Could you please tell me about the road conditions in Crete? For example, from Chania to Elafonisi Beach, and from Heraklion to the southern part of the island. I saw on some travel guides that it's difficult to drive, but what exactly is difficult about it? We're two people traveling and have not many luggage, so we rented a small car, such as Fiat 500 or Citroen C1. I can drive manual transmission without any pressure in China. Is this enough to handle the roads in Crete ?
3 Answers
Go to the side of Xiehu Lake, which is a section of stone road in the upper left corner of the map. The whole road is uphill and narrow, and some sections are not easy to pass. It will test your manual transmission skills for hill starts. We also have a manual transmission.
The beach at Pink Sands is very crowded. If you meet a large vehicle, it will cause traffic jams. During peak times, there may be 5,000 people going there every day, so you must leave early in the morning. The road to BALOS (lagoon) is 7.2 kilometers long and very difficult to drive. If you want to go, you must leave early. It is best to arrive at the lagoon before 10:00 am, otherwise there may be too many cars and it may be difficult to overtake. My car was stuck 3 kilometers from the lagoon and could not be driven forward. I had to turn around and come back. The difficult-to-drive section of the road to the lagoon is narrow and has many stones. Small cars can drive, but you must be careful and drive slowly.
Just back from Crete to Athens. Overall, there is a highway-like road from east to west on the island. From Hania to Pink Beach is south, and you need to drive carefully through the central mountains. It is best to have mountain road driving experience. On the way back, you can drive to the sunset viewing place at the western end of Pink Beach (maybe Balis?) via a poor road condition. There are some places where passing other vehicles on the mountain road is slightly tight (I have more than 20 years of driving experience in the city). In addition, after St. Nicholas in the eastern region, the locals recommended several scenic spots, and the scenery is beautiful along the St. Nicholas Bay to the north. But going back to the city again to climb the mountain is not recommended for those without mountain road driving experience. For reference.