Itinerary and base-city recommendations for Crete (3 days)

For a week on Crete, base in lovely Chania, one of Greece’s most beautiful cities. Do not stay in Heraklion.
You will be able to access sites in western Greece such as Elafonisi, Rethymnon, Frangokastello, Skafia. Take a day trip to Knossos. We have been to Crete several times and this is what we do.

Thank you Suki! We will be in Crete just for 3 days. Do you still recommend Chania as the base?

Personally, I would not fly to Crete for just 3 days. I would explore instead close by island, go to Nafplio, or Delphi and Meteora.

Yes, Chania is the best place to stay in Crete, one of the prettiest cities in Greece. NOT Heraklion!
I have Greek friends who were born and raised in Chania so I learned early on to stay there.

General consensus on the forum is that you need at least a week in Crete to just hit the highlights. You say day 1, are you coming from the States or somewhere else in Europe? If the States jet lag is a factor.
How do you plan to get around in Crete - rental car, public transport or local tours? With three days, really only two or 2.5 days with the travelling to and from Athens, you will not have time to visit all the places you list. Unless you get the very early morning flight from Athens, you won’t get into Chania city until mid-morning, I could see you spending your first afternoon in Chania, exploring the harbour and the old town. Then the next day you could visit Elafonissi Beach and spend the whole day there. Then the third day head to Heraklion and visit Knossos in the morning and the museum in the afternoon and get your flight to Athens from there. You will not have time for the Lasithi Plateau. Rethymnon Fortress and the old town are somewhat interesting but again, don’t think you have time for them.

I love Crete and visited many times but wouldn’t consider such a flying visit. Athens and area is deserving of more than two nights.

@Suki - Thank you for your input!
@Lesley - Thank you for commenting on how we can accommodate some of places in our itinerary. I understand that 2.5 days is not enough time for Crete, however this is probably our only trip to Greece and so I want to make sure we don't miss out on at least seeing some parts of the island. Also, my understanding is that we will have at least a chance of enjoying swimming in April in Crete.
We will be coming in to Crete from Athens, so hopefully no jetlag. We are thinking of taking the bis/taxi in crete. How is it to drive for drivers in US and also how is the parking situation on the island?
Also, if we add a day to Crete, would it be easier to cover what I have in the list including lasithi?

No, adding a day to Crete will not be enough to add Lasithi plateau .. and No, you can't swim in Greece no matter where, in April, unless you wear scuba wet-suits. But more seriously, I think your plan has not considered a vital factor -- the Calendar.

In Greece, THE biggest holiday of the year is Easter -- think of Combo of Christmas & 4th of July, then double it. For the whole week, things are disrupted, Greeks themselves travel to home-towns, major historical & ancient sites are closed down, also many restaurants, transportation is disrupted, accommodations are packed. Usually this doesnt affect nonGreek visitors because the Orthodox Greek Easter works off a different calendar. and is as much as a Month different from "Western" Easter. But in 2025, they fall on the SAME DAy -- April 20. Tho you dont give dates, I'm guessing you're planning this trip for that very week, because the kids are off school.

I suggest you rethink, and perhaps pick another family-vacation destination where Easter doesn't totally convulse the normal schedule. And if you do want to take the kids to Greece, I strongly suggest planning to go the very first week that School ends in late May or Early June -- because that's the ideal time... balmy weather but not hot, warm enough to swim, long daylilght hours, but not the massive crowds or high lodging prices of July-August.

Thank you Janet for your input.
We are considering these date - Tuesday, April 22 (Land in Athens) - Tuesday, April 29. Our assumption was the Easter Sunday/Monday will be done by then and things will be back to normal. Is that not that case?

Yes you'll be OK --- now you see why it's important to be specific when seeking best advice? More later...