Planning a trip to Crete
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.
When to Go
If possible, go in June or September, even late May or early October, unless your goal is simply a sun-drenched beach: Crete has become an island on overload in July and August -- and it's very hot! The overnight ferry from Piraeus is still the purist's way to go, but the 50-minute flight from Athens gives you more time for activities. The island offers enough to do to fill up a week, if not a lifetime of visits. By flying, you could actually see several major sites in 2 packed days. To make full use of your time, you can fly into Iraklion and out of Chania, or vice versa.
I recommend the following destinations, if you have 5 to 7 days. This mix of activities allows you time to collapse on a beach at the end of the day. Iraklion is a must, with its archaeological museum and nearby Knossos. An excursion to Phaestos, its associated sites, and the caves at Matala can occupy most of day 2. If you don't need to see that second Minoan palace, I recommend you move on at the end of the first day to overnight in Chania or Rethymnon -- each or both can fill another day of strolling. Choose your route: The old road from Iraklion that winds through the mountains and villages has its charms, while the coastal expressway offers impressive vistas and a "tunnel" of flowering oleanders. If you set off in the morning, you could stay on the coastal highway and just before Rethymnon take the side trip through the Amari Valley.
Once in Chania, the walk through the famed Samaria Gorge requires one long day for the total excursion. Those seeking less strenuous activity might prefer a trip east from Iraklion to Ayios Nikolaos and its nearby attractions -- especially the many fine beaches along the way. Another alternative is a visit to the Lasithi Plain and the Dhiktaion Cave: This can be taken from either Iraklion or Ayios Nikolaos. Various other side trips are described in the appropriate places. Although public transportation or tour groups are possibilities, you should really rent a car (although not for use in the cities or towns) so you can leave the overdeveloped tourist trail and explore countless villages, spectacular scenery, beaches at the ends of the roads, and lesser known archaeological, historical, and cultural sites.
Crete's Wildflowers -- Among the glories of Crete are its wildflowers: A walk in almost any locale outside the cities provides a glimpse of their loveliness. There are said to be at least 1,500 individual species, of which some 200 are endemic or indigenous to Crete. One need not be especially knowledgeable about flowers to appreciate them, although there are several guides in bookstores and stalls around the island. But there is a hitch: The greatest profusion is in the spring, which comes early on Crete -- early March to early April is prime time. Those who cannot be there for the spring showing will be treated throughout much of the summer to the miles of blooming oleanders that line the national highway from Chania to Ayios Nikolaos.