I absolutely loved Santorini. We only went into Oia once and based ourselves in Akrotiri for more privacy and relaxation. That being said, you could easily do 3 nights and then spare time for a day trip to Crete. Personally I would not sacrifice Santorini altogether.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would do it the other way around -- 4.5 days in Crete with a day trip/overnight to Santorini. Crete has so many different places to visit and will give you a better feel for what Greece is really like. Santorini is fairly small. It is beautiful, but also very touristy. A day or 1.5 days in Fira would be plenty to soak in the views. Places like Santorini and Mykonos are the Mediterranean equivalent to Disney. You will have a great time, but its a completely manufactured experience.

This. Santorini is a one-trick pony. Crete is multifaceted. But if you just want an Instagram vacation...

Never been to Santorini but spent a marvelous week in Crete, based in Chania.

Anonymous wrote:I would probably not do a day trip-- the fast boat is 2 hours but (at least for us) it was not pleasant (you need to stay inside and it was pretty bouncy).

I do think Crete is great and if I had to pick one I'd probably pick Crete-- visit Knossos and then head west to Chania and Rethymno-- but Santorini is popular for a reason.

PS you could do something like a few nights in Crete, ferry to Santorini, overnight there and fly back to Athens from Santorini.

I would probably not do a day trip-- the fast boat is 2 hours but (at least for us) it was not pleasant (you need to stay inside and it was pretty bouncy).

I do think Crete is great and if I had to pick one I'd probably pick Crete-- visit Knossos and then head west to Chania and Rethymno-- but Santorini is popular for a reason.

Anonymous wrote:I would do it the other way around -- 4.5 days in Crete with a day trip/overnight to Santorini. Crete has so many different places to visit and will give you a better feel for what Greece is really like. Santorini is fairly small. It is beautiful, but also very touristy. A day or 1.5 days in Fira would be plenty to soak in the views. Places like Santorini and Mykonos are the Mediterranean equivalent to Disney. You will have a great time, but its a completely manufactured experience.

This. Santorini is a one-trick pony. Crete is multifaceted. But if you just want an Instagram vacation...

I would do it the other way around -- 4.5 days in Crete with a day trip/overnight to Santorini. Crete has so many different places to visit and will give you a better feel for what Greece is really like. Santorini is fairly small. It is beautiful, but also very touristy. A day or 1.5 days in Fira would be plenty to soak in the views. Places like Santorini and Mykonos are the Mediterranean equivalent to Disney. You will have a great time, but its a completely manufactured experience.

Sure.

Yes, definitely hit Crete. We spent several days in Crete and then took to the ferry to Santorini. Crete is wonderful. It has such a cool mix of cultures because it was ruled by the Venetians, then the Romans, then the Ottoman empire, so there are fortresses, cathedrals, and mosques all on the same island. It's gorgeous--mountains and beaches. Chania feels like old Europe (in fact it was heavily bombed in WW2 and there are still remnants of the bombings there) and Heraklion is totally different and feels more middle eastern. such a cool place. you won't be disappointed.

I spent a week in Santorini (in late September/early October) and I'm glad I had a lot of time. It was warm enough for us to go swimming, but we also hiked, took the ferry to the other side of the caldera and walked around, went to a museum and to see ruins, went shopping. Also ate a bunch of delicious food and hung outside drinking local beer and wine. If it'll be sunny with decent weather I would stay put for the 4.5 days, but haven't been to Crete so I don't know what you'd be missing.

This is in the off season (early April) so swimming won't really be possible.
If you were in Santorini for 4.5 days, would you take a ferry to Crete for a day (or one night?)
We like relaxing but also seeing things.
I have never been to either.
Thanks!