Crete April 2024 Itinerary Advice

Does anyone know how far in advance the ferry schedule is posted

Since you are flying in and out of Chania, which ferry are you talking about?

Hi JoLui,

I am refering to ferries in Southern Crete for this part of our trip:

Bus to Hora Skafion - do we stay here for a night or 2? Or do we ferry on to Agia Roumeli. Is Agia Roumeli worth staying in (due to
time of year we are not expecting to do Samaria)?
Loutro - 2 or 3 nights
Sougia - 4 nights

Thanks!

Sorry, I missed that part.

You can find the ferry timetables you are looking for on Anendyk Seaways here:

https://anendyk.gr/

Timetables for 2024 are not yet released, you can look at those archived in 2018 here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20180203130743/http://www.anendyk.gr/pages/en/timetable.php?lang=EN

Thanks JoLui,

That is a great start!

Best,
C

We stayed in studio kiara in Chania in 2021. We had the unit in the top floor which had a wonderful roof top deck. I would definitely recommend that unit. There is a wonderful bakery right there where I bought food every morning.

I had originally planned to stay in Hora skafion but the feedback I got from this board was not enthusiastic. So we did not. My son and his girlfriend did and they said that they liked the nearby beach but not where they stayed. We went on to Agia Roumeli but we did hike part of the gorge from the bottom. We were there in May. They also stayed in Loutro and Sougia and liked them very much. We didn’t have time for both and chose Sougia which we were very happy with but must admit Loutro looked wonderful from the ferry.

We booked accommodations but not ferries.

We were only in Rythemno for the afternoon but it was definitely worth more time. We visited the fortress and a folk museum. We drovebto the Amari valley and stayed (I think ) in Thornos for one night but would have liked two.

Kissamos and the museum in Heraklion are a full day.

We loved Crete!

Hi Beth,

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Kiara. I think we have the top floor with the terrace booked. I will keep digging in the travel forum for more info about the south coast but your info helps. I like the sounds of both Sougia and Lourto a lot.

Can't wait for Crete! Thanks for sharing your insights, much appreciated.

Carolyn

Carolyn,

I wrote a trip report you might find helpful. I am not sure how to link it here but if you search for “Crete trip report” it comes up.

Beth

Thanks Beth! I will definitely look for it.

Carolyn

Crete is perfect for re-charging between busy trips to Turkey and France. We’ve spent the past two Septembers there. We’re older than you, and moving more slowly, but here’s what we found.

Chania: I think 4-5 days is good, depending on if you want to take road trips out of the city, either with a tour or by renting a car for a day or two. There are wineries, olive oil mills, Balos Beach, Falassarna, Kissamos -- all within reach. And Chania is a lovely place to explore.

Hora Sfakion: We have not spent the night here, but from what I’ve seen when connecting to ferries, I think your nights could be better added to Loutro or Sougia.

Loutro: Such a beautiful, unique place. We’ve been there twice, both times trying to book a room at Hotel Porto Loutro, but they would never respond. So we stayed at Daskalogiannis, which was fine. Be sure to walk all the way down the boardwalk to the end, to a hotel/beach bar called Akrogiali. They have sunbeds to rent, if you’re so inclined, plus water toys-- kayaks, paddleboards, etc. We enjoyed snacks and beer and scenery from their lovely balcony. Loutro has some great walks and good restaurants. I’d stay 3 nights here, just to soak it in.

Sougia: Our first visit was 4 days, our second was 2 weeks . . . and we were not ready to leave after either of them. This is the most peaceful, welcoming place we have ever been, with some of the best food in Greece. We stay at Oceanis, in a 2-bedroom apartment with balcony, on the first floor (in the US we call this the second floor). We love having the extra space, and the price is so reasonable. He only has one of these units, though -- most are one bedroom on the ground floor. There’s a shady courtyard where you can read or chat with other guests. I would suggest you book immediately; when we left we tried to book for the same time in September 2024, and our room was already booked! So we will be there in May next year.

Paleochora: You didn’t mention this, but we enjoyed our visit here. It has a long sandy beach -- the other towns have pebble beaches, requiring water shoes. It’s very near Elafonissi for a day trip. And at night, one of the downtown streets becomes pedestrian-only, with lots of restaurants and a fun atmosphere.

Paleochora is actually the beginning of the south coast ferry line, which goes to Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro and Hora Sfakion, then returns to Paleochora, stopping at the same places on the way back. You don’t need reservations. There are also other ferries and taxi boats, especially between Loutro and Hora Sfakion.

You can bus from Chania to either Paleochora, Sougia or Hora Sfakion to start your trip. If you end at Hora Sfakion, you can get a bus to Rethymno (I think you have to change buses in Vrisses). In Rethymno, you could rent a car and explore the area.

Have fun planning!

Hi Charlene,

Thank you so much for your helpful and in depth response, I was waffling about Hora Skafion so I will definitley add those extra nights onto Sougia as it sounds wonderful. I like your suggestion to travel west to east along the coast and end up in Hora Skafion. We can do a nice loop that way. I will also check out Palaiochora, it sounds like a nice starting point for our trip along the coast.

I will email the Oceanis ASAP and fingers crossed they aren't all booked for April yet!!
Thanks again :)

Carolyn