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3-4 night "base" in west/central Crete Chania/Rethymno

Posted by (SF Bay Area) on

I am planning a 20-day trip in Crete for late-Sept/Oct 2026. I plan to fly into Chania and rent a car for the whole time. (I did something similar exploring the Peloponnese and Kythira and loved it.) I plan to spend 3-5 nights in four or five "bases" including several nights in Chania old town, and about half the trip on the South coast, staying in Paleochora and then Loutro. (I know there are no cars on Loutro.) I am thinking the fourth base for my trip may be Vamos Village (after Chania and before the south coast); it seems like a nice contrast to Chania and the southern beach towns.

But I'd appreciate other ideas/suggestions from Crete travel veterans as to where I might spend 3-4 nights other than Chania and south coast. I don't have much interest in Heraklion area/East coast for this trip. And I will likely fly out of Chania airport at the end.

Thanks!

Posted by
1620 posts

Perhaps you might want to drive east from Chania and visit Rethmynon. It too has an old town and a substantial beach. The bonus is it is just an hour to Chania so you will not have a long drive back to Chania.
An alternative might be the south coast village of Plakias. It is about a half hour drive south of Rethymnon. Its a nice village framed by mountains and the sea. It also has 7 beaches all within 3km from the village.
Plakias https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/
Rethymnon https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157654700502270

Posted by
33 posts

Thanks stanbr. Your pictures of Plakia look great (minus the ones with the crowded beach chairs/umbrellas -- not my thing). I will research it further. It does look like a different type of beach town/vibe than Paleochora or Loutro, and early October shouldn't be too crowded. As always: too many amazing choices! I think I am good with Chania as my only city for this trip.

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