Browsing tag: Chania

  • July 7, 2018

    Greece

     

    Our Greece Itinerary 

    My friend and I decided we wanted to do a girl’s trip to Greece.  It was our first time to Greece and we had almost 3 weeks of traveling days (17 days to be exact) to plan.  We lost one traveling day since we were flying from California.  During the planning phase, we realized there are over a thousand Greek islands.  Most are inhabitable, but that still leaves hundreds of Greek island destinations to choose from.  

    Which Islands to Visit? 

    We knew we wanted to include a visit to Santorini on this trip.  We also knew were going to fly into Athens and spend a handful of days sightseeing there.  And we were going to end our trip in Barcelona since I was going to continue traveling with my husband in Spain for the next four weeks.  As a result this was our itinerary for Greece: 

    Travel Tips 

    (1) Pack Light.  Use a backpacking backpack, if possible.  A lot of locations have steps (especially in Santorini).  To move more easily between locations, a backpacking backpack might be easier to transport between cities. 

    (2) Do not travel on May 1.  See below. 

    (3) Do not forget to call your credit card and ATM companies in advance to put a travel notice on your account.  This should also include any layovers you might have. 

    (4) Do you have trouble overcoming jetlag?   For this trip I had melatonin chocolates and it helped me get over jetlag pretty quickly!  I highly recommend! 

    Trip Highlights

    (1) May 1 is also May Day.  It is the first day of May and the celebration of Spring.  In Greece, a common commemoration is the making of a May wreaths out of the local wildflowers, which is then hung on doorways, balconies, and many other places until it dries.  Since it is also typically the peak of the flower season, flower shows and festivals are common. 

    (2) Meteora was breathtaking.  I highly recommend visiting the mainland of Greece if you have the opportunity. 

    (3) Food.  People.  Culture.  Everyone was extremely friendly and the food was great.  We especially loved having the seafood around Chania. 

    (4) Homecooked meal in our AirBnB in Santorini!  We wanted to enjoy our patio view, so we picked up some groceries, cooked some pasta, and enjoyed the view with a bottle of wine. 

    (5) Handmade soaps and raki in Chania.  And lots of girlfriend bonding over alcohol.  🙂 

    Trip Lowlights

    (1) May 1 is International’s Workers Day.  Do not travel on May 1 (i.e. plan on taking public transportation on May 1).  This is “Labor Day” or International’s Workers Day observed in multiple countries.  In addition, especially for Greece there could be strikes on public transportation impacting travel.  We learned the hard way when we found out 1.5 hrs before our ferry was scheduled to depart that the ferry was cancelled to Chania.  We ended up booking a last minute stay in Santorini and rescheduled our ferry to the following day.  This required a lot of last minute rearranging of our itinerary which was not fun! 

    (2) Realizing relying on public transportation to Fira from Athinios Port in Santorini was probably not a good idea after taking Blue Star Ferries.  There were thousands of people getting off the ferry.  

    (3) Donkey Poop.  On the walk from Fira to the old Athinios Port (approximately 3Km), we did not realize the steps leading down to the port would have a lot of donkeys and donkey poop.  It wasn’t bad walking down, but we did have to watch our step pretty carefully as the place was like a landmine. 

    (4) Power Outage.  During our stay in Oia (Santorini), there was a “scheduled” power outage from the morning till afternoon on one of the days we were staying there.  It didn’t stop us from enjoying the day, though some of the shops were closed due to the power outage.  The power was back on by 2pm. 

    (5) It can be a little crowded in Santorini.  Especially in Oia and the places that are heavily photographed or “Instagrammed”. 

     

  • June 19, 2018

    Chania

    Chania (pronounced Hanya) is the second largest city on the island of Crete.   The city is located on the northwestern side of the island.  The venetian harbor, the old port, is lined with narrow shopping streets and waterfront restaurants.  Outside of Chania are mountain villages that offer hiking and a variety of other outdoor activities.  Of our Greece Itinerar y, this was my favorite island and second favorite destination (after Meteora)!

    Getting to Chania

    (1) Ferry and Bus: There are many different types of ferries you can take depending on where you are departing from.  Since we were departing from Santorini, we used Hellenic Seaways (highspeed ferry) to go from Santorini to Heraklion.  From Heraklion, we took a bus to Chania.  

    • Departed Santorini at 1725.  Arrived Heraklion at 1945.  Scheduled arrival was 1850.  
    • Cost in April 2018 for Economy (69 Euro/pp): USD $84.47/pp. 
    • After arriving in Heraklion, there will be an approximate 500m (~7min) walk to Heraklion Bus Station A.  See “Public Bus Service Chania-Rethimnon S.A.“. 
    • From there take the bus to Chania Central Bus Station. 

    (2) Air:  Chania has an international airport.  However, depending on where you are departing from, it may be more cost effective to take the ferry.  

    Hellenic Seaways Ferry Tips

    • Be aware of potential delay.  The ferries can arrive at the final destination point at a later time than scheduled.  Plan your itineraries accordingly.  
    • Purchase tickets in advance if you are traveling during high season (especially on weekends and/or holidays) and for cheaper fares.  
    • There are assigned seats. 
    • Bring a portable battery charger.  There are limited outlets on the ferry.  You will be lucky if you find an available open one. 
    • WIFI is available for purchase at the reception desk. 
    • Bring snacks.  Water, coffee, and food are available on the ferry for purchase. 
    • We left our luggage in the loading dock and it was fine and safe. 

    Getting Around Chania

    (1) Bus: The “Public Bus Service Chania-Rethimnon S.A.” is very cost effective and efficient for getting around the island.  The timestables change depending on the season.  

    (2) Rent a Car/Scooter/ATV:  There are plenty of places to rent a car, scooter, and/or ATV.  Rentals from various companies may require an International Drivers License.  

    (3) Taxi:  There are taxis available on the island.  

    Where to Stay? 

    There are plenty of cost effective locations to stay in Chania.  We spent two nights in an AirBnB near the Chania Central Bus Station and two nights in the old town via AirBnB.  In old town, it was a bit noisy at night, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying some Raki and a bottle of wine on the balcony. 

    Things to See

    (1) Samaria Gorge:  One of the most popular activities on the island of Crete is to hikes through the Samaria Gorge.  Check out my blog post for my hike through Samaria Gorge! 

    (2) Elafonissi Beach:  Also known as the “Pink Sand Beach” and one of the more popular beach towns on the island.  The beach is located on the southwestern side of Crete.  You can either take a tour here or public bus (~1.5hrs from Chania).  Elafonisi “island”, a protected area, is an oblong peninsula, which often breaks in two parts by water giving the impression of being a separate island.  Since the waters are shallow, you can walk to the island by foot from the beach. 

    (3) Visit Rethymno:  Also known as Rethimnon is a small coastal town similar to Chania with less crowds. 

    (4) Old Town of Chania:  Explore the waterfront and streets just behind. Walk along the harbour wall to the Venetian Lighthouse.

    (5) Chania Market:  An indoor market in a cross-shaped building and a great place to purchase some local foods.  In addition, there are also multiple stalls selling cheap souvenirs.  

    (6) Viewpoint of Old Town (Schiavo):  If you’re looking for a nice viewpoint of the old city, visit Schiavo.  I’ve pinned it in my Google Maps. 

    (7) Al Hammam Traditional Baths:  I’m impartial about this review.  I’ve been to a traditional hammam in Turkey and this place is far from traditional.  It is also on the pricier side for a “scrub” and the bath was not as authentic as I would have hoped.  Nonetheless, it was still a relaxing experience after a grueling day hike through Samaria Gorge.  Would I do it again?  Probably not, but I enjoyed my experience. 

    Places to Eat 

    As you visit the island of Crete, it is customary to have Cretan Raki at the end of the meal.  Throughout the island you will find multiple brands of Cretan homemade Raki.  

    (1) Bougatsa Jordan (Iordanis) (Apokoronou 2, Chania):  Bougatsa is a Greek breakfast pastry made of crispy, flaky phyllo dough wrapped around either a cheese or sweet custard filling.  The bougatsa at Iordanis is prepared with Chaniot myzithra cheese and sprinkled with powdered sugar.  It is extremely popular amongst the locals!  I shared one portion with my friend and paired it with a cup of Greek coffee! 

    (2) Tamam Restaurant (Zampeliou 49, Chania): “Traditional Greek food with some Eastern oriented influences by the Ottoman cuisine and the broader Eastern Mediterranean region.” – Tamam Restaurant.  

    (3) To Maridaki (Daskalogianni 33, Chania):  Delicious seafood with a fresh and changing daily menu.  Reasonable prices for seafood.  Make reservations if possible! 

    (4) Kousina LTD (Daskalogianni 25, Chania):  Another seafood place next door.  We tried to eat here, but the line was out the door.  Make reservations if possible!  

    Places to Shop

    (1) To Meli (Kondilaki 45, Chania):  A wide variety of Cretan products.  They were one of the few shops in Chania that sold Fisika olive oil soaps!  They are made via all organic materials.  A little more on the expensive side, but great souvenirs.  

    (2) Elephant Store (Kondilaki 30, Chania):  Lots of great gifts, accessories, and apparel.  I bought some Helleo bar soaps here (also organic) in addition to some other knick knacks. 

    (3) Ambrosia Plus (Mpetolo (Betolo) 47-49, Chania):  We purchased some really nice and cheap turkish towels here (17 Euro each).  They are really soft and can be used as a scarf, blanket, or towel.  I’ve used it many times on planes, roadtrips, and even walking around town.  No complaints so far and great gifts if you have some luggage space. 

    (4) Casa Di Pietra Hotel and Gift Shop (Theotokopoulou 37, Chania):  Lots of cute souvenirs. 

    (5) Chania Market

    (6) Other things to buy:  We went to a beauty store on the corner of Isodion and Karaoli ke Dimitriou.  I bought some face masks (that were on sale) by Apivita.  We also went to the Abea store and bought some olive oil soap.  Here was my final stash (includes some freebies): 

    I’ve mapped all of my favorite restaurants, places to stay, and places to shop on Google Maps!  See Greece 2018 Google Map pins!  Happy travels.  🙂