Crete - what to do from Chania (Souda)

I had planned on taking a bus to see Knossos while in Crete in a couple weeks while our cruise ship is in port for the day, but from reading more threads I have realized that there's three ports on Crete, it's apparently a large island, and the port I'm going into, Chania (Souda), is too far to go to Knossos while we're there for the day. Any suggestions on things I could do would be greatly appreciated!

Do a tour with Lefty !!!!!

Our first visit to Crete we did a tour with him = awesome day. One of our favorite tours ever …… and that is saying a lot.

Our second visit he was already booked but sent an associate and we had another spectacular day ….. we repeated a few things and saw some new stuff. We had my FIL with us and wanted him to see a few things we had already seen but wanted to see again.

We saw Chania (hawn-ee-ah) the port, market and a bit of the city. Then to a large park above the city for some awesome views (cant recall the name of it) then out into the countryside. Our favorite part ! We headed to Aptera (Minoan ruins) which are very near some Roman ruins (large baths etc) and also near Venetian fort up on a hill…… we then went to a small village and had lunch at a tiny taverna (we sat outside under a large tree) and had a SPECTACULAR meal. Try the raki !!!!

Also did a winery tour and a private olive press tour on our FIRST visit with the above.

On our second visit we had less time in port so visited a monastery nearby which was really interesting and beautiful ! No winery or olive factory.

We loved loved loved Crete….. but get out of town to really enjoy this beautiful island and its people :D

I did check with Lefty at the same time I posted this thread, and he has replied that he is booked for the day but is offering to send an associate. So based on your advice that his associate also provided a good tour, I think I will book it! Thank you so much, I really appreciate the time you took to write such a thorough reply!

Do a tour with Lefty !!!!!

 

Our first visit to Crete we did a tour with him = awesome day. One of our favorite tours ever …… and that is saying a lot.

 

Our second visit he was already booked but sent an associate and we had another spectacular day ….. we repeated a few things and saw some new stuff. We had my FIL with us and wanted him to see a few things we had already seen but wanted to see again.

 

We saw Chania (hawn-ee-ah) the port, market and a bit of the city. Then to a large park above the city for some awesome views (cant recall the name of it) then out into the countryside. Our favorite part ! We headed to Aptera (Minoan ruins) which are very near some Roman ruins (large baths etc) and also near Venetian fort up on a hill…… we then went to a small village and had lunch at a tiny taverna (we sat outside under a large tree) and had a SPECTACULAR meal. Try the raki !!!!

 

Also did a winery tour and a private olive press tour on our FIRST visit with the above.

 

On our second visit we had less time in port so visited a monastery nearby which was really interesting and beautiful ! No winery or olive factory.

 

We loved loved loved Crete….. but get out of town to really enjoy this beautiful island and its people :D

Can you please post Lefty's information. We just book a cruise for October 2015 and I would like to contact him.

Thanks,

Teresa

Hello, I am the person who started this thread looking for something to do on Crete. I took the other poster named Texancruzer's advice and booked with Lefty's associate because Lefty was already booked for the day. I must say we were a little disappointed. When I go on a tour I want to hear a lot about what I am seeing. His associate took us to the ruins and basically handed us a brochure. He was very nice and told us what he knew about the land, history and customs of Crete, etc., and he was very knowledgeable about the olive press we visited, but then again also at the monastery he had very little information to share with us once we were there. He was otherwise very nice and a good driver, he didn't worry us with his driving, but I just prefer someone who is more educated on the sites we are visiting. So in sum I would say if Lefty is not available consider this information before booking. That said, you are not going for quite some time in 2015 so hopefully if you book early enough Lefty will be available, and obviously you have read his good review. His e-mail address is elnikigr@yahoo.com. Best wishes!

Hello, I am the person who started this thread looking for something to do on Crete. I took the other poster named Texancruzer's advice and booked with Lefty's associate because Lefty was already booked for the day. I must say we were a little disappointed. When I go on a tour I want to hear a lot about what I am seeing. His associate took us to the ruins and basically handed us a brochure. He was very nice and told us what he knew about the land, history and customs of Crete, etc., and he was very knowledgeable about the olive press we visited, but then again also at the monastery he had very little information to share with us once we were there. He was otherwise very nice and a good driver, he didn't worry us with his driving, but I just prefer someone who is more educated on the sites we are visiting. So in sum I would say if Lefty is not available consider this information before booking. That said, you are not going for quite some time in 2015 so hopefully if you book early enough Lefty will be available, and obviously you have read his good review. His e-mail address is elnikigr@yahoo.com. Best wishes!

I read your post and was sorry that your day didn't provide you with that awesome experience you were looking for……. I guess each persons idea of the "perfect" tour is different. While I like to get some information about the things I am seeing, I don't want to be overloaded with information. I'm not into dates etc. since I never remember them anyway, but I do like the interesting stories that go with them. I like hearing how people lived, the customs and how the people live now from how those lived before them. I don't even mind periods of silence while we are driving …… I let my mind wander in the scenery.

In summation, I guess maybe a better piece of advice would be to let Lefty (or any other tour guide) know exactly what you are expecting from your tour.

Hello, I am the person who started this thread looking for something to do on Crete. I took the other poster named Texancruzer's advice and booked with Lefty's associate because Lefty was already booked for the day. I must say we were a little disappointed. When I go on a tour I want to hear a lot about what I am seeing. His associate took us to the ruins and basically handed us a brochure. He was very nice and told us what he knew about the land, history and customs of Crete, etc., and he was very knowledgeable about the olive press we visited, but then again also at the monastery he had very little information to share with us once we were there. He was otherwise very nice and a good driver, he didn't worry us with his driving, but I just prefer someone who is more educated on the sites we are visiting. So in sum I would say if Lefty is not available consider this information before booking. That said, you are not going for quite some time in 2015 so hopefully if you book early enough Lefty will be available, and obviously you have read his good review. His e-mail address is elnikigr@yahoo.com. Best wishes!

Keep in mind that what you are hiring is basically a driver UNLESS you also hire a licensed guide. Often, these are taxi drivers or private car hires. They vary in the amount of information they provide; some provide a lot of commentary, others primarily drive you to the places you want to go and may provide some basic information.

Honestly, it is best to be prepared with your own research whenever you are NOT going with a guide.

As texancruzer says, everyone has different expectations. I do a lot of research in advance, and in most Med ports I am not on my first visit there. I really wish there was a way I could make drivers understand that I prefer NOT to hear a lot of the basic info about their city/port/country that I have already heard multiple times! And when I hire a driver to take me to places A, B, and C, I am NOT looking for recommendations for other or different places to go.

I was just in Crete a couple of weeks ago and a friend and I used Lefty to arrange for a driver from Rethymnon for about a 3/4 day tour. We didn't have Lefty as our driver, but one of his associates who lives near that area. It worked out flawlessly for us.

Keep in mind that what you are hiring is basically a driver UNLESS you also hire a licensed guide. Often, these are taxi drivers or private car hires. They vary in the amount of information they provide; some provide a lot of commentary, others primarily drive you to the places you want to go and may provide some basic information.

 

Honestly, it is best to be prepared with your own research whenever you are NOT going with a guide.

 

As texancruzer says, everyone has different expectations. I do a lot of research in advance, and in most Med ports I am not on my first visit there. I really wish there was a way I could make drivers understand that I prefer NOT to hear a lot of the basic info about their city/port/country that I have already heard multiple times! And when I hire a driver to take me to places A, B, and C, I am NOT looking for recommendations for other or different places to go.

 

I was just in Crete a couple of weeks ago and a friend and I used Lefty to arrange for a driver from Rethymnon for about a 3/4 day tour. We didn't have Lefty as our driver, but one of his associates who lives near that area. It worked out flawlessly for us.

Well said Cynthia… as usual ;)

Our first visit we had Lefty. He was full of information. Was it in depth heavy duty historical info - ummmm not really. He did some names and dates etc. but mostly it was interesting (at least to me) stuff about Crete. History, yes but fun history. Every time we would stop he would open his trunk and pull out a yummy treat. Home baked goods he picked up that morning. One was still warm :)

Our second visit was an associate….. not as much info but still some interesting tidbits. When we visited the monastery he gave us some back ground info but nothing in-depth. As we were heading back to the car he asked if we like raki …. whats raki we asked ? He got a twinkle in his eye and took us around back. Lo and behold there was a huge copper still :eek: Yep they were moonshining raki LOL. We even got to taste the 300% proof stuff. I swear it took the enamel off my front teeth. Ha Ha. Later we had lunch in our favorite little taverna in a small village (big surprise I forgot the name - told you I can't remember names or dates well) and he ordered a carafe of raki….. I shot my lil shot down as did he, but my dh and fil sipped theirs….. well a table of older gents (locals at their favorite table) saw me and ordered me my own carafe :eek: I declined but he said it would be rude - so I did another shot for them. Needless to say when we got back to the ship later that day I took a nice nap !

Thanks to everyone for the information. I have sent him an email and hope to hear from him soon.

Thanks Again,

Teresa

Note that I have provided details on the itinerary. Lefteris is terrific.

Lefteris Nikiforakis (email: elnikigr@Oyahoo.com) is a superb Crete, Greece guide that provided a perfect fun filled day on his island. His tour is tailored for where you want to go, time you have available and what you want to see. He has the highest rating in Trip Advisor. A Cruise Critic group had recommended him. You can have an air conditioned taxi with up to 4 people that he drives or with a larger group of 5 with a maximum of 12, travel in an air conditioned new mini-van. Tours can be any number of hours depending on what you want to see. Water and sweet cakes are included.

Our Cruise Critic Group of 12 people selected the 7 hour tour that included a mini- van, great tour guide, and wonderful Lefteris. We saw all the great sights in his tailored fun filled tour. Drove to Iraklion and visited the Heraklion Archaeological Museum is one of the largest and most important museums in Greece, and among the most important museums in Europe. It houses representative artifacts from all the periods of Cretan prehistory and history, covering a chronological span of over 5,500 years from the Neolithic period to Roman times. The singularly important Minoan collection contains unique examples of Minoan art, many of them true masterpieces. The Heraklion Museum is rightly considered as the museum of Minoan culture par excellence worldwide. Each selected the 10 euro joint ticket per person to the museum which includes entrance to the Palace of Knossos (4000 years old). We visited the Venetian port with a fort, a cathedral, an open Market and the tomb of Nikos Kazantzakis. After that travelled through the mountains and through the small villages of Stalis, Mallia- Limnes- Neapoli where we saw the local people and they live, and tasted the local food in a restaurant and then return to your begin location. Fun filled day. Included in his price is water and sweet cakes.

Just to give another idea for something to do on Crete when in port in Chania...

We did the Chania Food Tour through Athens walking tours: http://www.athenswalkingtours.gr/chania-food-tour

We and our teens enjoyed it a great deal. I wrote a review on Tripadvisor:

Our family (teen kids) chose to do the Chania Food Tour while visiting Crete from a cruise ship. We had limited time in port (3 p.m. sail away) but this tour fit our timing just great. We had visited Chania before (another cruise) so wanted to do something a bit different. Maria and her colleague George gave us a wonderful experience on our three hour tour with another family. Like the earlier reviewer, we visited multiple shops in Chania and especially enjoyed the bakery (those tomato/cheese pies were to die for!!), the olive oil shop and the cheese shop. Maria and George taught us a great deal about the history of Chania and its food and also about how Chanians currently live. We never felt pressured to buy anything on the tour although we chose to purchase some spices and olive oil. I might also add that I thought the tour was a good value for the money we paid as Maria buys many items for your to taste.

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in delving more deeply into Cretan history and culture. I would, however, make two recommendations. Be sure you understand where you are meeting your tour. We were given a location but neither our cab driver or the locals we asked knew where it was (even though it is a prominent church!). So there were moments of panic that we would miss the tour. And if you have never been to Chania before, be sure that you plan to visit the Venetian harbor (which is picturesque) either before or after your tour as you skirt it on this tour but never actually see it.

Visited June 2014

I did check with Lefty at the same time I posted this thread, and he has replied that he is booked for the day but is offering to send an associate. So based on your advice that his associate also provided a good tour, I think I will book it! Thank you so much, I really appreciate the time you took to write such a thorough reply!

Tkbell, how was Lefty's associate. I think we are in the same situation....Lefty is booked.😞

Please read my post from Nov. 11, 2014 wherein I state that we were not totally happy with the associate that Lefty sent. To recap, while he was polite and a good driver, nice to talk to, he did not have information to share with us about what we were seeing. As we arrived at some ruins he just handed us a brochure about them. I prefer a guide who can tell us about what we were seeing. Best wishes for you!

I did check with Lefty at the same time I posted this thread, and he has replied that he is booked for the day but is offering to send an associate. So based on your advice that his associate also provided a good tour, I think I will book it! Thank you so much, I really appreciate the time you took to write such a thorough reply!

I would totally trust a recommendation from Lefteris, he was phenomenal , our most fun day!

I am going to Crete for the first time next week and want to know what the best way to spend my time there - suggestions would be appreciated. Celebrity Cruises offers a number of tours, including Chania, but I don't have any clue which are best.

Crete is a very large island so we would need to know where you are docking and your interests.

We will be docking at Chania.

We DIYed Chania – explored the harbor, spent one hour at the Archeological Museum (very good!), climbed up to the fort to enjoy the views, had a delicious lunch in a tavern – it was a great leisurely day.

Was it very far once you got off the ship to get around? I am traveling with my Mother-In-Law and she gets around but I don't want to tire her out with too much walking.

How did you get to all your activities?

Just GOOGLE Chania for loads of info.Same for any other port.

We are currently in Crete, on our third trip, and will have spent 6 weeks here, Chania is gorgeous,you could easily spend the day in this beautiful city. See the market, wander the old streets and enjoy the harbour. The Bus system is also very good if you want to go out to a beach near Chania, weather permitting. Maleme is a nearby village with a German war cemetery, very interesting as there was some very intense fighting. You can also visit nearby Souda with an allied war cemetery and the Stavros beach nearby where they filmed Zorba the Greek. You could probably hire a taxi to take you strikes permitting 😉 Enjoy this beautiful island and great food!

ay

We are currently in Crete, on our third trip, and will have spent 6 weeks here, Chania is gorgeous,you could easily spend the day in this beautiful city. See the market, wander the old streets and enjoy the harbour. The Bus system is also very good if you want to go out to a beach near Chania, weather permitting. Maleme is a nearby village with a German war cemetery, very interesting as there was some very intense fighting. You can also visit nearby Souda with an allied war cemetery and the Stavros beach nearby where they filmed Zorba the Greek. You could probably hire a taxi to take you strikes permitting 😉 Enjoy this beautiful island and great food!

Lucky you!

We are thinking of 10 days in Crete (probably Chania) either in May or October.

Any comments or other thoughts would be appreciated.

What about mosquitos? Have you seen any?

Thanks

ay

 

Lucky you!

We are thinking of 10 days in Crete (probably Chania) either in May or October.

Any comments or other thoughts would be appreciated.

 

What about mosquitos? Have you seen any?

 

Thanks

With 10 days choose either the west or east side. We have spent two weeks on each side and this time we are revisiting. You can fly into Chania or Heraklion from a number of European cities and avoid Athens and ferries. If you choose the west, there are some gorgeous beaches, especially elafonisi and falasarna.

We saw two tiny mosquitoes the first day and none since. Depending on if you like to swim, the water would be warmer in the fall than the spring. Today it was 82 F. There are a number of excellent sights, Knossos, phaestos... Crete is extremely rugged and mountainous, it took an hour and a half to go 30 miles this morning. The food is excellent, the people lovely and the costs extremely reasonable. Enjoy whatever you chose!

With 10 days choose either the west or east side. We have spent two weeks on each side and this time we are revisiting. You can fly into Chania or Heraklion from a number of European cities and avoid Athens and ferries. If you choose the west, there are some gorgeous beaches, especially elafonisi and falasarna.

We saw two tiny mosquitoes the first day and none since. Depending on if you like to swim, the water would be warmer in the fall than the spring. Today it was 82 F. There are a number of excellent sights, Knossos, phaestos... Crete is extremely rugged and mountainous, it took an hour and a half to go 30 miles this morning. The food is excellent, the people lovely and the costs extremely reasonable. Enjoy whatever you chose!

Thank you so much, Bennybear. (I love your name!)

We will probably go in October and will probably spend 10 days in Rhodes first. I haven't looked into air yet. This is in the very early stages of planning. I will check out the areas you mentioned. Thank you so much.

Your welcome! Thanks, Ben was my dog, so it was his nickname!

I am sure you will have a great time. We visited Rhodes once on a Cruise and it was lovely. You may want to split your time 1 week Rhodes and 2 Crete, just because it is so much bigger. But whatever you decide I am sure you will enjoy your time. Happy planning!

Your welcome! Thanks, Ben was my dog, so it was his nickname!

I am sure you will have a great time. We visited Rhodes once on a Cruise and it was lovely. You may want to split your time 1 week Rhodes and 2 Crete, just because it is so much bigger. But whatever you decide I am sure you will enjoy your time. Happy planning!

That may be an idea (1 wk +2)

Would we have to stay in 2 areas in Crete, or can we see most from Chania.

We won't have a car. How is the bus service for getting around to see and do things?

So happy to have found you.

Hope you don't mind answering all my Questions!