How to Spend One Week in Crete, Greece

We’ve always wanted to visit the largest of the Greek islands, Crete, and in September 2019 we finally booked a week-long holiday there. I like to see and do a lot on a trip, and I think we managed to do just that within a week. In this blog post I show you how you can spend one week in Crete.

One Week in Crete Itinerary

Day 1 – Heraklion & Knossos

If you fly to the island you can either arrive in Heraklion or Chania. Arriving in Heraklion you are close to the Minoan Palace of Knossos, the mythological home of King Minos and the Minotaur. Therefore, the best way to start your week in Crete is to visit this historical landmark.

Take a local bus, departing from the bus station close to the port of the city. The ride takes circa 20-30 minutes and cost no more than a couple of Euros. The entry fee to the palace is €15 per person. However, if you’re an EU student you can go in for free!

Top Tip: If you want to explore the Palace just make sure you arrive super early. We arrived around 9:30 AM and there were already lots of tour groups blocking all the interesting parts and walkways. This kind of ruined the whole atmosphere of the place for me.

After exploring the Palace, head back to Heraklion and spend the rest of the day exploring its streets and markets. Learn the difference between a Greek Salad and a Cretan Salad (yes, there is a slight difference) and watch the sunset at the port.

Day 2 – Matala Beach

On the first day we also hired a car which we then used to explore the rest of the island. (Would you like to get an insight of what it’s like to drive in Crete? Then head over to my saved Instagram stories. You won’t be disappointed).

The first stop of our one week road trip in Crete was Matala, located to the south of the island. Famous for its artificial caves in the rocks which you can ascend to and get great views of the beach. You need to pay €2 to enter but I think it’s worth the money.

Did you know? – Matala is one of the 400 beaches in Greece that have been awarded a Blue Flag. This eco-label has very strict criteria on dealing with water quality, environmental management and safety, therefore the title is only given to beaches that offer cleanliness and a safe bathing area.

If you visit Matala, you also need to hike over Hill Kastri to the Red Beach. The hike is not difficult (some people wore flip flops) and you get some pretty epic views along the path. Just a warning, there is no shade along the way. So if you do it in the middle of the day just make sure you have plenty of sun-cream on. Unlike me, try to avoid ending up with very burnt shoulders!

Day 3 – Seitan Limania & Chania

Seitan Limania is one of the three inlets that nature has created between the steep cliffs of Akrotiri peninsula. (I’ve seen some fantastic drone shots showing all three from above). It is also one of Crete’s most beautiful beaches so it should be on your itinerary too.

Did you know? – The beach translates to ‘The Satanic Harbour’. Seitan comes from the Turkish word for Satan and Limania in Greek means harbour.

We decided to admire the view from above as the beach looked full already. Also, the way down looked sketchy and we saw many people turning back after unsuccessful attempts to walk down in flip-flops. (Not sure why everyone in Crete tries to hike to a beach in flip-flops…).

Top Tip: Maybe wear shorts because it’s rather windy on the top. (Unless you want to recreate my Marilyn Monroe moment…then wear a dress like me).

Heraklion is a great place to be based. However, I suggest changing your base to Chania if you’re planning on exploring the west of the Crete. After we checked in to our next hotel just outside of Chania, we headed back to explore its adorable streets. One thing you cannot miss there is the jewel of the city. The lighthouse is one of the oldest preserved lighthouses in the world. It was initially built by the Venetians in the 16th century. Its present form dates to the early 19th century when it was reconstructed by the Egyptians during their rule in Crete.

Day 4 – Samaria Gorge

Probably my favourite activity to do in Crete was to walk the 16 km long Samaria Gorge trail. It runs from the Xyloskalo trailhead in the White Mountains to the seaside village of Agia Roumeli.

About the guided tour

Whenever possible I try to explore a place my own way, therefore, I hardly ever book a tour. However, it’s safe to say that the best and cheapest way to do Samaria Gorge is through a tour.

Most companies cost around €35 per person and should include the following:

• pick up from your chosen hotel,
• a quick stop for breakfast (the cost of your breakfast is normally not included),
• entry fee to the Gorge
• the price of the ferry which takes you to the next fishing town along the coast from where the bus takes you back to your hotel.

About the hike

So, what’s it like to hike the Gorge? Well, you start off with a bunch of people. This is unfortunately unavoidable as all tour buses arrive around the same time. (Adding up to 1000 people per day)! But you can always get up to speed and pass a lot of them during the first 3 km. After that you can breathe and enjoy the Gorge fully at your own pace.

Just a little warning, you have about 6 hours to complete the hike! The little fishing village at the end of the gorge can only be reached via the gorge or by boat! So it’s important that you get back in time to avoid missing the ferry that takes you back to your bus!

You have a guide who rides on the bus with you who will start the hike an hour later. This gives you a head start as they are probably a lot faster than you! However, you need to make sure if you see her/him to speed up a little. (We learned that they do this hike and whole day trip 5 days a week. Impressive!). Not to brag, but we did the hike in 4.5 hours. The quicker you walk the more time you have on the beach or to have some food in the village.

There are plenty of rest places and some will have toilets too. (Obviously you need to provide your own toilet paper!). Pack some snacks and bring along a water bottle which you can fill up with fresh water on the way! 

Day 5 – Elafonissi Beach

Who wouldn’t spend a day chilling on one of the most exotic beaches in the world? Especially if the beach is also famous for its ‘pink sand’?

Did you know? – Okay you’re probably asking how the sand can turn pink right? Well, according to a trustworthy source (called Google) the sand gets its colour from foraminifera shellfish. They leave their crushed reddish shells in the white sand and mix with it. This produces the pinkish colour that attracts more and more people every year.

Visit the beautiful Elafonissi Beach to enjoy crystal blue waters and grab the chance to shoot amazing photos of the pink beach. (Which you don’t even need to Photoshop!).

Top Tip: If you can, try to avoid beaches around Crete on a windy day! The week we visited the island was an extremely windy one. Therefore, every time we were on a beach the wind made it very uncomfortable to relax. Okay when only sand hits your body but trust me when millions of tiny rocks do the same it’s painful! Plus, it took me another week before I got rid of all the sand/rock mixture on my scalp.

Day 6 – Lake Kournas & Argyroupoli

Okay, this was a rather spontaneous trip as we originally planned to visit the famous Balos Beach the day before. We drove there on paved road when we realised that the last 4 miles is an uneven dirt road. So, we had to turn around as our hire car wouldn’t have survived on that rocky dirt road. Besides your insurance will not cover any tire or under car damage (clever don’t you think?). On that day – ready for a beach day – we headed to Elafonissi Beach instead. We then looked for another activity for Day 6 of our trip. Always be flexible with your plans!

Long story short I’d seen amazing photos of Balos Beach and you can take a ferry there too. (Or rent an appropriate car for rocky dirt roads). But I think visiting a waterfall village and the only freshwater lake in Crete was also amazing.

Argyroupoli​

Argyroupoli, located a good 30 minutes’ drive from Rethimno, is a famous (and apparently very popular) waterfall village. Yes, waterfalls are running through the entire village. Restaurants are built around these falls and serve you your fresh jug of water straight from the falls. How cool is that? The only downside to this place is that it could get seriously overcrowded. (You should’ve seen the number of tour buses that arrived within 10-15 minutes). So, if you’d like to explore this place I highly suggest you go at the crack of dawn.

Lake Kournas

After the short but sweet visit to the waterfall village head towards Lake Kournas. Here you can rent a pedalo and pedal around the lake. Take in the amazing view and the sunshine and have something to eat before you head back to your hotel.

We usually rush around places to see as much as possible. This day was so relaxing though that I did not regret the change in our plans at all.

Day 7 – Preveli Beach & Rethimno

You know when you see a cool photo on social media and you just want to see it for yourself? Well, there’s this cool rock at Preveli Beach that stands apart and when the tide is in it looks fantastic. Of course, on the day we went it was low tide mixed with tourists lying underneath to find some shade. The perfect expectations vs reality moment.

BUT! Preveli Beach has another (probably way more attractive) feature. A breath-taking palm forest! So after your well-deserved lie down on the beach head into this tropical paradise. Explore the rare species of palm trees and take some envious Instagram shots.

After exploring Preveli Beach head back to explore Rethimno. I thought nothing could top Chania’s adorable streets, but I was wrong. Rethimno’s narrow streets are even more attractive – if it’s even possible – so definitely stop here if you can.

Ancient ruins, remnants of many different cultures, the longest gorge in Europe, pink beaches and waterfall villages! These are just a few things that you can find on this less than 8,500 sq km island. No wonder I truly enjoyed my one week in Crete!

Finally, here is a map of our trip showing the places we managed to visit in one week. Have you been to Crete before? How much of the island did you manage to explore? Let me know in the comments section below.