Crete Blog
Wild gorges, turquoise seas and authentic Greece at every turn: Crete, the largest Greek island, is a world of its own. On the Greece Moments Crete blog you will find everything you need to plan your trip to Crete.
Crete highlights: The 20 best tips for the island
After several trips to Crete we have put together our personal highlights for you.
Read article →- LocationSouth Aegean (below the Cyclades)
- CapitalHeraklion (Iraklio)
- Population~635,000
- Area8,336 km²
- Best time to visitMay to October
- AirportsHeraklion (HER) and Chania (CHQ)
Crete from A to Z
The most important topics for your trip to Crete at a glance.
Save hours of research
Our Google Maps guide helps you navigate Crete like a local — all top spots, hidden gems and insider tips right on your smartphone.
- 🏖️ Dream beaches & hidden coves
- 🍽️ Restaurants, tavernas & cafés
- 🏛️ Highlights & ancient sites
- 🗺️ Insider tips & local spots
- 🚘 Car rental & parking info
- ♾️ Lifetime access & updates
Beautiful places in Crete
All destinations, villages and day trips at a glance
Discover Crete on your own terms
Stunning beaches, the best tavernas and handpicked hidden gems from first-hand experience. Get our Crete travel guide for your holiday!
- 🗺️ Road trip routes with maps
- 🏖️ Beautiful beaches & swimming spots
- 🏛️ All top sights & attractions
- 🤫 Unpublished insider tips
- 🍽️ Accommodation, tavernas & cafés
Places on Crete you simply must visit
- Chania with its Venetian harbour and historic old town
- Balos Lagoon with turquoise water and bright white sand
- Samaria Gorge as a 16 km hiking adventure
- Elafonisi with its pink-tinged beach in the west
- Knossos as a Minoan World Heritage Site
- Rethymno old town and Venetian fortress
- Spinalonga as a moving island with a powerful history
- Matala as a legendary hippie village with cave dwellings
Plan and book your Crete trip
We have put together useful booking links* to help you plan your Crete trip. No extra cost for you — but every click supports Greece Moments.
Our hotel recommendations
Tom & Ella
We are travel journalists, authors and parents with a deep love for Greece. On Greece Moments we share personal experiences and honest tips from countless trips through the Greek islands.
Frequently asked questions about Crete
Here are the questions we get asked most often — answered briefly and clearly.
We are big fans of May and June as well as September and October. The weather is pleasantly warm, the sea reaches swimming temperature from June onwards and the island is not yet overcrowded. July and August are classic beach holiday months, but it gets really hot and the tourist hotspots become noticeably busier. If you want to avoid the heat and the crowds, the shoulder season is the way to go.
Honestly, it depends on what you are looking for. The area around Chania is one of our personal favourite spots on the island. The Venetian old town, the wild beaches in the west and the easy access to the interior make it special. Rethymno combines history with a relaxed beach vibe, and Agios Nikolaos in the east wins you over with small bays and a very authentic harbour setting. Crete is big enough for everyone to find their own favourite place.
In short: yes. Crete is large and many of the most beautiful beaches, gorges and mountain villages are simply not reachable without a car. There is a bus network between the bigger towns, but if you really want to be flexible and spontaneously visit a remote beach or a small mountain village, a rental car is essential. It makes a Crete holiday so much better.
Yes, Crete is one of the safest destinations in the Mediterranean. The crime rate is low and Cretan hospitality is legendary. As everywhere, keep an eye on your valuables and stay alert in tourist hotspots. But overall you feel welcome and at ease on the island from the very first moment.
Top of our list are Balos and Elafonisi, two of the most spectacular beaches in all of Greece. Add the old town of Chania, the Samaria Gorge for hiking enthusiasts and the Palace of Knossos for history lovers. But Crete has so much more to offer: small mountain villages, hidden coves and tavernas where you get really good Cretan food.
Light summer clothes, good sun protection and comfortable shoes are a must. If you plan to hike gorges or explore mountain villages, definitely pack proper hiking shoes too, because Crete is so much more than just beaches. For entry you only need an ID card or passport, as Crete is part of Greece and therefore the EU.
Crete is the largest Greek island and has far more to offer than most people expect. With one week you get a good first impression, but you really need 10 to 14 days to properly arrive and experience the island. That gives you time for beaches, historical sites, hikes and long evenings at a seaside taverna. And even then you might not have had enough.
