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Crete Help

Hi!

Hoping for some experienced travelerss to give me some advice. I am helping my brother plan his honeymoon in October [I'm the best trip planner in the family and he and his fiance asked this of me as a wedding gift.] The first half of their 2ish week trip will be spent in Jordan with the original plan to go to Cyprus. However, his fiance wanted more "beachy" beaches [Cyprus is a lot more rocky] so they are now looking at Crete instead for the second half of their trip.

I know they'll barely be able to scratch the surface of this wonderful island but I was looking for some advice as to what they could do in 5-6 days there. They will be based out of Chania [they're limited to Marriot tied hotels from a cost perspective and Chania has a good one] They'd likely be most interested in day trips that allow some beach time, though they wouldn't be opposed to ancient ruins and visiting little villages.

Would a side trip to Knossos be worth it for them? Or should they focus on day tripping out to the western beaches? Looking through the forum, I saw mentions of excursions from Kissamos to Balos Lagoon, stopping through Ancient Aptera, or a dayish long hike/ferry combo for the Samaria George.

Posted by
11569 posts

Western Crete has some beautiful beaches- Falasarna and Elafonisi, totally different types of beaches. The first one looks like a California beach with big waves. Elafonisi reminded me of the Bahamas,aqua water, pinkish sand.
Yes, Knossos is worth a trip. The Minoan civilization was incredibly advanced. But stay in Chania, not Heraklion..
Chania town has a lot to see. Old Town, Turkish Quarter, and waterfront away from the more touristed harbour, restaurants. There are remnants of the Ottomans and Venetian conquerors in Chania. It is a beautiful small city.