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Help with Greece Itinerary for February - Crete, Athens and Thessaloniki?

Posted by on

Hi everyone. My friend and I are going to Greece for Carnival season (and to get away from work for a change of scenery)! We are very excited even though we know it's cold season and there could be rain.

We are interested in cultural / archeological sites, museums, hikes, and perhaps afternoon tea in the Winter Garden or a spa / hamam on a rainy day.

What we would like help with: advice as to transportation between cities (we are open to planes, trains, hiring a car, and ferry) and length of stay for the cities we have not yet booked. I wish we had more time to spend more time in these cities and to see more of the country, but perhaps we will be able to come back one day. I have marked the details set in stone with **asterisks.

**Flight from US to Athens: arriving Feb 8th in the afternoon.

Feb 9th to 12th: Athens exploration? Then on to Thessaloniki?

Feb 12th to 14th: Thessaloniki exploration? Then on to Crete?

**Feb 14th to 18th: Stay in Rethymnon, Crete, then on to Athens (this transport not yet booked, but probably a flight will be best)

**Feb 19th: Morning flight from Athens back to US

Thank you for your time and assistance :)

Posted by
1258 posts

You say Crete is set in stone so since Thessaloniki and Crete are polar opposites from Athens and with your short time frame I would say leave Thessaloniki and the North of Greece for a different visit. I have not been to Crete but from listening to others you could easily spend a week there. So you could do Crete from the 12th/13th to the 18th, back to Athens on the 18th and fly out of Athens on the 19th. As for transportation I don't know if the ferries run in February so probably flights.

Posted by
91 posts

I believe Sunday 18th Feb is the big carnival day, don't miss this! You may need to book the last flight of the night out, to be sure you get to Athens allowing time for delays prior to your international flight. From Rethymno it is fairly central between Chania & Heraklio airports. If you do not have a hire car you can get buses to either, then either another bus to the airport -although these will not be plentiful in Feb, so a taxi may be easier.

I'd recommend a few days in Chania before you go to Rethymno, it's the most beautiful city & is a year-round city with plenty of shops, tavernas, cafes etc open all year. Apart from carnival, you have chosen the quietest & most wintry month, so all the holiday resort places will be closed.

Posted by
1117 posts

I have no idea about carnival in Greece, but the general advice would be to do Athens at the end, so as to allow for flight or boat cancelations due to weather conditions. Taking the very last flight from Crete to Athens is sort of asking for it, especially at that time of year.

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