From enjoying astonishing beaches and watersports to sightseeing, hiking, dining, shopping, and relaxing, there are hundreds of things to do to make the most of your holidays in Crete.
The most important thing to remember is that Crete is a pretty long island. For example, from Chania to Sitia, you need a 4-hour drive—and that is not even the whole island, as there is a large chunk of Crete to the west of Chania, waiting to be explored.
If you are planning holidays in Crete this summer, you can even book more than one luxury villa in Crete from Cretevillas4u. This way, you can stay at two or three different locations. You can then rent a car and explore and organize your itineraries according to your starting point. It will make exploring and discovering more fun and manageable, particularly for families with young children.
Ideas for exploration from Chania
Starting from charming Chania, there are plenty of ideas to explore. Our suggestion is to mix exploring with relaxing. Rent a car, as it will give you the freedom to reach even the most secluded cove and discover places at a time that fits your family’s schedule.
Chania town
Dedicate the first day to exploring Chania itself. Recover from the trip by spending some time discovering the beautiful harbor with its lighthouse. Soak in the views of the old town with the quaint houses, cafés, and churches that dot the area. Take photos, have coffee or lunch, shop, and enjoy life like a true Cretan.
Explore around Chania
Once you have the layout of the town in your mind, it’s time to venture further afield. If you have children, you should give them a day at the Aqua Creta Limnoupolis Water Park located near Chania. They will love it, and so will you.
In the afternoon, simply drive around. Depending on your preferences and lifestyle, you can visit old villages that keep their charm and where life is relaxed and authentic. There is Platanias, Kalyves, Kandanos, Kournas, Vamos, Spilia or Spylos. Many have Byzantine or Venetian ruins to explore, a laid-back way of living, and amazing food.
If you love nature, visit the Chania Botanical Garden, located only 18 km from Chania. This is a pleasant park where you can discover Mediterranean plants, flowers, and trees. You can have lunch there or an afternoon coffee while taking in the views.
Go further afield
It’s now time to go further afield. Drive to Fragokastello, with its beautiful Venetian fortress sitting on the beach. Swim at the beach sitting underneath the castle.
Explore Sfakia, Palaiohora, and Loutra. You will find seaside villages, crystal-clear waters, quaint cafés and tavernas, and vestiges of Crete’s past from Byzantine and Venetian times. Many beaches have watersports and other activities which will delight everyone in your family.
If you are the adventurous type, visit Gavdos, a small island across from Sfakia with emerald beaches and rugged mountains. Try snorkeling around Gavdos, and you won’t be disappointed.
Moving on to Rethymno
Smaller than Chania but just as quaint, Rethymno is only an hour away from Chania. Book your luxury village from CreteVillas4u, and once you have settled, walk around the town and experience how beautifully it mixes its Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman past. Explore churches and mosques and take a stroll around the old town. Finish at the old harbor and have a drink, watching the small boats bobbing on the water.
Once recharged, visit the Venetian Fortezza, walk around the cobblestone streets, and shop, as the town is bursting with beautiful things to see and experience.
Exploring further afield Rethymno
GPS in hand, take a day to further explore the Rethymno prefecture. Visit the Monastery of Arkadi as well as the villages of Spili, Myli, Myrthios, Plakias, Episkopi, and Margarites, where you can buy beautiful pottery from local artists and pottery experts.
Drive to Preveli and visit the amazing monastery as well as the beach underneath that’s surrounded by palm trees. You can either take the stairs to walk down to the beach or go by boat. If you have young children, the boat is a better and more comfortable solution, and you won’t be disappointed by the views.
When you return to your Rethymno villa, you can either unwind at your private swimming pool or go to the 10-km-long beach for an afternoon swim. It will feel invigorating and will leave you ready for dinner, fully energized.
Itineraries from Heraklion
The city of Heraklion is also worth exploring. While its size may feel daunting at first, it hides little gems and a way of living that meets halfway between the Cretan laidback lifestyle and the busy lives of the locals.
The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is unmissable as it holds the treasures from the Crete Minoan past. If you have children, the Natural History Museum of Crete will interest them as well, especially as they do hands-on experiments. Heraklion has an old Venetian harbor, just like Chania and Rethymno, so you walk there and explore the city.
The children in your family will also want to visit the Aquarium, located just outside Heraklion. It’s a lovely place to admire underwater worlds and discover fish and other marine creatures like lobsters, starfish, octopuses, sea turtles, and stingrays.
Around Heraklion
It’s almost impossible to go to Heraklion and not visit Knossos and Phaistos, the ancient Minoan places that are beautifully preserved. You will witness how people lived 3,500 years ago in a stunning city that already had drainage, water systems, baths, and heating systems all this time ago. The stunning Knossos palace had over 3,000 rooms, so you could easily spend a whole day exploring the area. We suggest you visit it early in the morning, though, to beat the crowds and the heat. Once you are done with Knossos and Phaistos, hit a beach or your private swimming pool to take away the heat.
If you want to laze by the beach—and we certainly understand why—Heraklion is brimming with beaches, from Ammoudara, Ligaria, and Agia Pelagia to Amnissos, Fodele, Stalida, and Hersonissos.
Heraklion is a large prefecture, so you have a lot of sightseeing. Explore mountain villages like Archanes, Zaros, and Asites. If you have children, take the time to visit the Greek Mythology Thematic Park, and if you like caves, don’t miss the Cave of Zeus in Psychro.
Sitia and eastern Crete
Sitia is the most authentic Cretan area, as it was untouched by tourism until fairly recently. It’s a small town that’s easy to explore in a day. Like most Cretan villages and towns, it holds tight to its Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman past. You will find remnants of this rich history dotting the town. Just like Rethymno, it has its own Fortezza, the Kazarma Fortress, built by the Venetians. You can easily spend a day here, just strolling around and discovering the place.
Driving, swimming, and exploring around Sitia
Sitia prefecture is dotted with astonishing beaches, most of them pristine and undeveloped. Have a hearty breakfast at your villa and then take your car to discover crystal-clear beaches with smooth sand like Chiona Beach, Kouremenos Beach—which is excellent for windsurfing and kitesurfing—and Karoumes Beach.
Vai Beach is the most famous thanks to its palm-fringed shore that feels like you’re in an exotic, tropical, Caribbean-like location. The golden sand and turquoise waters will make you want to stay there forever. The palm forest is more than 2,000 years old, and legend says that it was created by the date stones spat out by Romans who ate dates on the beach while waiting for the fleet to carry them across Africa.
If you have reached Sitia, it’s a pity to miss out on Spinalonga. Initially a Venetian stronghold, complete with a fortress and small village, it was used as a leper colony in the early 20th century. This is what makes this island so special, as you can visit the ruined houses and see how the colony organized as a community before it was officially dismembered in 1957 after treatment for leprosy was finally discovered. You could easily spend a day visiting Spinalonga, the medieval fortification, and the leper village.
Don’t stick to your itinerary
Yes, we are the ones who suggested the above itinerary, but we are now going to give you one final tip: don’t stick to your itinerary!
Crete is beautiful, unexpected, and welcoming. You might start your day with a plan in your head, but villages, nature, and people will offer you plenty of opportunities to discover something new.
There are wineries, pottery shops, small museums, tiny churches, cool fountains, and quaint locations that will make you want to stop and experience them. Forgotten coves and deserted beaches will make you forget all your plans. You could spend hours eating heavenly fresh local food with local produce and tasting cheeses and wines. Time flies when sipping coffee and looking at ancient Venetian ruins, living the Cretan life.
Crete is authentic, astonishing, and delicious. Check out our special offers for Cretan villas, book your villa, create a (flexible) itinerary, and let the island guide you into discovering its secrets. You won’t regret it!
Airbnb superhost since 2014
Hellenic Association
of Travel & Tourist Agencies
