How Many Days Do You Need In Crete?
Today we are going to talk about, your vacation, how many days do you need in Crete? I say it depends on where you are coming from, if you are traveling to Crete from other countries in Europe, then I would say 10 days would be sufficient, you will be able to see a lot of the island in ten days.
If you are traveling to Crete from the US or Canada, then I say you will need a minimum of 14 days, but this also depends on the things you want to do in Crete and the things you want to see, Crete is a big Island and there are many sites to visit and many activities like the famous Samaria, if you want to go and do the Samaria gorge hike, then you have to keep in mind that the following day you won’t be able to do much because the Samaria gorge is not a joke.
My Husband and I went there last year but I will not lie and say that we did the hike, we just stood at the entrance where we should start the hike and we made a quick decision the park rangers also helped with the decision lol, that maybe it was not a good idea to do the hike, the hike takes about 7 hours and it’s very challenging and requires lots of endurance.
Tips for safety when doing Samaria Gorge Hike
Speaking of Samaria, before you go for the Hike, there are some safety measures that you need to take, the first thing you have to do is to invest in proper hiking shoes, in fact the park rangers will not allow you to go hiking if you do not have proper shoes (that was one of the reasons we didn’t do the hike the Rangers did not allow us to hike without proper shoes) because by having the wrong kind of shoes, you run the risk of spraining your ankles or breaking your leg.
Lots of liquids and sandwiches are mandatory you have to take sufficient supply of liquids, Juice, energy drinks etc, although you will find places within the gorge where you can refill your water bottle my friend who did the hike last month told me that she was very glad that she brought lots of juice and some snacks.
Remember the hike takes about 7 hours so you really need to consider this fact, and you also need to consider the fact that there is no place to get food within the gorge. you need to be in good health too, and you need to have the endurance it takes to complete the Samaria gorge hike.
You must stay on the designated path, you should not go wandering somewhere else on your own, you need to stay with the group of hikers that you are a part of, and you also need to be careful of falling rocks, it does happen occasionally that the rocks fall so be careful.
You also need to consider the time of the year you do the hike although the park gates open at the beginning of the month of May and close toward the end of October, I think in the middle of summer it’s going to be very challenging because of the heat even though you will get shade from the walls of the gorge, it’s still gonna be hot especially if you do it in the months of July or August. So I would say May or September would be the best months to hike the Samaria Gorge.
Remember, if you are planning to do the hike then I suggest you stay in the city of Chania (pronounced Hania) because you will be closest to the Samaria and you can get to the gorge early and start your hike, most people who do the Samaria Hike including my friend who did it last month(May) end up spending the night in Chora Sfakion, but if you are a part of a tour, then you can return to your hotel the same day.
For people who live in Crete, they don’t need a tour bus, they can just take public transportation and do the hike which is what my friend did, and then she spent the night in Chora Sfakion and returned to Chania the following day.
If you would like to learn more about Samaria Gorge, please Click here to visit the official Samaria National Park website
If you are traveling to Crete for ten days, Make sure to maximize your visit
I think if you are coming to Crete for ten days, you need to plan your activities beforehand so you can maximize your experience, there are the boat tours, museums to visit, and many historical sites that you have to visit so I say plan your days and your activities.
Crete is a lovely place to visit whether for vacation or honeymoon, for honeymoon I would say just plan fewer activities and more time at the beach and the sea, I don’t think it’s wise to go and do the Samaria Gorge when you are here on your honeymoon, you can use your energy in other ways 🙂 But hey, it’s your honeymoon you decide lol
For those who like scuba diving, you will enjoy watching the fish and other creatures, you can even go dolphins watching, but if you are the kind who like going to the village and interacting with the locals, then you can take the bus tours and you can go to different villages and see different things like olive oil press, wineries and other things like that.
This would be a nice opportunity for you to learn and practice few Greek words, whether you are coming to Crete for 10 or 20 days one thing is for sure, you will be sad when it’s time to leave because you won’t want to leave.
Thank you so much for reading this and I hope you have found some helpful tips on how to plan your holiday to Crete, I also hope that you can decide on the amount of time to spend in Crete. Thank you so much for your time and if you have questions or comments, please leave them below.
Rose
