it's only an hour bus ride from my hotel. I'm right by Nea Chora so is it still worth traveling to another beach? We were going to do Heraklion for a day, but I'm seeing a lot of people saying there's not much to do. Also is a winery tour worth it? Any and all suggestions are welcome! Thank you so much in advance!

Me and my boyfriend are going to Crete on the 11-17th of July, and we'll be staying in Chania for the first part, then moving to Rethymno later on. We are looking on Getyourguide to find a tour to go to Balos beach, and are unsatisfied. The tour we were interested in has quite a bit of bad reviews regarding overcrowding on the boat, excessive waiting time and shorter times than promised at both Balos and gramvousa. We don't know what to do, as we wouldn't like to gamble on an expensive tour which might result unsatisfactory, and neither to take the risk and not enjoy it. Would it be okay to skip out on Balos beach? Is there an alternative way to visit it? Thanks

Also would like to clarify that we are not renting a car, so the trip would have to include pick up and drop off

Going to be visiting Athens in mid-to-late September and will have the opportunity to spend 4-5 days in Crete or Rhodes afterward.

Which of the two islands would you recommend for first-timers to Greece? We are leaning towards Rhodes because it is a smaller island, but open to either. We are mainly interested in eating good food, swimming at nice clean beaches, seeing some history, and walking through nice towns/cities. Not interested in partying.

Thanks!

Hi, we have hired a car and have noticed that drivers indicate without needing to turn. Is it to signal that they want to over take? We had a guy going way over the limit on a mountain road indicate behind us for some time. Are we expected to respond by moving over?

There were no more than 3 people in each bar with the exception of klik that had a big group of 18 year old Americans standing on the porch.

In a previous post of mine a bunch of people raved about the amazing nightlife of Chania and how I should go there after 12 o'clock to experience it. These are the streets of the port at 1 o'clock.

Disappointed I asked a local worker at the place I stay. He said whoever on the internet told me to go to the port scammed me and next time I should only ask locals. The bars there he said are not good and only have crowds on the weekends. The rest of the nights most tourists go to some place called Platanias.

It seems that the Cretetravel sub is overrun by people who lie, possibly business owners.

This vacation started bad but thanks to Reddit it was completely ruined! 4 days of nothing.

Guys, I’m (m 38) going to crete this week from Wednesday on and didn’t book any accommodation, yet. Just for the first night in Heraklion. I was planning to drive to Chania with a rental car and go for day trips from there every day. I did a lot of research and was pretty overwhelmed with all the choices and thanks to ADHD I ended up doing nothing instead of scheduling my week and now I’m panicking. At least I’ve booked my rental car and the first night.

Is Chania a good starting point for day trips? I want to see nice beaches, drive around, maybe hiking, a little bit of exploring cities and of course food.

I have a special request, as well. It’s my birthday on Friday and I want to do something special. Is there anything that is worth doing if you’re traveling alone around Chania? Like a spa, massage, a nice restaurant, concert etc.

Thank you in advance for your help.

We're planning to relocate to Crete with our two daughters and would love recommendations. We've found a potential shop in Heraklion for my wife's business and are also searching for farmland. We’re drawn to lush, green areas south of Chania and south of Heraklion, like Archanes, with clean air, good water quality, and a welcoming community. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :)

Hi, coming to Crete next week. Does any body have any tips about Kourtaliotiko gorge? Where is the best place to start from? We have a car, we are ok to walk a reasonable distance, more worried about walk back in the heat. We are a family with teenagers, no health issues. Is it a hard hike? Also if we wear trainers to walk down, is there somewhere to leave our things? The pictures online look great, we would get there are early as possible as we are staying close by. Any opinions or experiences would be great!

Hi all! Looking for some help planning a week in western Crete at the end of august. we are a group of early 30 females with 7 days to spend in Western Crete… 2 of us will be on the eastern side before that (still working out those details) but I need help with this part. We will have a car.

We are very interested in a mix of relaxation/beaches, amazing food, hikes, and culture. I’m wondering how to split up these 7 nights.

3/4 nights Chania and 3/4 somewhere in the South like Paleochora or somewhere else?

Prior to the week in the west, 2 of us will have 2 nights in Rethymno as our other friend is flying into Chania on the on Aug 20th. We do have a flight out of Chania on Aug 27th to athens so trying to plan accordingly for that flight out. Seems to make the most sense to stay in Chania the eve of Aug 20th vs making the drive to the south (friends flight gets in 8pm) and staying in the south more like Aug 24-27 and drive back up to chania airport on the morning of 27th.

Any help / suggestions are greatly appreciated. Specially where to stay in the south?

How do we get most of out it? Good news is our appartment is not in city centre so i hope we will avoid the noise. Where to go to have chill atmosphere, we are looking for old town type of stuff, some nice and fair priced restaurants. What beaches to visit nearby, we are looking to rent car/bicycles, scooters still did not decide. What city/place/village do you recommend to visit nearby? Thanks in advance.

I arrived in Chania earlier and if I had any doubts about where to base ourselves in Crete, they were immediately squashed. What a fabulous little city, and I've only been here for two hours.

1- I’d love to do a boat trip, and was considering to rent one of these self-driving small boats that don’t require license. I don’t have previous experience in driving boats — would you consider it safe for me to try it out? Is it easy to drive one or those? I know that the boat company would explain how it works and have an itinerary for me, but I would be by myself.

I also considered doing group boat trips, but couldn’t find any.

2- I would like to get recommendations of beaches I can go without a car (maybe bus, taxi (?)), or if there’s somewhere other solo travelers organize car rides.

3- I would also love to go to a winery.

My first post! I'm 39 (f) traveling with my partner of 10+ years 38 (m). We're traveling to Greece in Oct for 7-10 days (still undecided). Our plan was to stay in Chania and Heraklion and a few days in Athens. I'm turning 40 and would like some beach time, a winery would be nice, and restaurant tips would be amazing! My partner is a history and art buff. If there are places that combine any of those things, I'd be greatly appreciated. Is taking a day trip to Santorini worth it? It's only a 1.5 hour ferry ride from either Heraklion or Chania (i've been googling too much and things are starting to blend). I look forward to any advice and tips and (ευχαριστώ πολύ)!

Hi,

my partner and I are both totally blind and planning a holiday in Crete. We would be staying in Heraklion and would like to explore a lot of the island. We've found many attractive destinations, tours and sights we'd like to visit. Now, however, I'm a bit insecure and intimidated by what I've read about people's attitudes toward disabled people in Greece.

We're independent people but obviously we'd still need some help in an unfamiliar area. We're used to people being willing to help (give directions, lending a quick hand) and taking us seriously. Would we experience the same in Heraklion do you think? Also, as I mentioned, we've already found some great private tours we'd like to book. Now, after reading too much on Reddit, I'm scared to mention our blindness to the tour operators, I'm afraid they won't offer us any tours out of concern or ignorance.

Can you tell me something encouraging? What are people in Heraklion/Crete like when it comes to disabilities?

Thanks for any input. :)

I have been collecting postcards from all the cities I have visited. I arrived back in the states and realized I didn't pick up a postcard from Chania, Greece!

Is anyone is willing to send one from there, please let me know In the comment section. Or if there is somewhere I can order online that would be great. Thanks!

Myself and my partner got squirted with a water pistol from a driving car tonight and they were gone instantly.

We are hopeful it was just water and a harmless prank.

Is this common?

As the title says. Looking to rent hiking poles for the day. Seems a waste to buy. Are there businesses that rent hiking poles? Thinking of using one of the many tour companies. Do you recommend tour companines, and if so do they provide or rent hiking poles?

Looking for any recommendations for friends in their 60s. Possible free walking tour and considering to book the gorge tour

Hi im going on vacation to crete next week, and im excited and nervous at the the same time. I have a huge phobia of insects and spiders, i fear that i couldnt handle the trip and the whole vacation. Is there something i should fear or am i just exaggerating?

We are contemplating going to the Heraklion aquarium tomorrow and its a 2h drive from Chania (one way) and I'm wondering if its worth it? We have two children with us (6 and 2) who are kinda excited about it, but the thought of driving across the island and finding out it's not okay and we could be enjoying the beach, bums me out. And if it's worth the visit, do you recommend buying tickets online or at the premises? Any othet tip?

Hello! Are there any traditional festivals next week? Like patron saints or something like that near Hersonissos?

Family is stopping in Heraklion for 3 days (Sep 6-9) and wondering if there is anywhere to watch traditional Cretan dancing.

Tried searching the thread and either the search is limited or I am under the influence of too much sun and saltwater.

Thank you!

I’m looking for a good quality restaurants that has delicious local food and live local music. Does anybody have any recommendations?

My first ever post: does anyone know the back story of the manager of the Greek Linen & Cotton store? I went there with my partner yesterday, we walked in and the man asked if we needed anything. I replied I was just looking around. He then comes and stands behind us and my partner said: we have been looking for linen all over Crete. At this time I am turning a label to see the price of some shorts and he says: this is when you make your first mistake: linen is expensive. You will never find linen if you look at the prices. You don’t know how to shop linen do you? I answered: ok…. I then turned and started to look at the shorts behind the ones in the front. The man said: you just look at the piece in display. Everything behind you don’t touch and I will bring your size to you. This is how we do it in this store! Then I said okay… and left the store… I was confused with the whole situation and found the reviews of the place, which are really funny to watch. Here is the link. We then sat at the bar in front, ordered a cocktail and watched as more costumers went in and left in less than a minute due to the man’s attitude. A real-time comedy show.

What do you think?

Hello, I'll be staying in Gerani for a week and am looking for some fun nightflife options we could easily travel to for a night out. I see quite a lot of flashy looking beach clubs online - this is not our vibe. We'd prefer something more like a dive bar - cheap and cheerful with a friendly atmosphere. Any suggestions?