Northern Greece or Crete?

Posted by simonandy613 on 01/06/24 02:34 AM

We're spending 2 weeks in Greece. One week in Athens and Peloponnese. Would northern Greece (Macedonia region) or Crete be better to spend the next week? It'll probably be somewhat more than a week. We're going for history (I'm a huge ancient history nerd) and for culture.

We were going to go to Delphi (possibly Thebes) on the way to Macedonia. For Crete (probably Heraklion) we were going to take a ferry. Both have amazing history so it's hard to choose one from that alone. But Greece isn't a dead country. Would Crete or Northern Greece be better for experiencing culture? We're traveling with a teen so things like nightlife won't be that important.

Σας ευχαριστώ!

Posted by Suki

01/06/24 03:05 AM

11161 posts

For Crete, I would not stay in Heraklion except for a night in order to catch a ferry. Stay in beautiful Chania.

Posted by Alan

Brighton, UK

01/06/24 06:56 AM

1388 posts

Either would be a great choice, and both have their own unique atmosphere. Crete is a beautiful island but, for historic sites, I would say northern Greece is the better bet.

Thessaloniki has interesting Roman remains, some excellent Byzantine churches and the huge fortress walls. It also has the little visited prison - Yedi Kule - which is grim but atmospheric. It has a particular resonance for lovers of rembetika, the Greek blues music.

https://www.greece-is.com/eptapirgio-castle/

We also loved Vergina, the burial place of the Macedonians. It’s an amazing museum with some incredible exhibits. If you’re a history buff you might like this.

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1490/the-royal-macedonian-tombs-at-vergina/

A newly opened site, which I haven’t visited, looks interesting

https://apnews.com/article/greece-ancient-palace-alexander-great-archaeology-950311aee8eeaa46e77c2621a5d9ca43

If you are coming from the Peloponnese and have a car you could also visit Voudeni which is huge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenaean_cemetery_of_Voudeni#:~:text=The%20archaeological%20site%20of%20a,with%20that%20of%20ancient%20Mesatis.

You can then cross the Rio bridge, a site in itself, and drive up to Delphi via Nafpaktos.

Just a few thoughts! Have a great time whatever you do.

Alan

Posted by tommyk5

NH (USA)

01/06/24 03:51 PM

1157 posts

Lots of options all over Greece from the mainland to islands.

However, your best option would be a part of the mainland as it has more archeological/historic sites than any island with the exception of Crete.

I can't help with northern Greece as I've never been there but do have it on my "to-go-to" list.

For me the Peloponnese is worth exploring as it's a huge area filled with history going back thousands of years.

It's easy to get to by driving and a rental car would be necessary to fully explore the area.

It would take weeks to check out but with adding another week to your Peloponnese trip would give you a good taste of what the area has to offer. And in the more rural areas you may possibly find what's left of the Traditional Greece or as close to it as possible.

Your best guide for the Peloponnese is the Cadogan Guide which has more info than any other guide. It's available as a used book from abebooks or ebay.

If interested check out my trip report of the Peloponnese including photos:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g189483-i1277-k14200587-Peloponnese_Trip_Report_Sept_25_Oct_12-Peloponnese.html