Hey everyone,
I am trying to decide whether to go to Rhodes or Crete for a couple of days towards the end of June. Both are similarly priced, but staying in Crete is a little cheaper, from what I've found. The only drawback for Crete is that the flight there is 5 am on a Sunday and the one back is 8 am on Thursday, while the flight for Rhodes leaves at 1:00 pm Sunday and returns 3 pm Thursday. I seem to be hearing cooler things about Crete than Rhodes, but I want to know is that flight going to kill it for me?

Are you flying, NY-Athens-Crete? If thats the case I can't see a problem with flying at that time. I'd certainly opt for Crete, much more beautiful,loads of things to do. Depending on where you land, either Heraklion(east), or Chania(west) depends on where you'll be spending your time. Both have their hidden gems nearby.

Get back to me to let me know what you decide.

You are right abt Crete being bit cheaper.

And maybe these 2 links can help you take a decision:

Crete
Rhodes

Rhodes is highly popular among travelers hence the fact that it's more expensive and more crowded than Crete. Crete has a more relaxed atmosphere but also Greece's best cuisine!

i decided to go to crete- i forgot to mention i'm living in israel currently. the airline keeps on changing my flight though, kind of annoying- and dropped the price of the ticket $100 after i bought it and won't give me any money back because it's a "charter"...oh well at least i the island will be fun!

Crete deffently the place. lots to see and do

So now, riddle me this...
My friend and I are going to Greece in March - we are told this is the off season so our best bets are Athens (2 nights), Crete(4 nights), and Rhodes(3 nights) and then we go to Istanbul for 3 nights. However, I talked to a friend that has been to Santorini in March, and he said it was chilly, but open/great. So, do we change our current plans and try to fit Santorini in there? Are Crete and Rhodes still great enough that we won't even miss Santorini? Do we try to hit up all four places? Do we not visit Rhodes? Is March really that awful of a time to visit Greece??

Guidance please. Thanks!

Andrewz -- I think you may want to go to Rhodes, based on your statement that you have only a few days. Crete is much more spread out and there are so many more major sites than on Rhodes. Crete is a long island, such that if you want to see Agios Nikolaos (beautiful beach, east side), you are going to take up the better part of a whole day getting there. Particularly if you coming from the beautiful old harbor of Chania on the west side. I think if you only have two to four days, you will feel more like you missed out on things available in Crete (such as hiking Samaria Gorge), than if you hit Rhodes. Rhodes, you can easily do both the Old Town, the historic sites there, and a trip out to a secluded beach a few hours away and get some calmer flavor. Crete really needs at least a week. At least. Rhodes, you can see a lot of the best it has to offer in a few days.

Megan -- Crete, Rhodes, Santorini, and Athens is a lot in a few weeks. You're going to be spending a lot of time on ferries. My take on Santorini is that it is fabulous -- fabulous! -- but it's very romantic. If you are going with a pal, maybe put it off and save it for a time when you are going with a significant other. I went with my girlfriends and we all roamed around wishing we had someone to make out with. If you have to cut an island out of Rhodes, Santorini, and Crete, I'd cut Crete and save it for later. As I wrote to Andrewz, there's too much there to do it justice in a few days. But you can see Santorini in a few days or Rhodes in a few days and not miss out too terribly bad.

I had the same dilemma earlier this year, I wanted to do the mainland plus at least one of the island - either Crete or Rhodes. I opted for Rhodes and loved it (see my website). Because it is so compact you can get around all the sites quite easily, handy if you are short on time. I found that 3 days on Rhodes was about right. With Crete I imagine you need a bit longer to make the most of it.

If you only have a short time - definitely Crete - it is the largest island and full of so many different aspects...so it is like many islands in one. Beaches, mountains, towns and villages...you won't miss out on a real Greek experience in Crete, and the history and people are fascinating.

We enjoy Rhodes a great deal and have some info on our site about the old town and how to get to Rhodes from Crete...so the ideal answer would always be...both!!