Audio city guides
Chania
Venetian harbour & Old Town — audio walking tour
Open on Stonepath →
Heraklion
Venetian walls & historic centre — audio walking tour
Open on Stonepath →
BEACHES & COAST
14Agia Fotia – Sitia
Beach
A quiet blue flag bay on the east coast of Crete, ideal for families. Clear water and fine sand.
🟢 Low
Agia Galini
Beach
A seaside resort in the south of Crete with an extensive beach, fishing boats and excursions to nearby coves.
🟡 Medium
Agia Pelagia
Beach
A popular tourist resort with a bay, clear water and good snorkeling just outside Heraklion.
🟡 Medium
Agia Roumeli – konec Samarie
Beach
A small village at the end of the Samara Gorge accessible only by boat or on foot. Pebble beach and well-deserved lemonade.
🟡 Medium
20Agios Pavlos - beach and dunes
Beach
Secluded beach in the south with sand dunes and clear water. Starting point for kayak trips along the cliffs to Triopetra.
🟢 Low
Balos – lagoon
Beach
The most photographed place in Crete – a lagoon with shallow turquoise water and white sand at Cape Gramvousa. Access by boat or on foot from the summit.
🔴 High
19Chiona - beach
Beach
A sheltered bay near the town of Palekastro with fine sand and clear water. View of Grandes Island.
🟢 Low
Damnoni - series of coves
Beach
A series of three small bays at Plakias with light pebbly sand and clear water. A peaceful southern Cretan paradise.
🟢 Low
Elafonisi – pink beach
Beach
A beach with fine pink sand (crushed coral) and a shallow lagoon accessible by wading. In the southwest of Crete.
🔴 High
Elounda - bay
Beach
A calm bay with clear water, a view of Spinalonga and luxury hotels. An ideal quiet resort.
🟡 Medium
Falasarna
Beach
An expansive beach with golden sand and sunset views in northwest Crete. Ancient Phoenician port within easy reach.
🟡 Medium
Fragkokastello - beach
Beach
A flat sandy beach by the Venetian castle overlooking the Libyan Sea. Calm water, ideal for families.
🟢 Low
Gavdos - the southernmost point of the EU
Beach
The southernmost island of the EU with wild nature, nudist beaches and absolute peace. Ferry from Palaiochora (2 h).
🟢 Low
Georgioupolis - beach
Beach
A 9 km long beach at the mouth of the Almyros River with a eucalyptus grove in the center of the village. Great for families.
🟡 Medium
Kato Zakros - beach
Beach
A small fishing village with a tavern and a clear bay at the bottom of the gorge of the Dead. End of the world Crete.
🟢 Low
Loutro
Beach
A cute white village accessible only by boat or on foot, with turquoise bays and absolute tranquility.
🟡 Medium
Matala – cave beach
Beach
A famous beach with prehistoric caves in the cliffs where hippies lived in the 70s. A unique atmosphere.
🟡 Medium
Preveli – palm beach
Beach
Iconic beach with palm forest, river and salt lagoon in the south of Crete. Access by boat or stair descent.
🔴 High
Seitan Limania
Beach
A dramatic bay hidden in a gorge with turquoise water, nicknamed the 'Devil's Ports'. Steep descent 15 min.
🔴 High
18Sissi – village
Beach
A small seaside resort with coves and clear water, an ideal alternative to busier tourist centers.
🟢 Low
15Sougia
Beach
Secluded beach with pebbles and clear sea in the south, starting point for trekking Agia Roumeli. Hippie atmosphere.
🟢 Low
16Stavros - movie beach
Beach
Closed roundabout on Akriotiri, where Zorba the Greek (1964) was filmed. Dramatic isolated formation.
🟢 Low
Triopetra - three rocks
Beach
A beautiful beach with a trio of impressive granite rock formations entering the sea. Great for snorkeling.
🟢 Low
Vai – palm forest
Beach
The largest natural palm forest in Europe right next to the beach in the far east of Crete. Palms are endemic Cretan date trees.
🔴 High
17Xerokampos - beaches
Beach
A series of isolated bays with clear water on the south-east coast of Crete. No crowds, beautiful scenery.
🟢 Low
Almyrida - snorkelling
Snorkel spot
A quiet bay with clear water, ideal for snorkeling near the rocks at the edge of the beach. Great taverns.
🟡 Medium
Bali - underwater park
Snorkel spot
A picturesque fishing town with clear bays, ideal for snorkeling. Rich underwater life without the need for a boat.
🟡 Medium
Elafonisi – nature reserve
Snorkel spot
A nature reserve with endemic species and exceptionally clear water, ideal for snorkelling and card watching.
🔴 High
Plakias - diving
Snorkel spot
A popular diving spot in the south of Crete with underwater caves, fish and clear water. Training center.
🟡 Medium
NATURE
Argyroupoli – prameny
River & waterway
Medieval village above ancient Lappa with stone taverns by natural springs and waterfalls. Great for lunch.
🟡 Medium
Lake Kournas
River & waterway
Crete's only natural freshwater lake surrounded by hills and olive trees. Pedal boats, turtles and endemic fish.
🟡 Medium
Richtis - waterfall and canyon
River & waterway
A 15 m waterfall in a green gorge in the northeast of Crete with a natural pool. A comfortable 1-hour route through the forest.
🟢 Low
Agiofarago - gorge and beach
Nature
Hermit gorge with chapels of St. Antonína leading to the deserted beach. Popular with climbers.
🟢 Low
Agios Nikolaos
Nature
A circular lake connected to the sea by a canal in the center of a popular seaside town. Taverns around, magical sunset.
🟡 Medium
Aradena – gorge
Nature
A wild gorge opening into the sea near Loutro. Difficult trek with rope and climbing passages, absolute wilderness.
🟢 Low
Chestnut Festival – Elos
Nature
A forest village in a chestnut forest in southwest Crete. A great trip in October during the chestnut festival. Old churches.
🟡 Medium
Ida - the highest mountain of Crete
Nature
Psiloritis (2456 m) – the highest mountain of Crete and, according to myth, the birthplace of Zeus. Ascent from the Nida plateau (4–5 h).
🟢 Low
Imbros – gorge
Nature
A shorter alternative to Samaria (8 km, 3 h), still a dramatic limestone gorge with narrow 'gates'. Fewer tourists.
🟡 Medium
Kourtaliotiko – gorge
Nature
The dramatic gorge of the Kourtaliotiko River leading to Preveli Beach. Harriers, buzzards and golden eagles nest on the cliffs.
🟡 Medium
Lasithi - plateau of windmills
Nature
A highland plateau with villages, orchards and hundreds of traditional windmills. Beautiful view from the pass.
🟡 Medium
Samaria – gorge
Nature
UNESCO. Europe's longest gorge (18 km), home of the Cretan ibex (kri-kri). The trek from Omalos to the south takes 4-6 hours.
🔴 High
Skotino – cave
Nature
The largest natural cave of Crete (160 m deep) with impressive stalagmites and Minoan cult finds. Free entry.
🟢 Low
Theriso – gorge a les
Nature
A mountain village in a green gorge full of chestnuts and plane trees, the site of the revolution of 1905. Excellent local taverns.
🟢 Low
Zakros - gorge of the dead
Nature
The gorge nicknamed 'Dead' for the Minoan coffins in the caves. A leisurely 8 km trek to the palace city of Zakros.
🟢 Low
CULTURE & HISTORY
10Anogia - mountain village
Historic site
A defiant mountain village at the foot of the Ida, burned twice by the Nazis. Center of Cretan music and exceptional gastronomy.
🟢 Low
2Aptera - ancient city
Historic site
Extensive ruins of a Cretan-Greek and late Byzantine city above the Gulf of Soud. Underground cistern and views.
🟢 Low
Arkadi - monastery
Historic site
The national symbol of the Cretan resistance - in 1866, the Cretans preferred to blow up the powder room before surrendering to the Ottoman siege.
🟡 Medium
Chania - Agora Marketplace
Historic site
Historic market hall from 1913 in the shape of a cross with local products: olive oil, cheeses, honey and herbs.
🟡 Medium
Chania - Port of Venice
Historic site
The most beautiful port of Crete with Venetian arsenals, mosaic tiles and an Egyptian lighthouse. The view at night is unforgettable.
🔴 High
Chania - Splantzia district
Historic site
The authentic Ottoman quarter of Chania with its narrow cobbled streets, minaret and excellent local restaurants.
🟡 Medium
5Chrisoskalitissa - monastery
Historic site
A picturesque monastery on a rock above the sea near Elafonisi, nicknamed the 'Golden Stairs'. View at sunset.
🟢 Low
Creta Maris – Hersonissos
Historic site
The ancient port of Chersonissos with its fish tank, mosaics and Byzantine ruins. Today a tourist center.
🔴 High
Faistos - Minoan palace
Historic site
The second largest Minoan palace with a panoramic view of the Messara plain and the Ida mountains. Less tourists than Knossos.
🟡 Medium
Frangokastello - Venetian Castle
Historic site
A monumental square Venetian fortress right on the sandy beach. Legend has it that the ghosts of the 'Drosoulites' appear here every year.
🟡 Medium
Gortyna - the ancient capital
Historic site
Crete's largest ancient site with extensive Roman and Byzantine ruins, including the Gortyn Codex inscription.
🟡 Medium
12Gournia - Minoan village
Historic site
The best preserved Minoan village in Crete with streets, houses and a small palace complex.
🟢 Low
4Gouverneto - monastery and cave
Historic site
Monastery from the 16th century on the Akrotiri peninsula with the cave of St. John the Hermit. Trek to the gorge with the abandoned Katholiko monastery.
🟢 Low
Gramvousa – island and castle
Historic site
A Venetian fortress on a dramatic islet off Cape Gramvousa. Accessible by boat from Kissamos, overlooking Balos.
🟡 Medium
Heraklion - Kales - Venetian citadel
Historic site
Kales sea fortress guarding the entrance to Heraklion port since the 13th century. Views of the harbor and old town.
🟡 Medium
3Idaean cave
Historic site
A sacred cave on the Nida plateau (1498 m) where Zeus was said to have been raised by the Kuretes. Minoan votive objects.
🟢 Low
Ierapetra - the southernmost city in Europe
Historic site
The southernmost city of the EU with a Venetian fortress, a mosque and a Turkish fountain. The warmest and sunniest place in Crete.
🟡 Medium
Irakleion - Morosini Fountain
Historic site
Venetian lion fountain from the 17th century. in the main Lions Square - the heart of old Heraklion.
🟡 Medium
7Kazantzakis Museum – Myrtia
Historic site
Museum and birthplace of Nikos Kazantzakis (Zorba the Greek, The Last Temptation of Christ) in a small village near Heraklion.
🟢 Low
Knossos - Minoan Palace
Historic site
UNESCO. The largest Minoan palace in Europe (3000 BC) with a labyrinth of rooms, frescoes and the myth of the Minotaur.
🔴 High
Kritsa - Byzantine church of Panagia Kera
Historic site
The most beautiful Byzantine frescoes of Crete from the 13th-15th desk in the three-aisled basilica above the village of Kritsa. UNESCO.
🟡 Medium
Kritsa - traditional village
Historic site
The largest mountain village of Crete with a tradition of handicrafts and rich local cuisine. Tissue and lace shops.
🟡 Medium
Malia - Minoan palace
Historic site
The third largest Minoan palace from around 2000 BC with a giant dining hall and a round altar area.
🟡 Medium
11Mochlos - island and beach
Historic site
A small island once connected to the mainland with Minoan ruins and a quiet fishing village.
🟢 Low
13Monastery Agia Triada – Akrotiri
Historic site
An impressive Venetian monastery from the 17th century. on the Akrotiri peninsula with olive groves and the production of elite oil.
🟢 Low
Museum Heraklion - Minoan Art
Historic site
One of the most important Greek museums with unique Minoan frescoes, the Phaistos disk and gold jewelry.
🔴 High
Paleochora - old town
Historic site
A peninsular seaside town with the remains of a Venetian castle, two beaches and a hippie atmosphere. An exceptional sunset.
🟡 Medium
Preveli - monastery
Historic site
A monastery on a coastal cliff with a museum and a view of the Libyan Sea. He played a key role in the Allied evacuation (1941).
🟡 Medium
Rethymno - Venetian Fortezza
Historic site
A magnificent Venetian fortress from the 16th century. on top of a hill overlooking the old town and the harbor.
🟡 Medium
Rethymno - old town
Historic site
One of the most beautiful old towns in Greece with Venetian and Ottoman elements, minarets and arcades.
🟡 Medium
8Sfakia - traditional village
Historic site
A proud mountain village with a strong tradition of resistance. Starting point for boats to Agia Roumeli and Loutro. Excellent bougatsa.
🟢 Low
6Sitia - old town
Historic site
An authentic seaside town with a Venetian fortress and a lively marketplace. Fewer tourists, excellent local tavern.
🟢 Low
9Spili - Venetian Fountain
Historic site
A mountain village with the famous Venetian fountain of 19 lion heads and excellent local cuisine. Great rest.
🟢 Low
Spinalonga - Venetian fortress
Historic site
Island-fortress with Venetian walls, served as a leprosarium until 1957. Ferry from Elounda, dramatic atmosphere.
🔴 High
Toplou - monastery
Historic site
Fortress monastery from the 15th century. in East Crete with the unique icon 'Megas ei Kyrie' with 61 scenes.
🟡 Medium
1Zakros - Minoan palace
Historic site
The fourth great Minoan palace in Crete, found intact in the 60s of the 20th century. Exceptional finds of gold artifacts.
🟢 Low
ACTIVITIES & LOCAL
Ascent to Psiloritis
Activity
Ascent to the highest mountain of Crete (2456 m) from the Nida plateau. View of the whole of Crete and the Aegean Sea.
🟢 Low
Horseback riding – Rethymno
Activity
Horseback riding through olive groves and the coast near Rethymno. Offers for beginners and advanced.
🟢 Low
Kitesurf – Falasarna
Activity
Excellent conditions for kitesurfing and windsurfing thanks to the Maestrale wind at Falasarna beach. Schools and rental companies.
🟡 Medium
Kitesurf – Kouremenos
Activity
The best kitesurfing beach of Crete in the East with all-day Meltemi wind. Learning center, equipment rental.
🟡 Medium
Minoan Wine Trail – Arhanes
Activity
Cretan wine production in the Archanes area near Heraklion with the possibility of tasting Vidiano and Liatiko wines at the farms.
🟢 Low
Sfakia - coastal ferry
Activity
Regular ferry along the southern coast of Crete connecting Sfakiá, Loutro and Agia Roumeli. Views of wild cliffs.
🟡 Medium
Windsurf – Plakias
Activity
Windsurfing center in the south of Crete with excellent wind of the Libyan Sea and training for beginners.
🟢 Low
Biolea – Astrikas Estate
Local producer
Small certified organic olive oil estate in the village of Astrikas, within the PDO Kolymbari zone of western Crete. Hand-harvested Koroneiki olives pressed within hours; one of Crete's most acclaimed artisan producers. Estate visits and tastings available on request.
🟢 low
Dourakis Winery
Local producer
Boutique organic winery in the village of Alikampos, 20 km south of Chania, founded in 1986. Solar-powered facilities with regenerative farming; produces crisp whites from Vidiano and Vilana, and reds from Kotsifali. Restaurant on-site; tours and tastings bookable online.
🟢 low
Lyrarakis Winery
Local producer
Family winery near Heraklion, renowned for reviving rare indigenous Cretan varieties such as Dafni and Plyto. Vineyards at 480 m altitude in Alagni. Guided tours and wine tastings available at the winery; exports internationally and is a reference point for Cretan wine.
🟢 low
Meligyris Cretan Honey
Local producer
Family apiary with roots dating to 1920, with hives spread across the mountains and plains of Crete. Produces varietal thyme, pine, and wildflower honeys following traditional methods. Sells direct online and through specialist shops; thyme honey from Cretan highlands is the signature product.
🟢 low
Terra Creta
Local producer
Award-winning PDO olive oil producer in Kolymvari, western Crete, near the Ancient Olive Tree of Vouves. Produces single-estate extra virgin olive oil from Koroneiki olives with cold extraction. Visitor centre with olive oil experience tours, tastings, and shop; 27 km from Chania.
🟡 mid
GETTING THERE
Airport Chania Ioannis Daskalogiannis (CHQ)
Transport
Car rental and flights · Compare prices from verified rental companies · Find the cheapest flights to Crete
Airport Heraklion Nikos Kazantzakis (HER)
Transport
Car rental and flights · Compare prices from verified rental companies · Find the cheapest flights to Crete
Port of Heraklion ⚓
Transport
Ferry Port · Connections to Piraeus, Santorini, other Cyclades