Any tips for what we should see and do while in Crete?

Q I’m off to Crete with my family in a few weeks, staying in Rethymnon. I was wondering if you had any tips on things to see whilst we’re there. We have a car and are happy to travel.

Jordan R

A Crete in late October is an excellent choice: the largest Greek island is a long way south in the eastern Mediterranean (for comparison, it is south of mainland Spain, and roughly on the same latitude as Cyprus and the main resort area of Tunisia). Rethymnon itself is a relaxed resort on the north coast with a good beach. It is dominated by a notable monument: a Venetian fortress.

Head about 12 miles south through some spectacular mountain scenery to the opposite shore of Crete – the side facing Africa. Plakias has a beach almost a mile long with some good places to eat and drink. Some say the water on this south-facing beach is significantly warmer than in Rethymnon.

You are staying in a location almost exactly halfway between Crete’s two main cities: Heraklion, the capital, to the east, and Chania to the west. Each is around 50 miles away, with frequent inexpensive buses if you decide not to drive. Heraklion is a busy rather than charming city – but just to the south lies Knossos, a magnificent (if over-restored) Minoan palace. It opens at 8am during October, and I recommend an early start to make the most of the site. You will also find plenty of licensed guides at the entrance, who will enhance a visit.

Heading east from Rethymnon, Chania is Crete’s former capital and remains steeped in Minoan, Venetian, Ottoman and Greek history. The inner core, known as Kastelli, is wrapped in ancient walls and includes Minoan ruins. Just to the east, Splanzia is the former Turkish quarter, and the harbour has plenty of enticing venues to eat and drink.

If you are prepared for a long excursion, Chania is close to the Gorge of Samaria – one of Europe’s great one-day treks. You will need to make a really early start from Rethymnon to get the early morning bus from Chania to the starting point, Omalos. The hike threads through spectacular scenery all the way to the sea, from where you take a boat to a nearby village and then a bus back to Chania. This demanding six- or seven-hour walk is probably the most rewarding experience on the whole island.

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Q I read your article about the fares war from Birmingham to London. Does that mean if I want to go from the North to London, it’s best to get a ticket to Brum and then pay the tenner for the rest of the journey?

MT

A Birmingham to London currently has the most intense public transport rivalry of any intercity link in the UK. Three train firms – Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway (LNR) and Chiltern – compete with one another. They also square up against the three big long-distance coach operators: FlixBus, Megabus and National Express. As a result, you can easily find tickets below £10 one-way for the 113-mile journey if you book a couple of weeks ahead and are flexible about timings on the day.

For a number of journeys from northern towns and cities to London, it would certainly be cheaper to travel first to Birmingham. Yet there is an easier approach that does not involve getting tangled in the congestion around Birmingham: the LNR train that runs between Crewe and London on the West Coast Main Line. It follows the line of route of Avanti West Coast through Stafford, Tamworth and Rugby, but the trains used are slower (110mph rather than 125mph) and stop more frequently. As a result, the journey from Crewe takes about 35 minutes longer to reach London Euston, which is certainly worth tolerating for the lower fares: typically £16 one-way from Crewe to London, booking two weeks ahead and choosing off-peak trains.

From Liverpool, you can travel on LNR the whole way with a change at Crewe; from Manchester, Northern Trains and Transport for Wales offer good value tickets to Crewe; and from other locations in the northwest, such as Lancashire and Cumbria, Avanti West Coast is the answer.

If, though, you are travelling from Yorkshire or Derbyshire, the smart option is to take a Cross-Country train through the Trent Valley to Tamworth and pick up the LNR train there. Either way, you should save handsomely.

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Q We were thinking of travelling to Egypt next February. With the current situation in the Middle East, do you think that is wise?

Marlene K

A The attack on Israel has taken a terrible human toll, and the implications for the region are deeply concerning. In the very short term, Israel has closed its frontiers with Egypt, including the busy crossing from Eilat to Taba in Sinai. But with the exception of a few independent travellers who might be planning to cross (say) from the Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba in Jordan via the sliver of Israeli territory, I can see no impact on anyone holidaying in Egypt.

Flights to Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh and the other main Red Sea airport at Hurghada do not go anywhere near Israel. All in all, I would be happy to return to Egypt early next year after my visit there at the start of 2023. But I would remain aware of the serious risks that the Foreign Office warns about.

Most of Egypt is actually covered by a “no-go” warning from the FCDO, though the main tourist areas – southern Sinai, the entire Red Sea coast, the Nile Valley and the key cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan – are regarded as safe enough.

Sadly, Egypt has seen a sequence of attacks aimed at tourists, with dozens of fatalities in Sharm El Sheikh, Luxor and elsewhere. The Foreign Office warns: “Terrorism is a risk across Egypt.” It says “places visited by foreigners” could be targeted, and notes: “There is a heightened threat of terrorism in and around religious sites and during religious festivals, such as the month of Ramadan [March-April in 2024] and the Christmas period.”

My biggest concern about Egypt remains the dreadful standard of road safety. For longer journeys within the country, for example from Cairo to Luxor or Sharm El Sheikh, I would always fly rather than go by road.

Having said all that, Egypt remains a friendly, good-value location with deep history and spectacular natural surroundings. Next year is an excellent time to visit, with the likelihood that the Grand Egyptian Museum may finally be open, and an expanded range of flights from across the UK to several Egyptian airports.

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