Hi guys! Since most of us will be traveling close to home this summer, I decided to make a series about Greece, my favorite European country. I have been going to Greece almost every summer with my parents. This is the Crete Travel Guide, the biggest Greek island! Here’s what you can’t miss when you go there and where to eat. Of course the best-known attractions are included, but also some hidden gems!
If you want to watch my Crete Travel Guide in video format, here it is: https://youtu.be/PAqLlAZ2aXU
Where to stay and how to get around?
Crete is known for its remnants of the ancient Minoan culture and great resorts. We rented a car to get around the island. In my opinion you really need one if you don’t plan to stay in the same resort. As I said, this is the biggest island of Greece. It’s huge!
We stayed in apartments in Triopetra away from the crowds and with its own pool. I wouldn’t recommend staying there for the entire duration of your stay. I would recommend dividing your stay between Chania in the West, Agia Galini in the South and Elounda Bay or Agios Nikolaos in the East. Rent a car to see as much as possible and so you can go to the other side of the island if the weather is bad on the side that you’re staying. The mountains in the middle of the island make it possible for the weather to be very different in other regions. We had exceptionally very heavy rain and a lot of wind, which we could avoid because of our rental car.
West Crete
Chania
Let’s start the Crete Travel Guide in Chania. This is the city I would recommend you stay if you don’t want to move around. It’s cozy, has lots of fun shops and great food. Walk around the old Venetian port or visit the old palace. It’s a great base to visit the following places that are on the Western part of the island.
Samaria Gorge
The Samaria Gorge is a National Park for which you will need your hiking shoes. It’s a beautiful canyon. The walk through this National Park to the park exit is 15 km long. This means it can easily take you 3 hours and during a Greek summer this might get pretty hot. Because of this I recommend doing the hike in the morning when it’s cooler and relax on the beach in the afternoon.
The best way to do the hike is with an organized excursion, since it’s not a loop and the start is not the same as the end. It’s not ideal if you leave your rental car at the beginning and have to walk all the way back from the end 15 km further. For this reason and since we only had sandals, we didn’t do this excursion. We did drive along the gorge with our rental car, but you don’t see as much.
Bálos beach
This is arguably the most beautiful beach on Crete. My Crete Travel Guide wouldn’t be complete without it. We drove here after visiting Chania, which meant that we arrived around 5pm when everyone was leaving. We underestimated the distance along a horrible gravel road that ended in bad parking space. I recommend you take a boat trip there from Chania in the morning when not many people are there yet. You can enjoy the beach before the crowd and hike up to the lookout point, which is on the way to the parking that you won’t have to worry about. If you can rent a small boat, you can go there after 5pm to enjoy the empty beach at sunset.
Elafonissi Beach
Another famous beach on Crete is Elafonissi Beach. The pinkish sand and clear Mediterranean water make it a popular spot to spend a day on the beach. Some might even say too popular. On the island in front of the beach you can find small beaches that are less crowded. It was too far away from our accommodation in Triopetra, so I can’t speak from experience, only based on what I read about it.
Seitan Limania
Seitan Limania is another famous beach. This one is the nearest to Chania. When we arrived we were shocked to discover how different the reality was from our expectations. The heavy rain made the beach unreachable. The water and the road seamed to have been flooded by mud. I do think it has all cleared up now though. This was a true case of expectations versus reality.
Central/South Crete
Rethimnon
Rethimnon is another city that is worth a visit. Like Chania it has a cozy atmosphere with small allies and fun little stores. Walk around the city’s Venetian quarter or visit the old castle. I had the best pita gyros of my life at Makan Grill House. Highly recommend! Drive past Rethimnon on your way to Agia Galini from Chania. I would recommend you stay in Agia Galini to visit the next stops in central Crete.
Agia Galini
This village can be described in three words: beach, food and shops. It’s lovely to find some souvenirs and enjoy a good cocktail or dinner. Along the beach of Agia Galini there’s Stochos Tavern. We went back a couple of times to have traditional Greek slow cooked meat from the oven. If you’re in the mood for a dinner surrounded by only locals, Filenia is the place to be. The traditional Greek food, a less commercial atmosphere and the typical Greek hospitality are why you should definitely make the detour. It’s 35 minutes from Agia Galini or you can stop there on your way back from Préveli Beach to have dinner.
Préveli beach
Préveli Beach is known for the palm trees that grow along the stream of the gorge that ends on the beach. It’s not often that you see this many palm trees together in Greece. There are two ways to visit Préveli beach. You can park your car for a small fee at the big parking space, from where it will take 15-20 minutes to walk to the beach (steps downhill) or you can stop at the lookout point that is along the same steps. If you don’t want to pay the parking fee, you can get to the beach by boat or by snorkeling from a nearby beach.
We did both options. Since we had been driving around all day, we visited the lookout point as our last stop. We saw that it was worth coming back to and decided to drive from our accommodation in Triopetra, near Agia Galini, to a beach nearby. We then snorkeled to Préveli Beach and took some pictures with our waterproof camera. On the way to Préveli Beach from Triopetra, you can have lunch at Agia Fotia Tavern. They serve fresh fish with an incredible backdrop.
Frangocastello
Frangocastello lends its name from the castle it is known for. Aside from the castle there is a shallow sandy beach, which is perfect for families with small children. We had a lovely lunch at Mylos Seaside Restaurant. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a calmer family beach holiday, since it’s not as busy as any of the bigger cities.
Matala
Matala is best known for the chalk cliffs in which numerous caves were built in the Neolithic period. During the Minoan civilization, the village was the port of nearby Phaestus. You can pay a visit to the ruins of Phaestus. In Roman times it became the port of Gortys. The caves were then used as tombs. From the mid-1960s, the quiet fishing village was overrun by hippies who found a home in the caves.
East Crete
Votomos trout
When you drive from Agia Galini in the South to Iraklion in the North, you will pass by Votomos. This is a beautiful lake where they bread trout. It is located in the mountain village Zaros and definitely worth a small detour. Walk around the small lake and try the fresh fish, prepared in different ways in Votomos Restaurant.
Minoan Palace of Knossos and Iraklion
The main reason to go to Iraklion, is to visit the ruins of the Minoan Palace. Knossos was the birthplace of labyrinths. The myth about the minotaur in the labyrinth underneath the castle is famous worldwide. There is a lot left of the palace to explore, especially the mosaics and frescos are lovely. To see more of what was found at the site, you can visit the Archeological Museum in the city center. This museum also shows other archeological finds from other time periods and is very interesting. Whilst you’re in Iraklion, make sure to pass through the old Venetian remnants and visit the Koules Fortress.
Spinalonga Island
This is an island in front of Elounda, near Agios Nikolaos. Part of the island called Kalidonia, has a Venetian fortress. The fortress, which housed a leper colony, is an important tourist attraction in Crete. You can visit the island by shuttle boats departing daily at fixed times from Agios Nikolaos, Elounda and Plaka.
Lassithi Plateau
Reasons you might want to visit this plateau are the many windmills and the Dikteon caves. I didn’t visit this region myself, but it’s worth to mention. If you can’t get enough of the palm trees at Préveli Beach, you should check out Vai Beach. It is surrounded by the largest palm tree forest in Europe and the water is crystal clear.
If you’re interested in travel in Greece, you might also like my Zakynthos Travel Guide or my Peloponessos Travel Guide.
I hope you found this Crete Travel Guide handy. Thank you for reading it. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.