Site & Museum Hours Update -- If you visit Crete during the summer, check to see when major sites and museums are open. According to the tourist office, they should be open from 8am to 7:30pm, but some may close earlier in the day and all are usually closed 1 day a week.
Biking on Crete
In general, I am reluctant to encourage the casual visitor to Greece to rent and ride a bicycle -- whether to get around cities or to set off for the countryside. In the former case, Greek drivers are not accustomed to bicycle riders, and their driving habits make it dangerous; in the latter case, the terrain is quite mountainous, roads are often not well maintained, and there is little shoulder. That said, Crete has become a major attraction for serious cyclists. Various specialized tour operators run bicycle tours on Crete -- extending several days, with accommodations at each stopover; you could bring your own, but these firms also rent bikes. Some of the tours are described as requiring top-level conditioning, while others are less demanding, but all involve a lot of hills! (And in summer, any activity can be quite draining.) If you like to bike, try Trekking Plan (www.cycling.gr) to learn about some offerings. If you'd like to rent a bike to tour on your own, major tourist centers usually have some outfit that will rent a bike (usually a mountain bike); Trekking Plan, in Chania, will rent for the short term; in Iraklion, try Blue Aegean Holidays (www.blueaegean.com) or MotoExress (www.motoexpress.gr). Note that many online sites that advertise bikes for rent are referring to motorbikes.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
