Crete Island Travel Forum

Hi
I'm hopefully heading to sunny crete sometime mid may (thinking 9th) for a week. I'm flying into herkalion and want to get down to plakais. The flights i've looked at will have me in herkalion about 1.30. Is there bus (s) I can catch to get me to plakais that day or will i need to stay somehwhere overnight? Apparently the bus has a winter / summer schedule and I'm not sure which one it will be on!
Also does anyone know the youth hostel in plakais? I was going to base myself there. i want to do some trekking, swimming and sunbathing. Am i going to the right place??
Thanks in advance!
Kitty

You'll be able to get as far as Rethymnon by bus on the same day from Heraklion, but there are only 2 daily buses from Rethymnon to Plakias, one early in the morning at 6:15 (8:15 on Sat. & Sun.), and in the afternoon at 2:15. From Heraklion to Rethymnon there are frequent buses. The soonest after your arrival time is 2:30 PM, then one an hour after that until about 8 PM.

Hi, I think you can try to find more information in Plakias forum
http://forums.plakias.co.uk/index.php?
Happy travel in my favourite island.

You should be able to make it on the day. The last bus is at 17:30 from Rethymnon to Plakias in May (this is from the KTEL not a website). But they do change the schedule during May/June. Exactly when is a variable. So you may have to overnight in Rethymnon. You will only really find out by asking in the Rethymnon KTEL itself on the day.

Thanks for that folks. I'm now thinking that if I can't make it to Plakias then I might go on to Hania and spend the night there. I thought I would do the samaria gorge walk. But now I'm wondering if i will get back in time for the next day bus to plakias!! Also that will be a sunday...
As I'm new to Crete I'm finding the ktel website hard to naviagate!

I sometimes email them at the email address on the website. As per the reply above, one of the difficult things with the site is the changes that are made at the start of summer season.

I don't think there are buses from Hania; there are from Rethymno - Plakias:
(so you could change there) and that is the route I usually take.
At present the Winter timetable is showing weekday departures 06:15 and 14:15 and Sat/Sun 8.15am
(The summer timetable will have more buses - probably weekdays 06.15, 10.00, 14.15, 16.30
Saturday & Sunday: 08.15, 10.10, 14.15, 16.30 but you must check)

Incidentally also from Rethymnon you can go to a very quiet place which is my special place in this part of the island Rodakino : weekdays : 05:30 14:15. You'll need to walk a kilo or two when you get off the bus though (or call a cab from the shop)

I am not sure that there are direct buses from Heraklion - think you have to change at Rethymnon

I would stay in Rethymno for the night anyway. They have a nice hostel righ in the old town. If this hostel is full (but I don't think so), you may walk on Nikiforou Foka street and there is plenty of inexpensive rooms to rent.
If you end up in Chania, the Diktynna hotel is quite cheap (35 E in August'06 for two) and mostly young backpackers stay there.
Oh, and last year May was "rain and shine" as my mother reported.