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Boats from Samos to Crete?

Posted by (Seattle, WA, USA) on

We are taking the RS tour of Turkey this April. Our final tour day will be in early May where we'll probably end up on Samos and go from there. We have 7 days after the tour before we need to be in Athens and had planned to spend them on Crete. After checking the airline carriers' websites that do fly to Crete, we discovered the only way to do this in a day is fly back to a major city like Istanbul, then Athens, then Crete at a cost of major $'s!

Is there a way to get to Crete by boat from Samos that wouldn't take days or a more direct plane route from a small carrier? We don't want to fly to Athens twice but we really want to stay on Crete.

Also, how easy is it to find Greek island hotel rooms in early May if we don't book ahead? Does it really depend on which island? Are rooms easy to get right off the boat?

Thanks

Posted by
8086 posts

To get to Crete by Ferry from Samos would likely mean heading to Mykonos, Paros, or Naxos; changing boats and heading to Crete Or Towards Rhodes, then onto Crete. Both would be a long trip. By air, any flight would take you through Athens, but you are looking at two, one hour hops. In Greece, Athens is the hub, in fact the fastest ferry connection may be through Athens as well. I suggest flying: Samos:Athens:Heraklion (or Chania). Consider Aegean Air, I am seeing fares, including taxes, of about 78 Euro one way right now. Hotel rooms are very easy to find in May. Any smaller island will have literally dozens of people at the dock hawking rooms. Crete, because it is so big, would require you to pick an area, then I suggest Lets Go or Lonely Planet to find rooms.

Posted by
116 posts

Having been to Samos, Crete, and many of the Greek Islands, I would rethink the idea of going all the way to Crete when you only have 7 days. There are direct flights from Samos to Crete with skyexpress.gr, but I don't believe they fly that route until June (check with them). Samos is a delightful island to enjoy for a few days, one of my favorites. Patmos, Kos, Rhodes, etc. are easily reached by boat from Samos, and they are scenic and interesting. Rooms will be very easy to find no matter which island you go to at this time of year. People with rooms will greet you upon arrival. Samos (and all Greek islands) are full of travel agents that are helpful in getting you anything you need without prior booking. With the transportation links to get there and back and the distance it takes to get between areas on Crete, you may find the closer islands inviting. They're worth a look.

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