A santorini crete rhodes tour links three very different Greek islands in one ten-day plan that starts and ends in Athens. You can compare it with other routes on the tours in Greece page.
This page covers the season, the Athens days, the ferry from Piraeus to Santorini, the caldera and the volcano, Crete from Heraklion to Chania, the flight to Rhodes and its Old Town, the flight back, and the entry, sea and packing points.
What is a santorini crete rhodes tour, and how does the route run?
Athens frames a santorini crete rhodes tour: it opens on day one and closes on day ten. Between them lie Santorini, Crete and Rhodes, joined by two fast ferries and two flights. You unpack once on each of the three islands and spend the last night inside the airport.
Wikivoyage places the Cyclades south of Athens and north of Crete. Its Cyclades page also tells travellers to head on down to Crete when they are done with that group. Wikipedia adds that Rhodes lies north-east of Crete and south-east of Athens. A santorini crete rhodes tour follows that advice and turns east after Crete.
Rhodes belongs to a different island group from Santorini. Wikipedia says Turkey borders the Dodecanese in the east, Crete in the south-west and the Cyclades in the west. Wikipedia names Rhodes as the largest of those islands and as their historical capital. The third base therefore lies in the south-east Aegean, and the santorini crete rhodes tour reaches it last.
The three bases differ in kind. Wikivoyage calls Santorini an archipelago of five volcanic islands, and it calls Crete the largest Greek island. For Rhodes, it names beaches, archaeological sites and an extensive medieval town. A santorini crete rhodes tour thus moves from a volcano to a large island and then to a medieval town.
Landing comes first, then the Athens tour. Santorini takes day three by sea and day four as a free day. Crete follows on days five and six, with a ferry first. Rhodes follows on days seven and eight, with a flight first. Day nine flies back to Athens, and day ten ends the santorini crete rhodes tour.
Next come the season, the day-by-day outline and the Athens days. The ferries, the flights and the free days follow, together with what each island shows. Later sections turn to passports, shoes, sea conditions, small children and heavy bags. The last section answers the questions that travellers ask about the santorini crete rhodes tour.
Which season suits a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Wikivoyage recommends late spring with June, and September until mid-October, for a visit to the Cyclades. Santorini opens a santorini crete rhodes tour, so those weeks set the calendar. July and August bring crowds and very hot weather to the group, the same page states.
Santorini keeps a calendar of its own. Wikivoyage dates the start of the season to 1 April, or to the days around Greek Easter. From late October the seasonal businesses begin to shut. By December the larger part of them remain closed until spring. A santorini crete rhodes tour fits inside the open months, from April to October.
Summer changes the look of Santorini. By then the spring flowers have gone, and only dried grass is left. Trees are scarce on the island. From September the air cools again, and the chance of rain grows slowly toward the end of the year. A santorini crete rhodes tour in autumn finds the island cooler than in July.
Crete follows the tourist calendar. Wikivoyage calls agriculture the leading industry of the island and tourism extremely important. It adds that certain towns serve no purpose other than tourism. Those towns close down almost completely in winter. A santorini crete rhodes tour therefore suits the months when the island’s towns are open.
Wikipedia lists Rhodes Port among the places with the mildest winters in Europe. Wikivoyage calls the climate of the island particularly good, with sunny and mild weather. Wikipedia adds that the south-east of the island gets more sunshine than anywhere else in Greece. A santorini crete rhodes tour reaches Rhodes on day seven, by air from Heraklion.
Winter changes the plan. Wikivoyage says Fira stays more or less open. Smaller villages on Santorini can have only one or two places open. Wikivoyage adds that sailings to Heraklion are much reduced in winter, so island-hopping can mean a return through Piraeus. Choose the dates of a santorini crete rhodes tour with that in mind.
What happens on each day of a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Ten days make up a santorini crete rhodes tour, and each one has a single job. Two days belong to Athens, four are for moving, three are free on an island, and one is for leaving. The list gives them in order, with notes on the pace after it.
- Day 1: Touch down in Athens and rest after the journey.
- Day 2: The morning tour takes in the Acropolis with its museum and the main monuments.
- Day 3: You ride to the port of Piraeus and take the fast ferry to Santorini.
- Day 4: A free day on Santorini: a half-day volcano cruise, then time in Fira.
- Day 5: You ride to the port again and take the fast ferry to Heraklion on Crete.
- Day 6: A free day on Crete, the largest Greek island, for towns, ruins, museums and beaches.
- Day 7: You go to the airport and fly from Heraklion to Rhodes.
- Day 8: A free day on Rhodes, the island of roses, with its medieval Old Town and its beaches.
- Day 9: You fly back to Athens and spend the night in a room inside the airport.
- Day 10: A short check-in at the airport starts the journey home.
Athens gets the gentle start. Nothing in the first two days needs a ferry or a flight, and the second afternoon is free. You sleep in Athens on both of these nights. That calm opening suits a santorini crete rhodes tour, since the next seven days mix ferries, planes and islands.
Three island bases shape the middle of the plan. Each base holds one free day. The two sea legs come first, on days three and five. The two air legs follow, on days seven and nine. That order lets a santorini crete rhodes tour start on the water and finish in the air.
Day nine ends inside the airport, so the last morning is short. Day ten holds only a short check-in before the departure. That leaves no ferry to catch and no island to reach on the final day. A santorini crete rhodes tour then ends in Athens, where it began.
How do the Athens days work on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Athens holds day one and day two of a santorini crete rhodes tour. Arrival fills day one, while day two brings sightseeing in the morning and free hours in the afternoon. Wikipedia ranks the city’s airport as the second largest in the Balkans, behind Istanbul Airport.
The airport stands near Spata in Attica, as Wikipedia lists it. Wikivoyage adds two points for arrival day. A plane parked at a remote stand reaches the terminal by shuttle bus, which can add a delay. Free Wi-Fi in the terminal now has no time limit. Day one of a santorini crete rhodes tour holds no visit.
Wikivoyage lists two public links to the city. Metro and suburban trains run from the airport station, though not every Metro train from the centre reaches it. The express bus, unlike the Metro, also runs through the night. A santorini crete rhodes tour leaves the ride to the provider, so these links are a fallback.
Wikivoyage calls Athens the fast-beating urban heart of Greece, where modern business and social life go on among ancient monuments. It warns visitors not to expect a philosopher’s theme park. It adds that the Metro lets a visitor avoid the traffic-plagued parts of the city. That keeps both Athens days simple.
Day two begins with a morning sightseeing tour of the main monuments, among them the Acropolis and its museum. Wikipedia notes that Athens still shows Roman and Byzantine work, and fewer Ottoman buildings, beside the classical ruins. The morning of a santorini crete rhodes tour thus spans more than one era.
Free hours follow the tour. Wikivoyage describes Dionysiou Areopagitou Street as a pedestrian route. It ends in the Thiseio district. Views of the Parthenon and the ancient Agora open along it, away from the busy city centre. A santorini crete rhodes tour leaves for the port on day three. A quiet evening fits that plan.
What do the Acropolis and its museum add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The Acropolis anchors a santorini crete rhodes tour with the ancient Parthenon, the Propylaea and the rock itself. According to Wikipedia, the Acropolis Museum keeps finds from the Bronze Age, the Roman period and Byzantine Greece. Both stops fill the morning of day two.
Wikipedia traces the name Parthenon to the Greek word parthenos, which means maiden. The goddess Athena was the deity the building honoured. Two architects, Iktinos and Callicrates, designed it, and Phidias is named as its sculptor. During a santorini crete rhodes tour, the Parthenon stands as the biggest building on the summit, Wikivoyage notes.
The Propylaea forms the gateway on the west side of the summit. Wikipedia explains that the Greek word propylon means “that which is before the gate”. It says the Berlin landmark known as the Brandenburg Gate took its model from this Athenian gate. A santorini crete rhodes tour reaches the Propylaea at the main entrance.
Wikivoyage reports that entry to the rock runs on timed tickets. Staff keep visitors out of the scanning line until the final quarter hour before the ticket time. The Ministry of Culture holds the official days and hours. Read that page before a santorini crete rhodes tour is fixed; this page gives none.
On the museum’s official page, a ticket covers every exhibition area and also the dig beneath the building. Machines on the ground floor validate each ticket before the galleries. The entrance courtyard gives access to the excavation. The ground-floor shop and cafe need no ticket. A santorini crete rhodes tour thus shows the dig below the galleries.
The museum offers a free audio guide on a personal phone. The official site offers two audio tours: thirty exhibits in one hour, or sixty exhibits in two hours. The visitor page lists closed days, Orthodox Easter Sunday and the two Christmas days among them. Check it before a santorini crete rhodes tour fixes day two.
How does the ferry from Piraeus to Santorini work on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Day three of a santorini crete rhodes tour brings the fast ferry from Piraeus to Santorini. Wikivoyage states that fast ferries and high-speed catamarans need about four to five hours from Piraeus. Standard ferryboats take about seven to nine hours on the same route.
Piraeus served classical Athens as its port. Wikivoyage says it is still the main exit by sea to the Aegean islands. It lists gates E6, E7, E9 and E10 for high-speed catamarans and conventional ferries to those islands. A santorini crete rhodes tour boards at one of them, so confirm the gate with the provider.
Wikivoyage says the Metro reaches the port at Piraeus station, near gate E6. Ferries for the central Cyclades leave from a spot directly opposite that station. Wikivoyage adds that walking the port is easy only for travellers who carry no luggage. A santorini crete rhodes tour therefore starts day three with a ride arranged in advance.
The Santorini page of Wikivoyage tells travellers to check what they bought. A reservation does not by itself mean a seat, and a seat can be an extra. A travel writer’s article on island hopping adds that schedules change, so confirm them on arrival. Before a santorini crete rhodes tour sails, read what the ticket covers.
The sea route runs from Piraeus past Paros and Naxos to the new port on Thira. Paros is the biggest ferry hub of the Cyclades, Wikivoyage says. At night the sea is calmer, so the Cyclades page favours late evening and early morning sailings. The provider sets the sailing time.
Weather decides the rest. Wikivoyage says transport by sea always depends on the weather. The Cyclades page warns of cancellations in rough sea and weather. It also names the meltemi. This wind blows all through July and August and eases the heat. A santorini crete rhodes tour treats every sailing as the provider’s call.
What does the caldera add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The caldera is a flooded volcanic crater, and it shapes the first island of the Santorini Crete Rhodes tour. A crescent of tall cliffs surrounds an inner bay of sea. The old island broke apart in an eruption that Wikipedia dates to roughly 3,600 years ago.
Scientists still argue about the date of the eruption. Wikipedia says radiocarbon dating and the archaeological record differ by roughly a century. It compares the blast with the Tambora and Samalas eruptions. Ash once reported from the Nile Delta, it adds, was a misidentification. The Santorini Crete Rhodes tour meets a caldera whose story is still being checked.
Wikipedia says at least four overlapping calderas cut through the older shield volcanoes of the island. The newest formed in the Minoan eruption. Another Wikipedia page notes a suggestion that this eruption gave rise to the Atlantis legend. So the caldera on a Santorini Crete Rhodes tour is a record of repeated collapse.
Gas vents are the only activity left in the Kameni craters today. Wikipedia dates their last eruption to the twentieth century and calls Santorini dormant but active. Wikivoyage adds that scientists monitor the activity levels all the time. The Santorini Crete Rhodes tour reaches the two Kameni islands by boat on day four.
Wikipedia puts the caldera 120 kilometres north of Crete, the island of day five. Wikivoyage adds that erosion carved odd shapes in the cliffs, among them the Heart of Santorini. It also notes that the bays below were pirate hide-outs and are sunset spots today. The Santorini Crete Rhodes tour sees the cliffs from the water on day four.
On day three the fast ferry docks at Athinios, below steep cliffs where a road zigzags to the top. Wikivoyage says Thira, the biggest island of the archipelago, holds almost all the lodging. A short transfer then reaches the hotel. The same page lists ferry links to Piraeus, Heraklion and Rhodes, and to Paros and Naxos.
What do Fira and Oia add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Fira is the capital, perched on the caldera rim, and Oia is a village on the northern tip. Together they give the Santorini Crete Rhodes tour its two cliff towns. Imerovigli, a small rim village just above Fira, lies between the two, as Wikivoyage places it.
The capital of Santorini is Fira, the main town of the Santorini Crete Rhodes tour. Wikipedia says the approach roads come into the town from its eastern side. Fira rose in the late eighteenth century, once less piracy let islanders spread out from the castles. Whitewashed houses line the caldera edge, a marriage of Venetian and Cycladic styles, says Wikivoyage.
Fira holds two cathedrals. Wikivoyage describes the town’s Catholic cathedral, named for John the Baptist, as a baroque building in blue-grey and cream. The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral dates from the nineteenth century and has a courtyard. A third church, the Dormition, is known as the Three Bells of Fira. An earthquake damaged both cathedrals, and both were restored.
Wikivoyage says no road links the old port to Fira, which stands high above it. A cable car joins the port to the town centre in about three minutes. The alternative is the Karavolades Stairs, a paved stairway of 588 steps, where donkeys carry riders. The plan for the Santorini Crete Rhodes tour names the cable car or a mule.
Oia occupies the far north-western corner of Santorini. Wikipedia says its area also covers all of Thirasia, which can be seen from the village. Two-storey captains’ houses on the high part of Oia recall the days of its merchant fleet. Wikipedia adds that wine from the land behind Oia was exported to France.
Wikipedia calls the sunset a special event in Oia every evening, when the town fills with people. An earthquake in the twentieth century damaged part of the town. After it, Wikipedia says, the village rebuilt itself as a tourist town. Anyone adding Oia to the Santorini Crete Rhodes tour joins the sunset crowd on very narrow paths.
How does the free Santorini day fit a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The free day on Santorini is day four of the Santorini Crete Rhodes tour. It runs in three parts: a half-day cruise, an afternoon in Fira, and an evening walk on the rim. The cruise takes the morning, and Fira and the rim fill the hours that remain.
The plan gives the morning to the water. The boat visits the two Kameni islands, stops for a swim, and calls at Thirasia. Wikivoyage calls the hot spring of Palea Kameni a common swimming spot for boat cruises on the caldera. The Santorini Crete Rhodes tour puts the boat first and keeps the town for the afternoon.
The afternoon moves up to Fira. Wikivoyage says the museums of Santorini are mainly in the town. They cover naval history, wine, tomatoes and ethnography, among other subjects. It adds that days less sunny than the brochures promise still have indoor choices. The Santorini Crete Rhodes tour keeps that fallback in reserve for the free afternoon.
In summer, Fira bustles all day as cruise ships come and go, says Wikivoyage. In the early evening their passengers go back on board, and the cafes become more relaxed. The same page suggests watching the sunset from the caldera rim, ideally over dinner or a drink. The Santorini Crete Rhodes tour ends day four there.
The evening walk heads north from Fira along the rim. Imerovigli, the goal of the walk, is popular for its view over the caldera, says Wikivoyage. Wikipedia counts 469 permanent inhabitants there. The same page places the village where the rim stands at its highest. The Santorini Crete Rhodes tour keeps to this short stretch.
Skaros Rock towers high above the water, according to Wikivoyage, and it bears the ruins of a thirteenth-century Venetian castle. Wikipedia credits the castle to Marco Sanudo, who ruled the Cyclades at the time. Wikivoyage adds that the Venetians raised five fortified castles on Santorini from the thirteenth century. The Santorini Crete Rhodes tour turns back at this point.
What does the volcano cruise add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The volcano cruise turns day four of a santorini crete rhodes tour into a short voyage across a flooded crater. The plan stops at Nea Kameni, then at Palea Kameni. The hot springs with green and yellow water follow, with time to swim. Thirasia completes the trip.
Wikipedia links the volcano to a movement of rock deep below the Aegean. The African plate is pushed under Greece and the Aegean Sea. That movement builds the Hellenic arc, which includes Santorini, Methana, Milos and Kos. A santorini crete rhodes tour sees one visible result of it on day four, from the deck of a boat.
The islands of the cruise are made of lava. Wikipedia says so for the Kameni islands, and it calls the eruptions that built them mainly effusive. That means the lava flowed out instead of blasting into the air. The crater path of a santorini crete rhodes tour crosses that dark ground.
Palea Kameni gives the cruise its swim. Wikipedia lists a hot spring on the island, southwest of Nea Kameni. The hot springs of the plan colour the water green and yellow. A santorini crete rhodes tour leaves time in the water, so pack a swimsuit and a towel.
Wikivoyage explains how boat tickets read in the caldera. Port ticket offices sell the tickets. A ticket names the ports of departure and arrival and a vessel number instead of a name. The number is printed on the lifeboats. Larger boats have a bar for drinks and snacks.
Thirasia completes the list of islands on the cruise. Wikipedia gives it a density of 34 residents per square kilometre. It says the Thera eruption separated Thirasia from Thera. The cruise of a santorini crete rhodes tour therefore crosses the caldera water that lies between the two.
What do Akrotiri and the beaches of Santorini add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Wikipedia calls Akrotiri the Minoan site outside Crete that is known above all others. A santorini crete rhodes tour that sails on to Crete therefore meets the Minoan story twice. The beaches of Santorini add a red shore and a black sand shore to the free day.
Wikipedia says the pipes of Akrotiri ran in twin systems, so hot and cold water were in use. It was not a palace complex like those on Crete, nor a set of merchant warehouses. Its fine masonry and wall paintings reveal a complex community, Wikipedia adds. A santorini crete rhodes tour can compare this town with the Cretan palaces.
Local people found old objects in a quarry. A French geologist then led the first digs on Santorini, Wikipedia says. A German archaeologist later uncovered Ancient Thera on Mesa Vouno. Those archaic ruins date from long after the Minoan eruption. A santorini crete rhodes tour meets the older town at Akrotiri.
Wikipedia lists the fullest wall paintings found in one house of Akrotiri. Two antelopes are drawn with a confident line, and a man holds fish strung by the gills. A fleet of pleasure boats sails beside leaping dolphins. Sea scenes suit a santorini crete rhodes tour, which spends days three and five on ferries.
The sea explains the pebbles. Wikivoyage calls the archipelago young on a geological time scale. The sea has not yet ground the volcanic rock into fine sand. The shore here is made up of pebbles in varying sizes, so sturdy footwear helps. Pack beach shoes beside the swimsuit for any swim on the free day of the plan.
Wikivoyage places Red Beach south of Akrotiri, so the ruins and the red shore sit on one coast. It lists Kamari Beach as a black sand beach that continues south into Perissa. Day four of a santorini crete rhodes tour is short, so treat these shores as an extra beside the cruise.
How does the ferry from Santorini to Heraklion work on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Wikivoyage Crete says daily catamarans link Heraklion with Santorini in summer. On day five the plan sails the same sea the other way. A santorini crete rhodes tour takes the fast ferry from Santorini to Heraklion. The same page puts the sailing at roughly two and a half hours.
Santorini has two ports, and Wikipedia gives them different jobs. Ferries use Athinios. Skala, the old port, serves the tour boats for Nea Kameni. So a cruise day and a ferry day can start at different places. The plan includes the transfer, so a santorini crete rhodes tour needs no map of the island.
Wikivoyage names five ports for ferries on Crete: Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Sitia and Kastelli-Kissamos. It also lists a high-speed ferry from Rethymno to Santorini in summer. The plan uses Heraklion, the first port on that list. A santorini crete rhodes tour thus lands in the largest city of the island.
Other pages agree that this link exists. Wikipedia lists Santorini among the ferry destinations from Heraklion. Wikivoyage Santorini names a daily connection with Heraklion in high season. Wikivoyage Heraklion lists three operators for the Santorini run. Timetables differ, so the ticket of a santorini crete rhodes tour gives the time of day five. This page names none.
Wikivoyage places the Heraklion ferry terminal just east of the town centre, near the bus station. It adds that taxi ranks stand in the main places of the city, including the ferry port. The plan includes the transfer to the hotel. A santorini crete rhodes tour needs no search for a ride on arrival.
Wikivoyage says that flying from Athens to Santorini avoids possible sea sickness. The plan mixes the two ways of travelling instead. Days three and five go by sea, and days seven and nine go by air. Each way has its own luggage and weather points. A later section compares the legs of a santorini crete rhodes tour.
What does Crete add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The middle base of a santorini crete rhodes tour is Crete, which tops the Greek islands by size. In the Wikipedia list of the 13 top-level units of Greece, the Region of Crete is the one furthest south. It calls the island predominantly mountainous. It adds that Crete keeps its own local poetry and music.
The Peloponnese stands about 100 kilometres north of Crete, Wikipedia says, and Anatolia about 300 kilometres northeast. The island closes the Aegean from the south, as the same article puts it. A santorini crete rhodes tour crosses that open water by fast ferry from Santorini. Rhodes lies in the Dodecanese, and the plan flies there from Crete.
Wikipedia says the island is only 12 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, near Ierapetra. The same article counts 30 summits above 2,000 metres in the White Mountains alone. Wikivoyage adds that snow caps a number of the peaks for much of the year. So a santorini crete rhodes tour meets a long island with a high spine.
Wikivoyage places the main sights and towns along the north coast. A major highway runs the length of the island there, with branches south from the large cities. It calls the south coast very undeveloped, apart from Ierapetra, because the terrain is rugged. A santorini crete rhodes tour lands in Heraklion, which stands on that north coast.
Four regional units share the island, as Wikivoyage lists them. Chania lies in the west, and Lasithi lies in the east. Wikivoyage says nearly all visitors pick a northern city as a base and explore the island from there. A santorini crete rhodes tour follows the same habit and keeps to one base for its free day.
Wikivoyage counts only about 60 days of rain a year. The east is drier than the west, and the west holds more forest. The same page says forest once covered the whole island, mainly cedar and pine. Trees were cut for firewood, and olive trees and vineyards took their place.
What does Heraklion add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Heraklion gives a santorini crete rhodes tour its Cretan base on the north coast. The administrative capital of Crete, Heraklion ranks as the biggest city on any Greek island, Wikipedia says. The fast ferry from Santorini docks there on day five, and a transfer leads on to the hotel.
Wikivoyage calls the Venetian wall of Heraklion the biggest well-preserved one in the east Mediterranean. It is 7.5 kilometres long, and seven bastions jut out from it. The wall encircles the old city, so a santorini crete rhodes tour meets it in the centre. Much of the circuit can be walked, Wikivoyage adds, with sweeping views.
The Koules fortress stands over the inner harbour. Wikivoyage dates the Venetian fortress to the sixteenth century. From its walls a mole reaches out for almost two kilometres. Walkers can reach the mole without entering the fortress. Its views look back over the city and the ferry port, where a santorini crete rhodes tour arrives.
Wikipedia says the Emirate of Crete moved its capital to a new castle here in the ninth century. The rulers called the castle Rabd al-Handaq, which means Castle of the Moat. Greek speakers turned the name into Chandax, and in the Venetian period it became Candia. Candia also stood for the whole island, Wikipedia adds.
Wikivoyage names the Archaeological Museum among the main sights. A santorini crete rhodes tour meets the Minoan story first in these rooms. The museum holds the major finds of the Minoan civilisation, according to the page. Highlights include statues of the Snake Goddess, the Bull-Leaping Fresco, seals and jewellery. The Phaistos Disc is on display there too.
Wikivoyage calls the centre pedestrianised and says you can see the main central sights on foot. It names Lions Square with the Morosini Fountain. The Loggia, a city meeting place, dates from the seventeenth century. The central open market near Meidani Square sells mountain herbs and spices. A santorini crete rhodes tour can link all three on foot.
What does the Minoan story add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The Minoan story adds the oldest layer to a santorini crete rhodes tour. Wikipedia says the Bronze Age Minoans of Crete are regarded as the first civilisation in Europe. It names the ruined palaces at Knossos and Phaistos as popular tourist attractions for visitors today.
Minoan is named after the mythical King Minos, who ruled Knossos in the old Greek belief. Wikipedia calls it a modern coinage and says the Minoans’ own name for themselves is unknown. The civilisation was largely forgotten, then rediscovered by excavation in the early twentieth century. A santorini crete rhodes tour meets the result in museums and ruins.
Wikipedia says the Minoans exported farm products and luxury crafts for raw metals, which were hard to obtain on Crete. Their cultural influence reached the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. A santorini crete rhodes tour crosses part of that same sea. The buildings called palaces served religious and economic purposes, Wikipedia adds, rather than serving as royal homes.
The Minoans wrote in Cretan hieroglyphs and in Linear A. Neither script is fully deciphered, so the Minoan language is unknown, Wikipedia says. Linear B, a later form of Linear A, wrote Mycenaean Greek. Minoan art includes decorated pottery, seals, figurines and frescoes. The writing cannot be read, so the objects and ruins tell the story.
In Minoan times, Wikipedia says, Knossos was the biggest population centre on Crete. The modern city’s name is a form of Heracleium, the ancient harbour of Knossos, as Wikipedia explains. Wikipedia adds that Knossos kept prospering after the Santorini eruption. A santorini crete rhodes tour that docks in Heraklion lands near that old harbour.
In a santorini crete rhodes tour, Phaistos is the second Minoan palace, 62 kilometres south of Heraklion. Along with Knossos and Malia, it was one of the three biggest Minoan cities, Wikipedia says. Luigi Pernier found the Phaistos Disc in the palace site. The disc is made of fired clay, about 16 centimetres across, with text in an unknown script.
How does the free Crete day fit a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The free Crete day on a santorini crete rhodes tour covers one area, not the island. Wikipedia says a mountain range crosses Crete from west to east. The island narrows to 12 kilometres near Ierapetra. A town in the morning and a coast in the afternoon fill day six.
Only four islands in the Mediterranean are larger, says Wikipedia: Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Corsica. Wikivoyage adds that visitors from Europe rarely stay longer than two weeks. It says the island needs time to explore fully. A santorini crete rhodes tour has one free day, so the plan picks one area and leaves the rest.
Wikivoyage says the major towns and sites lie along the north coast, where one highway runs from end to end. Branch roads run south from the big towns. Wikivoyage calls the east semi-arid and the west greener, with forests. So the choice of area changes the scenery on a santorini crete rhodes tour.
Inland, the Lasithi Plateau keeps a system of Venetian drainage ditches that is still in use, says Wikipedia. Snow can stay on the plain until mid-spring. White-sailed wind-pumps there once numbered around 10,000. They have largely given way to diesel and electric pumps. A santorini crete rhodes tour that picks this area leaves the sea behind.
In the east, Wikivoyage places a lake in Agios Nikolaos, with easy access to Elounda and Spinalonga. It names Spinalonga and Knossos as the island’s two sites to visit. Agios Nikolaos, Elounda and Plaka all give access to Spinalonga. A santorini crete rhodes tour can use any of the three.
A day without a car relies on buses. Wikivoyage calls buses reliable and frequent on the north coast and on routes south from it. Heraklion keeps its local buses and its long-distance buses in two separate stations. Day trips between towns on a santorini crete rhodes tour start at the long-distance station.
What do Chania, Rethymno and the coast add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Chania and Rethymno add two Venetian old towns to a santorini crete rhodes tour. Wikivoyage describes Chania as a port town with a Venetian and Turkish past. It places the old town of Rethymno below a massive Venetian fortress. Each town has a ferry port.
Wikipedia calls the old town the core from which the whole urban area of Chania grew. Wikivoyage calls the old town highly walkable and advises against a car in town. Its alleys and houses were rebuilt again and again, with details from different epochs. On foot, a santorini crete rhodes tour reaches the harbour and the alleys.
Wikipedia divides the old town into quarters. Topanas takes its name from a Venetian ammunition warehouse. Splantzia is largely untouched. A santorini crete rhodes tour can walk any of these quarters. The main square carries the name of Eleftherios Venizelos, who was born in Chania, and is also called Syntrivani. The airport in Athens bears his name too.
Wikivoyage names Nea Hora as the nearest beach to the old town, one kilometre on foot. Wikivoyage adds that the public bus reaches the other beaches nearby. A row of beach resorts runs 20 kilometres west along Chania Bay. A santorini crete rhodes tour can end the afternoon in the water.
In Rethymno, Wikivoyage describes a preserved Ottoman mosque with its minaret, now a concert hall. Wikipedia lists five museums in the town, from the Archaeological Museum to the Museum of Sea Life. The Rimondi Fountain, a Venetian work, has three mask-shaped taps, says Wikivoyage. On a santorini crete rhodes tour, the lanes are reserved primarily for pedestrians.
Wikivoyage puts Rethymno 80 kilometres from Heraklion, about one hour and twenty minutes by bus. It lists weekday buses every hour, with times that vary by day and season. The Fortezza crowns a small hill close to the sea. A sandy beach starts inside the town and runs east. That beach fills the afternoon of a santorini crete rhodes tour.
What do the gorges and the beaches of Crete add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The gorges and the beaches of Crete add a park walk and two beaches to a santorini crete rhodes tour. Wikipedia mentions endemic species, flowers and birds in the Samaria Gorge. Balos and Elafonissi, the two beaches, sit near the western end of Crete.
Just inside the gorge, Wikipedia places the village of Samaria. Its last inhabitants left in the year the gorge became a park. The ancient church of Ossia Maria gave both the village and the gorge their names. The rare kri-kri, a Cretan goat, lives largely inside the park. The gorge of a santorini crete rhodes tour is a protected area.
Five to seven hours of walking end at the Libyan Sea, so the gorge fills a day. Wikipedia says local operators run organised tours, with a bus to the entrance near Omalos. It warns that no morning bus leaves Sougia or Paleochora on a Sunday. A santorini crete rhodes tour then trades the town and the coast for the walk.
The open season differs between sources. Wikivoyage gives late spring until mid-October. The Chania Forest Protection Service, quoted by Wikipedia, gives late spring until the last day of October. Wikipedia also lists a walk that starts at Agia Roumeli, reaches the Gates and returns. Check the park notice before building day six around the gorge.
Wikivoyage calls Gramvousa a small rocky island with ferry connections from Kissamos. Wikipedia adds the Balos lagoon, where an islet forms Cape Tigani, whose Greek name means frying pan. The E75 highway reaches Kissamos, the base for Balos, from Heraklion along the north coast. A santorini crete rhodes tour reaches Balos from that base.
Elafonissi belongs to the Chania regional unit. Wikipedia says its beaches have pink sand and the whole island has nature reserve protection. Fine weather makes it possible to cross on foot through the shallows, Wikipedia adds. Wikivoyage lists one bus a day from Chania, at 09:00. It adds that the beach is a favourite for relaxing and swimming.
How does the flight from Heraklion to Rhodes work on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The flight from Heraklion to Rhodes is the first of the two flights on a santorini crete rhodes tour. It swaps the sea for a short domestic hop between two Greek islands. Wikipedia calls the Heraklion airport a shared civil and military site, and the main one on Crete.
Crete has more than one airport. Wikivoyage lists the one at Heraklion as the main international airport, with Chania and Sitia holding airports of their own. It adds frequent flights from Athens and Thessaloniki and charter flights from European airports between April and November. Day seven of the santorini crete rhodes tour begins at the main airport.
The Wikipedia tables of both airports list the other island, so this leg is a scheduled flight. The tables also name the carriers, which this page leaves out. Wikivoyage adds that Crete has no flights between its own towns. A traveller on the santorini crete rhodes tour flies out of Crete, not across it.
Wikivoyage names city bus line 1 as the link to the airport. Taxi ranks wait at the airport and the ferry port. The plan has its own ride on day seven, so these are a back-up. Wikivoyage advises arriving at least two hours before a domestic flight. A santorini crete rhodes tour counts those hours into the day.
Departure time is not boarding time. Once the aircraft door is closed and locked, it stays closed. Check-in produces the boarding pass, and baggage drop weighs and labels the checked bag. Ask the airline for its cut-off times. Flights within the European Union limit liquids in hand luggage to 100 ml per container, in one transparent zip-lock bag.
Rhodes International Airport, called Diagoras, has one runway, 3,305 metres long, as Wikipedia states. Wikivoyage calls it the only airport on the island. The bus ride from the west coast into the city takes 35 minutes, it adds. A santorini crete rhodes tour ends day seven with this short ride.
What does Rhodes add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Rhodes adds a third kind of island to a santorini crete rhodes tour. Santorini offers a volcanic caldera and Crete offers mountains. Rhodes offers a seafaring past. Wikipedia calls the island the eastern gate to the Aegean Sea, where Phoenician merchants made an important stop.
Wikivoyage places Karpathos between Rhodes and Crete. One more Dodecanese island sits in the gap between two stops of the santorini crete rhodes tour. The plan crosses that gap by air. Wikipedia names the city of Rhodes as the capital of the Dodecanese.
Another Wikipedia page says Turkey lies just 18 km away and can be seen from Rhodes. Wikivoyage lists ferry links to Bodrum, Fethiye, Datca and Marmaris on the Turkish coast. The santorini crete rhodes tour stays in Greece, but the view east belongs to the setting of the island.
The plan calls day eight of the santorini crete rhodes tour a day on the island of roses. Wikivoyage says the rock-rose is so common that the island carries that name. Modern scholars question the ancient link between the name and the rose. Wikipedia gives two more titles, one for the sun god Helios and one for the Knights.
The two coasts differ in wind. Wikivoyage says Faliraki has far less wind than the west coast, with good public transport. Fanes is a windsurfing and kite-surfing resort with summer winds. Important windsurfing competitions take place at Ialysos. A santorini crete rhodes tour can match a beach to the wind.
Evening life on Rhodes has more than one home. Wikivoyage calls Faliraki the action resort and lists night-clubs for Ialysos. Kalithea, north of Faliraki, is known for its spa built by the Italians and for snorkelling. Afandou has a long beach and the golf course of the island. History by day and evening life by night share the island.
What does the Old Town of Rhodes add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The Old Town adds a walled medieval city to a santorini crete rhodes tour. UNESCO lists it as the Medieval City of Rhodes, and Wikivoyage names it the main attraction of Rhodes Town. The Knights of Saint John strengthened the older Byzantine walls from the fourteenth century on, as Wikipedia states.
The Knights took the Theodosian walls of Constantinople as their model, Wikipedia states. After the Ottoman conquest the walls were repaired, not pulled down. Their form therefore stays frozen at the early sixteenth century. These works still mark the shift from medieval defence to modern fortification. A santorini crete rhodes tour meets this ring on its free day in Rhodes.
The walls use rubble masonry, which builds a great mass able to withstand gunshots. Wikipedia says smooth outer stone faces stopped attackers from climbing. UNESCO states that near the Amboise Gate the curtain wall was 12 m thick. Its parapet stood 4 m high and held gun holes. These numbers give the santorini crete rhodes tour a sense of scale.
A santorini crete rhodes tour enters the Old Town through one of 11 gates, says Wikipedia. The Gate of Saint Catherine is called the Windmills Gate, after the grain mills on the mole. The Gate of Saint Athanasios is called the Saint Francis Gate, after a nearby church. The Gate of the Virgin is a modern opening for vehicles.
Wikivoyage splits Rhodes city into four areas: the Old Town, the New Town, the eastern waterfront and the ancient Acropolis. Wikipedia says the Italian city plan respected the walled town and cleared the houses built against its walls. On a santorini crete rhodes tour, the belt of walls keeps the Old Town apart from the New Town.
Wikipedia names the Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library as an example of Ottoman architecture in Rhodes. Ottoman builders gave the town baths and enclosed wooden balconies over the narrow streets. Two bus stations stand just outside the wall, near the waterfront. Wikivoyage says the main way around is on foot, so a santorini crete rhodes tour walks the lanes.
What do the Street of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Master add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The Knights Hospitaller left a main street and a palace for a santorini crete rhodes tour. UNESCO calls the street the principal east-west axis of the medieval city of Rhodes. Wikipedia names the palace of their Grand Master a rare Gothic building in Greece.
The Knights of St John of Jerusalem lost their last stronghold in Palestine, at Acre, before they occupied Rhodes. UNESCO says they held the island from the early fourteenth century to the early sixteenth century. They made the island’s capital a fortified city. A santorini crete rhodes tour walks through that city on day eight.
The Order had seven tongues, each with its own seat, called an inn. UNESCO says the inns of four tongues, Italy, France, Spain and Provence, stood on both sides of the street. UNESCO calls the street one of the finest examples of Gothic town planning. On day eight the santorini crete rhodes tour follows that line on foot.
UNESCO places the Inn of Auvergne to the north, near the first hospice site. Its facade bears the arms of a Grand Master from the early sixteenth century. The Great Hospital replaced that hospice in the fifteenth century and was built south of the street. UNESCO adds that the Knights built the whole high town themselves.
The plan calls the Palace the Castle of the Knights. In the nineteenth century an explosion destroyed much of the Palace, says Wikipedia. Italian rule rebuilt the Palace in the twentieth century, and it later became a museum. On a santorini crete rhodes tour, the Ministry page points to mosaic floors and medieval furniture on the first floor.
The Ministry of Culture sets summer hours, April to October, from eight in the morning until eight at night. Winter hours, November to March, are shorter: half past eight until half past three, with Tuesday closed. Entry stops 20 minutes before closing, so a santorini crete rhodes tour needs an early start. The page lists a ramp and a lift.
How does the free Rhodes day fit a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Day eight is the last island day of a santorini crete rhodes tour, and the Old Town can fill it. Wikivoyage puts the Old Town at one day or more, and two days for all its museums. So the day needs a choice for each part of it.
Wikivoyage names walking as the primary way to get about in the Old Town. It counts about 200 streets or lanes without a name, so getting lost is a real chance. A morning of the santorini crete rhodes tour suits the Palace, then a slow walk down the Knights’ main street. Wikivoyage also advises a good map.
Wikivoyage lists a walk along the top of the walls on Tuesday and Saturday at 08:00. It leaves from the Palace, and nobody leads it. Wikivoyage says the walk gives views of the town and a sense of its size. Check the day first, since a santorini crete rhodes tour has no spare day.
Wikivoyage places Elli Beach on the eastern waterfront of the New Town, with the Commercial Harbour and Mandraki Harbour. It calls the beach extensive, so the afternoon of a santorini crete rhodes tour can end with a swim. Wikivoyage lists Rodini Park too, a historical park with a Roman water system, a creek gorge and peacocks.
Two pillars stand at the Mandraki harbour entrance, and Wikipedia says local belief puts the Colossus there. Wikivoyage adds modern bronze deer statues in the same harbour. It calls Mandraki the yacht and ferry harbour of the city. A santorini crete rhodes tour can spend its last island evening on this waterfront.
Wikipedia credits the architect Florestano Di Fausto with the new town beside the Mandraki harbour. He drew the buildings in an eclectic style, with Ottoman, Venetian, Renaissance and local touches. A Wikipedia caption lists the Nea Agora market of Mandraki among his works. The evening needs no plan beyond a stroll along this waterfront.
What do Lindos and the east coast add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The east coast adds a long run of beaches and the village of Lindos to a santorini crete rhodes tour. Wikivoyage describes the east side as one nearly unbroken line of sandy beaches and calm water. Lindos sits on the east shore, about 40 km from Rhodes city, says Wikipedia.
Wikipedia names Cleobulus as the ruler of Lindos in the sixth century BC and counts him among the Seven Sages. Wikipedia records over 3,100 sunshine hours a year near Lindos in south-east Rhodes, the highest total in Greece. On a santorini crete rhodes tour, Lindos is a choice for the free day, not a fixed stop.
Wikivoyage says Faliraki has a long sandy beach with plenty of tavernas. Kalithea lies north of Faliraki and is known for a spa built by Italians and for snorkelling. Afandou has a long beach and the golf course of Rhodes, and Kolymbia has two beaches. A santorini crete rhodes tour can swim at any of them.
Wikivoyage describes Haraki as a small former fishing village with an enclosed beach. Pefkos, a smaller resort close to Lindos, began as a cluster of farms and homes and is now a town. Lardos has a market square with restaurants and shops, near Lindos. Wikivoyage also lists a town beach on the bay of Lindos.
Wikivoyage says all public bus lines run out from Rhodes town to almost every relevant place. White and orange buses serve the east coast. Roadside stops carry a sign, and you signal the driver to board. Only part of the stops show a timetable, so plan the way back first on a santorini crete rhodes tour.
Wikivoyage says taxis on the island are dark blue with a white roof. It also tells riders to keep the meter running. The tourist information office for the Dodecanese stands opposite the New Market in Rhodes city. Day nine moves to the airport, so a santorini crete rhodes tour ends its coast trip on day eight.
What do the valleys and villages of inland Rhodes add to a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Inland Rhodes adds a green and quiet side to a santorini crete rhodes tour. Wikipedia describes the interior as mountainous and sparsely inhabited, with forests of pine and cypress. A traveller on the free Rhodes day can swap Old Town lanes for a moth valley, ruins and mountain villages.
Wikipedia says the shores of Rhodes are rocky, but the island has strips of arable land. Olives, wine grapes, citrus fruit and vegetables grow on that land. Wikipedia also lists small villages of whitewashed homes outside the city. These farms and villages give a santorini crete rhodes tour a working countryside to set against the walled town.
Wikipedia gives the Greek name Petaloudes for the Valley of the Butterflies. Its page on Rhodes ties the moths to the summer months. The Jersey tiger page says groups of the subspecies rhodosensis shelter there from the summer heat. The season of a santorini crete rhodes tour therefore decides what the valley shows.
Wikivoyage adds a caution before the trip picks the valley. The butterflies are really coloured moths that need quiet to breed. Tourists visit the area, so the moth population keeps falling. It says a visitor will hardly see any moths, so going makes little sense. It calls the area scenic regardless.
Wikipedia says Kamiros was one of three cities that founded the city of Rhodes in 408 BC. The city rose on three levels, with the acropolis on the top hill. The covered reservoir there stored 600 cubic metres, which served up to 400 families. A santorini crete rhodes tour that adds Kamiros sees these ruins.
Wikivoyage names a monastery and a chapel on Filerimos Hill. It lists Asklipio, an inland village with an old church and a castle. Inland Laerma has been inhabited continuously since the pre-Hellenic period. The largest monastery on Rhodes stands 4 km southwest of it. One of these stops can fill the free day of a santorini crete rhodes tour.
How does the flight from Rhodes to Athens work on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The flight from Rhodes to Athens is the second air leg of a santorini crete rhodes tour. It closes the island part on day nine. Wikipedia calls Diagoras Airport the main entry and exit point of Rhodes, well connected with other Greek cities and islands.
Wikipedia counts two airports on Rhodes and calls only one of them public. The other, Maritsa, is now used by the Hellenic Air Force. Diagoras, the public one, has a single runway 3,305 metres long, as Wikipedia states. Wikipedia adds that a west-coast road links Rhodes city with that airport and with Kamiros.
Wikivoyage Greece says flying is worth a thought between the mainland and the islands. Train routes are limited, and bus and ferry journeys take long. It adds that it is sometimes more practical to fly, especially to Crete or Rhodes. Days seven and nine of the santorini crete rhodes tour are the two flights.
Airlines set deadlines for check-in, bag drop and boarding, as Wikivoyage explains. For domestic flights, a number of airlines accept bags from four hours to 45 minutes before departure. Wikivoyage gives 10 to 20 minutes before departure as the general time when boarding ends. Day nine of a santorini crete rhodes tour counts its airport hours inside that window.
Hand luggage has its own rules, as Wikivoyage lists them. Sharp objects such as knives and scissors must go in the checked bag. Carry-on bags, laptops and the clear bag of liquids go into bins for scanning. On a santorini crete rhodes tour, keep the ID and the boarding pass with you throughout, as Wikivoyage advises.
The flight lands at Athens International Airport. The main terminal has eleven belt conveyors for luggage, as Wikipedia counts them. Wikivoyage says to keep the shorter part of the baggage tag, as an airport can ask for it. The plan’s hotel stands inside the airport, so day nine of a santorini crete rhodes tour needs no city transfer.
How do the airport night and the departure day work on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The airport night closes a santorini crete rhodes tour, and day ten starts at the terminal. Wikivoyage places the only hotel on the grounds of Athens Airport between the terminal and the railway and metro station. The plan books a stay inside the airport on day nine.
Wikivoyage sends travellers who want a hotel near the airport to its Spata and Rafina listings. It describes Spata as a mostly residential town near Athens. Athens International Airport stands on Spata grounds, Wikivoyage says, and is sometimes called Spata Airport. A santorini crete rhodes tour skips that search by sleeping inside the airport.
Wikivoyage notes that public transport to airports can be limited or missing for flights before nine in the morning. For an early flight, it advises a last night in the city the airport serves, or a neighbouring one. The airport night of a santorini crete rhodes tour removes the morning ride to the terminal altogether.
Wikivoyage Athens notes a landside convenience store open 24 hours, opposite the car rental counters. It adds that free Wi-Fi now has no time limit. The airport also has fast food restaurants, duty-free shops, lounges and other services. A late arrival on day nine of a santorini crete rhodes tour therefore finds a shop open.
Wikivoyage splits an airport into landside, with check-in and bag drop, and airside, with the aircraft. Its general rule for an international flight is at least 3 hours at the airport. It also advises checking the airline’s deadlines a day or more earlier, for example during online check-in. The departure of a santorini crete rhodes tour follows those steps.
Luggage allowances differ by airline, so extra baggage needs a check with the airline first. Wikivoyage Athens places luggage storage at the south end of the arrivals level, landside. Wikivoyage calls it wise to arrive an hour earlier than the airline’s minimum check-in time. That spare hour is the buffer of the trip on day ten.
Which entry rules and packing points matter on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
A santorini crete rhodes tour stays inside Greece, so your passport or ID card is the first entry point. Wikipedia says a traveller who needs a visa gets one Schengen visa that covers trips to every member state. Wikivoyage adds that temporary border controls can return around big events.
Citizens of the European Economic Area and Switzerland need no visa for Greece, says Wikivoyage. A passport or an ID card in date is enough. Your nationality sets the rules for a santorini crete rhodes tour. The detail for each nationality sits with the Greek Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as Wikivoyage points out. Read its rules before booking.
Wikivoyage adds that carriers can ask for identification before boarding, even on trips between two Schengen countries. A santorini crete rhodes tour has two ferry boardings and two flights. Each boarding is a point where a document can be asked for. Keep the passport or ID card within reach at the gate or the quay.
Euro cents are called lepta in Greece, says Wikivoyage. Wikivoyage lists 230 volt at 50 hertz for the santorini crete rhodes tour, with Europlug and Schuko sockets. Bring an adapter if your own plug differs. Wikivoyage reports that photos of military sites and navy ships are forbidden in Greece. It advises against photos of airports and aircraft too.
On Santorini, Wikivoyage describes cobbled paths and cliffside steps. It calls heels and uncomfortable shoes a poor match there and recommends sneakers or comfortable walking shoes. At the Acropolis, the Ministry of Culture page recommends walking footwear and asks visitors to keep to marked routes. One firm pair of shoes serves a santorini crete rhodes tour.
Wikivoyage advises a light sun hat and sunglasses. It adds that coastal areas on open water, the islands among them, are breezy and can turn cold at night. A light layer therefore suits the ferry decks of a santorini crete rhodes tour. Church dress codes can ask women to cover their shoulders and everyone to cover their knees, Wikivoyage says.
Which sea conditions, access needs and luggage points matter on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Wikipedia calls the meltemi a dominant Aegean weather influence. Wikivoyage says the warmest weeks end in mid-August, when the meltemi winds from the north cool the country. Treat both sea days of a santorini crete rhodes tour as days that can move. The sea is the first point to watch.
Wikipedia traces the term etesian to the Greek word etos, meaning year, for the yearly pattern of the wind. Wikivoyage Greece warns sailors of the meltemi, strong winds with little warning. Ask the provider about the sailing before the santorini crete rhodes tour leaves port. On a sea day, the provider decides whether the boat sails.
Wikivoyage says the Aegean can be extremely rough in the winter off-season, from January to March. Boats then stay in port for days. The port authority, not the ferry company, takes that decision. Weather, strikes and breakdowns can delay a ferry in other months too. A santorini crete rhodes tour therefore keeps a spare buffer.
Wikivoyage warns that the steps of Santorini can trouble older visitors. The page names the low walls above the drops a risk for children. It also tells visitors to stay on the paths near caves, because the rock there is unstable tufa. Plan the free Santorini day of the santorini crete rhodes tour around those limits.
Access differs from island to island. The Ministry of Culture says the Acropolis has an elevator for visitors with mobility difficulties. Trained staff stay beside wheelchair users. The elevator stops in severe weather or strong winds, so call the guards’ office before arrival. Ask each provider about access before booking a santorini crete rhodes tour.
Wikivoyage calls the Old Towns of Crete, such as Chania, hilly, with steps between areas. It calls historic ruins there hard to explore fully by wheelchair, though large sections can be reached. Wikivoyage also says Santorini coaches carry luggage compartments for large backpacks or cases. Pack one small bag for the day on a santorini crete rhodes tour.
How do the ferry legs and the flight legs differ on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The two ferry legs depend on the sea, and the two flight legs depend on the airport. Wikivoyage Greece calls the ferry network hub-and-spoke, with the spokes running out of Piraeus to the island groups. That one fact shapes how a santorini crete rhodes tour mixes both ways.
Wikivoyage says an island group has fairly frequent boats of its own, with fewer between groups. The first sea leg follows a spoke from Piraeus to the Cyclades. The second crosses from the Cyclades to Crete. A santorini crete rhodes tour fits the second leg to the season, because winter sailings thin out.
On a ferry day, Wikivoyage says to be prompt, because ferries leave on time. The same source says departure ports post the ferry timetables at their ticket offices. Flight days follow the airport check-in instead. Ask each carrier what the ticket covers and what bags it takes before the trip starts.
A travel writer’s island-hopping page says flights suffer fewer delays and cancellations than boats. It adds that flights link the islands more frequently and are much quicker. The same page says bad weather can cancel sailings, and the risk is higher off-season. For its two later legs, the santorini crete rhodes tour relies on the air.
The arrival points differ. The first ferry docks at Athinios on Santorini, and the second docks at the port of Heraklion on Crete. The first flight lands at Rhodes airport, and the second lands at Athens International Airport. Each arrival starts with its own transfer on the santorini crete rhodes tour.
Wikivoyage says not to count on a ferry to Athens on the day your plane leaves. It advises reaching Athens at least one day before the flight. The plan keeps that spirit: it flies on day nine and sleeps at the airport. A missed leg on day three, five or seven takes the next free day.
Which food and drink suit a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Each island of a santorini crete rhodes tour has its own table. Wikipedia ties Santorini to a wine grown on volcanic ash. It ties Crete to a cuisine that puts plants first, and Rhodes to chickpea dumplings and a grape spirit.
The wine of Santorini opens the food side of a santorini crete rhodes tour. Assyrtiko is the island’s own grape, and Athiri and Aidani are its white partners. Wikipedia calls winegrowing the leading sector of farming on the island. Around the mid-nineteenth century Santorini sold its whole wine output to Russia.
Vinsanto is Italian for holy wine. Wikipedia calls this dessert wine sweet and strong, made from sun-dried grapes. Its flavours include nuts, raisins, figs, honey and tea. The names Vinsanto and Santorini are both protected designations of origin. A dessert wine ends a meal on a santorini crete rhodes tour.
Cretan cuisine, as Wikipedia describes the traditional form, put plants first. Dairy appeared every day in modest amounts. Poultry and fish came to the table weekly, and red meat came only rarely. Yoghurt and fresh fruit were the common dessert. The Crete day of a santorini crete rhodes tour meets this table.
Wikipedia lists askordoulakoi, bulbs of the tassel hyacinth kept in pickle, and stafidota, cookies filled with raisins. Lamb stewed with golden thistle goes by the name arni me askolibrous. Tsikoudia, the grape brandy of the island, is distilled only once and carries no added flavourings. These names help on a santorini crete rhodes tour.
Wikipedia calls the cuisine of Rhodes rich. Pitaroudia are chickpea dumplings, and lakani is goat meat with chickpeas. Synoro is a traditional cheese, and amygdalota are white almond cookies. Souma and koriantolino are the two main alcoholic drinks, and souma comes from grape distillation. The Rhodes day of a santorini crete rhodes tour adds these flavours.
How do the three islands differ in size and landscape on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
The three islands of a santorini crete rhodes tour differ greatly in size. As Wikipedia states, Crete is the fifth-largest Mediterranean island, with Rhodes in ninth place. The whole municipality of Santorini holds 90 square kilometres of land. Each stop changes the scale of the trip.
Wikivoyage describes Santorini as five volcanic islands, not one. Thira is the largest at 73 square kilometres, and Thirasia is second at nine. Aspronisi is the smallest, only 650 metres long. Nea Kameni, the volcano in the middle, is a barren round island about two kilometres across. This is the smallest base of the santorini crete rhodes tour.
Crete is built around its mountains. Six groups of peaks form the range that spans the island from end to end. Mount Ida, in the Idi range, is the highest point, at 2,456 metres. The Dikti Mountains rise to 2,148 metres. The Crete base of a santorini crete rhodes tour is Heraklion, on the north shore.
Valleys and plateaus lie between the peaks. Wikipedia names the Amari valley and the Lasithi, Omalos and Nidha plateaus. Wikivoyage puts the Lasithi Plateau at 840 metres above sea level. It also lists the Vai palm forest as the largest palm forest in Europe. These places show the santorini crete rhodes tour beyond the coast.
According to Wikipedia, Rhodes is larger than every other Dodecanese island taken together. Limestone forms the main bedrock. Small villages of whitewashed homes dot the land outside the city. The ancient and modern harbours stand at the northern tip, in the city of Rhodes. Rhodes is the third base of the santorini crete rhodes tour.
The interior of Rhodes is mountainous and sparsely inhabited, with forests of pine and cypress. Wikivoyage places the village of Sianna on the slopes of Akramitis mountain. The shores are rocky, yet strips of arable land grow citrus fruit, wine grapes, vegetables and olives. So the rocky shore and the forested hills sit close together on the Rhodes day.
Which Greek words and manners help on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Two or three Greek words help on a santorini crete rhodes tour, and nobody expects more. Wikivoyage says Greek people know their language is hard for foreigners. They in no way expect a visitor to be proficient. Studying a bit before the trip can still impress them.
The first word is the hello. Wikivoyage gives Gia sas as the polite form, said YAH sahss. Gia sou is the informal form, said YAH soo. The phrase means literally your health. Antio means goodbye. Learn the polite form first for a santorini crete rhodes tour, and add the informal one later.
Kalimera greets the morning, and kalispera greets the evening. Say efharisto for thanks. The phrasebook gives parakalo for both please and you are welcome. Ta leme means see you later. Signomi gets a person’s attention, and den katalaveno means I do not understand. These lines suit the port and the shop on a santorini crete rhodes tour.
Signs use short words. Anichto means open, klisto means closed, isodos means entrance and exodos means exit. Toualeta means toilet. Wikivoyage adds that almost all Greeks, apart from the oldest, understand and speak English. Milate anglika asks if a person speaks it. Both help at every stop of a santorini crete rhodes tour.
Wikivoyage says Greeks dine around 14:00 to 15:00 for lunch and 21:00 to 23:00 for dinner. Places for tourists open as early as 12:00. Dishes are large and meant to be shared, and ordering only salads and sides is normal. A farmers market runs at least once a week in every town, and tasting before you buy is allowed.
Wikivoyage says tipping is not fixed in advance, and tipping taxi drivers is uncommon. Churches sometimes ask for covered shoulders and knees. The rule is lightly enforced in high summer. At busy sites you can pick up suitable clothing at the door and drop it off on the way out. Pack a light cover for a santorini crete rhodes tour.
What else do travellers ask about a santorini crete rhodes tour?
These questions add five facts that other sections of this santorini crete rhodes tour page skip. They cover two island groups, the Colossus, the labyrinth, a free evening and the names of Santorini.
Why are the Cyclades a circle of islands, and what are the Dodecanese?
Wikipedia says the name Cyclades means circular islands. It traces the name to a Greek word that is cognate to cycle. Delos, sacred in ancient Greek religion, is the island the others surround. A santorini crete rhodes tour begins its island run in this group, at Santorini.
In Greek the group is called Dodekanisa, a word Wikipedia translates as twelve islands. Wikipedia places the winters of Rhodes Port among the mildest in Europe. Since antiquity the islands belonged to a wider group called the Southern Sporades.
Wikipedia finds the name first in Byzantine sources of the eighth century, where it meant twelve Cyclades islands around Delos. The term stayed in use for the Cyclades until the eighteenth century. The route of a santorini crete rhodes tour runs from the Cyclades to the Dodecanese by way of Crete.
What was the Colossus of Rhodes, and where did it stand?
The Colossus honoured Helios, the patron god of the Rhodians, says Wikipedia. Chares, a native of Lindos, directed the work. The Rhodians raised it after holding off a year-long siege by Demetrius I of Macedon. It ranks as one of the Seven Wonders of antiquity.
The work ended in 280 BC, says Wikipedia. Ancient accounts describe iron tie bars carrying bronze plates, with the inside filled with stone blocks. The statue stood for 54 years before the ground shook. Even broken, the remains drew travellers for over 800 years.
Wikipedia says no verified remains exist in place, and the exact site is still debated. It puts the 15-metre marble pedestal near the harbour entrance. Scholars generally agree that a giant straddling the harbour has no historic basis. A santorini crete rhodes tour can see that harbour.
What is the Cretan labyrinth legend behind a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Wikipedia says the Labyrinth of Greek myth was built by Daedalus for King Minos at Knossos. It held the Minotaur, killed later by the hero Theseus. The legend sits behind the Minoan story that a santorini crete rhodes tour meets.
Wikipedia says Arthur Evans dug at Knossos early in the twentieth century. He suggested that the ruined palace inspired the story. Carvings of a double axe appear in the ruins. Evans linked the word labyrinth to the house of the double axe.
Wikipedia adds that the same symbol appears in other Cretan palaces. An Oxford geographer says Evans’s idea must be treated sceptically. His team found that a cave at Skotino formed naturally, while tunnels at Gortyn look at least partly human-made. A santorini crete rhodes tour meets the Labyrinth as a legend with more than one candidate site.
Where can a traveller spend a free evening in Fira, Chania or Rhodes?
Wikivoyage lists bars in Fira, from cocktail spots to a nightclub that closes the night. It lists a cafe bar looking over the caldera. It also lists the Catholic church known for its three bells as open day and night. A santorini crete rhodes tour has these choices for Fira.
Wikivoyage says the tavernas and modern cafes of Chania stay open into the night. It does not recommend a car for getting around the town, because parking is difficult and tickets follow broken rules.
Wikivoyage points to a coffee and shisha bar on Sokratous Street. It calls the place a rare survival of Ottoman old Rhodes. It also lists a courtyard cafe in a fourteenth century mansion, for a break from the cruise crowds. A santorini crete rhodes tour fits one of them into the free Rhodes day.
Why do maps show both Santorini and Thira on a santorini crete rhodes tour?
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage agree on the name Santorini. Both pages say Saint Irene was shortened into Santorini, with an old church at Perissa as the source. Wikipedia traces the Venetian name to the twelfth century. A santorini crete rhodes tour visits a saint’s island.
Thera, also written Thira, is the ancient name. Wikipedia traces Thera to Theras, the Spartan leader who settled the island and lent it his name. The name Thera came back into official use during the nineteenth century, for the island and its main town. The everyday name has stayed Santorini.
Wikivoyage explains Fira as a different pronunciation of Thira, the ancient name for the whole island. Wikipedia adds two older names, Kalliste and Strongyle. Strongyle means the circular one, by modern tradition. A santorini crete rhodes tour thus meets one island under more than one name.