Crete is vast - where shall I stay?
Crete is the largest Greek island and is defined by its low dessert scrub, sexy travel brochure beaches, Minoan history and mountainous interior. It’s vast with something for everyone.
Crete is the island to visit if you love renting an a car to explore a coastline yourself. It’s for mythic road-trips over winding dirt roads remembered 10 years on. That island where you discovered your own cove, swam all afternoon and stopped in an unknown road-side taverna that may have made the best greek food you’ve ever tasted.
It’s big. So big that despite having solidly good public transport, you need to rent a car to make a dent in all the crystal beaches, ruins and tavernas that are covering the island’s 260 km length. Most visitors don’t cover the whole island, so you have to choose a location based on what you want to explore.
Chania - (West)
Chania’s Old Town with its maze of side streets, Bysantine walls and Venetian Harbour framed by the White Mountains is nothing less than stunning. Yes, it’s touristy, but with some of the best restaurants on the island, its worth a day visit for lunch while watching the water dance along the city walls.
The Chania region has some of the most photographed beaches in Greece:
Elafonisi Beach - clear turquoise water lapping up against pink sand in a combination that is nearly psychedelic.
Balos Lagoon - best viewed from above the shallow water stretches across white sand with craggy rock formations.
Samaria Gorge - a long, narrow Gorge through the White Mountains. Open during the summer season, it’s a six-hour hike.
Aptera - hilltop Minoan city overlooking the Souda Bay that was occupied and rebuilt by the Romans.
Rethymnon - (Middle/North coast)
Charming Old Town with several beautiful beaches and a range of accommodation including boutique hotels to budget friendly options.
Heraklion - (Middle/North coast)
The bustling, capital city of Crete. Come here to for the archaeology.
The Palace of Knossos - Once the centre of the Minoan civilisation (3500-1100 BC), this ancient palace is one fo the most important archaeological sites on Crete.
The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion - A collection of Minoan artifacts including pottery, jewelry, and frescoes.
Elounda and Agios Nikolaos (East)
Popular for luxury resorts, stay here if you’re looking for an All-Inclusive holiday to relax and only leave occasionally.
Spinalonga Island - A small island off the coast of Crete that was once a leper colony.
Plan to base yourself in the west of Crete, in the Chania region, if you’re interested in exploring. All of Crete is amazing but the best food, beaches and hiking is located out west.
Plakias (South)
Quiet village in the South that is less touristy than the North, with beautiful beaches and small hotels and apartments.
Recommendation: where to base yourself
Ultimately, if you’re interested in exploring Crete for a week, Chania has the best selection of beaches, hiking, ruins, food and an interesting historical Old Town harbour. It’s also still easy to access Knossos.
If you want a high-end, luxury resort with an excursion or two, look for hotels near Elounda.
If you’re looking for quiet coves and beaches with fewer tourists, research Plakias.
Our experience
As a family, we select accommodation that suits the type of trip we’re planning, which ranges from luxury hotels, rental apartments/villas to camping. We tend to like active trips that are based in nature.
On this trip, we were planning for the Grandma to have quality time with the grand-children and my husband was using the week as a retreat to progress his book. So we tried an All Inclusive hotel with an amazing view and a kid’s club.
We stayed in Kiani Beach Resort in a sea view maisonette that slept 5. Very high value as we bought it all through EasyJet holidays. I would highly recommend if, like me, you love a view. I’ll do a full review of the hotel.