Top 10 Things To Do In Crete

Crete is the largest Greek island and it has by far the most available attractions, activities, tours, excursions and the most diverse things to do. Here is the ultimate list of the best things to do in Crete, to make this an unforgettable trip. 

Crete is an extremely diverse place and you can easily find yourself laying on an exotic beach overlooking a snowy mountain which might be a few miles away…

It’s also important to understand that because Crete is a massive island, the things you choose to do really depend on where you are staying in Crete (western crete, Heraklion area or Agios Nikolaos).

• Best Website To Book Best Tours in Crete: GetYourGuide 

• You won’t be able to do lots of things if you don’t rent a caror your means of transportation in Crete because you will have to cover many miles

• It is better if you focus in the perfecture you will be staying and cover most things in that part of the island: e.g., if you are staying in Chania, then try to cover things to do in Chania and Rethymno prefectures rather than going to Agios Nikolaos and spending many hours driving

• If you are visiting Crete in the winter there is no point of visiting the beaches as they will be deserted and pretty cold and windy

• If you are looking to go from Crete to Santorini you should better do it through an organised tour (this one is one of the best)

In a nutshell, the absolute best things to do in Crete are:

1. Visit Knossos Palace

Visit the amazing Knossos Palace and explore the ancient Minoan civilisation (a guided walking tour will be very much appreciated…) – also don’t forget to visit the unique Heraklion Archaeological Museum (on Google Maps). It’s conveniently located near Heraklion and easy to get there.

2. Visit a Crete beach

Explore the incredible, famous beaches in Crete (like Balos, Elafonissi, Falassarna, Hersonissos, Malia, and many more) – if you rent a car, things will be easier… Overall, I believe that the beaches in Chania are the best on the island, but there are literally thousands of beaches to choose from.

3. Wander in old cities of Chania and Rethymno

4. Day trip to Santorini island

Take a day trip from Crete to Santorini.

5. Hike Samaria Gorge

6. Go shopping in the old Chania Market

Go shopping in the Chania Old Local Market (on Google Maps)

7. Wine tasting and olive oil production tour

8. Try the local Cretan cuisine

Try by any means the local Cretan cuisine (yes, snails a.k.a. “chochlioi” included…)

9. Try the local drink “tsikoudia”

10. Visit Spinalonga island

Visit the old leper colony of Spinalonga Island (with a tour like this)

CONCLUSION

The list of awesome things to do in Crete is endless, as the island is quite big. Unfortunately, you won’t have the time to do all of them at once, because Crete is a massive island and moving around takes time and money. So, my general advice to you is that you have to pick one area of the island and focus on that.

There are hundreds of beaches and thousands of restaurants, and cute villages you can visit. You need at least 1 week to only get a glimpse of one prefecture (Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, Lasithi), so you should be careful on how you spend your time while being on this amazing island.