Europe · Beach and resort guide
A large island where transfer time and airport choice matter as much as the hotel.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Families, couples and travellers who want days out.
We would think twice for
Anyone who books the hotel first and the geography second, because Crete is huge, and a great hotel can still be the wrong choice if it puts a two-hour transfer between you and your arrival flight.
What we would want you to know
A great hotel can still be the wrong answer if the transfer is two hours.
We’ve been here
We have been to Crete ourselves, and our advice always starts with an airport question. Heraklion and Chania sit at opposite ends of a long island, and matching the flight to the resort often matters more to how the holiday feels than the hotel's star rating.
Map and areas
A Venetian harbour town of lighthouse, lanes and waterfront tavernas, with the best of western Crete within reach: Balos, Falasarna and Elafonisi. Old Town hotels are small and full of character; for a pool and a beach, most people stay on the coast just west of town.
A strip of hotels, tavernas and bars along a long sandy beach west of Chania, facing the islet of Agioi Theodoroi. Agia Marina is the gentler end for families and Platanias the livelier one, and buses run along the main road into Chania.
A university town with a Venetian harbour, Ottoman minarets and the Fortezza above, and a long sandy beach running east from the centre. Beach hotels line the coast road east of town; stay close to the old town if you want to walk in for dinner.
The busy heart of package Crete east of Heraklion, with a harbour front of bars and a string of big family hotels either side. Nightlife is loud in the centre; Stalis, a little further east, has a sandier beach and calmer evenings. The airport is close, which helps with young children.
A sheltered bay facing Spinalonga island, lined with very smart hotels, many with private jetties and bungalows on the water. The village itself is small, with a harbour of fish tavernas. Beaches are mostly small and pebbly: here the hotels are the point.
A real working town built round a small, deep lake linked to the harbour, with cafés, shops and a year-round life of its own. Town beaches are small, so most visitors stay on the coast either side; it pairs well with Spinalonga and the Lasithi Plateau.
Weather and seasons
Crete stays warm for longer than most of Greece. By mid-May the north coast reaches around 24°C, spring flowers still cover the hills and the Samaria Gorge has just opened for the season. High summer is hot, near 30°C in July on the coast and more inland, and the meltemi can churn up north-facing beaches in the afternoons. The south coast, facing the Libyan Sea, holds its warmth latest, and even in late October the sea off Heraklion is about 23°C. Many hotels close from November, although winter walking on the lower trails works when the rain allows.
Worth timing a trip around
Ceremonies around Chania and at the war cemetery at Souda Bay mark the airborne invasion of May 1941, often attended by families of Greek, British, Australian and New Zealand veterans.
Theatre, early music and dance staged on warm evenings in the open-air Erofili Theatre inside the Fortezza.
Villages fire up their copper stills to make tsikoudia from the grape harvest, and the gatherings around them come with food, music and plenty of tasting.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | 9°C | 16°C | 91 mm |
| February | 16°C | 9°C | 16°C | 49 mm |
| March | 18°C | 10°C | 16°C | 39 mm |
| April | 21°C | 12°C | 17°C | 18 mm |
| May | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 6 mm |
| June | 28°C | 20°C | 22°C | 2 mm |
| July | 30°C | 23°C | 25°C | 0 mm |
| August | 30°C | 23°C | 25°C | 0 mm |
| September | 28°C | 21°C | 25°C | 7 mm |
| October | 24°C | 17°C | 23°C | 10 mm |
| November | 21°C | 14°C | 20°C | 36 mm |
| December | 17°C | 11°C | 18°C | 62 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Nikos Kazantzakis, 5 km away at 35 m. Rainfall is from the same station and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Sand, shingle and swimming
A shallow lagoon in the far south-west with sand tinged pink by tiny shell fragments, where you can wade across to the islet. It is a protected area, very busy in summer and a long drive from anywhere but Chania.
A turquoise lagoon on the Gramvousa peninsula, reached by boat from Kissamos or by a rough road and a steep walk down. The warm, shallow water suits children, but there is almost no natural shade.
Long sandy beaches on the west coast facing open sea, known for their sunsets. Waves roll in when the wind is up, so watch the flags; on calm days the water is very clear.
A river runs through a palm grove to a sand and pebble beach on the south coast, reached by a steep path from the clifftop or by boat from Plakias. The river water is cold; the sea is warmer.
A grove of native Cretan date palms backs this sandy bay at the eastern tip of the island. Organised and busy by midday, and a long day out unless you are staying in the east.
A sandy, gently shelving beach between Hersonissos and Malia with sunbeds all along it. Good for young children, with a promenade that is calmer than its neighbours.
Things to do
The Minoan palace outside Heraklion, partly reconstructed a century ago and argued over ever since. Be at the gate for opening time, ahead of the coaches and the midday sun, and consider a guide: the site makes far more sense with one.
The frescoes, the Phaistos Disc and the bull's-head drinking vessel: the finds from Knossos and other Minoan sites are all here. Visit on the same day as Knossos, the museum first if it is hot.
A long, stony walk down from the White Mountains to the Libyan Sea, open roughly May to October and closed in storms or extreme heat. There is no road at the end, so a boat from Agia Roumeli takes you along the coast. Wear walking boots, not trainers.
A Venetian island fortress that became Greece's leper colony until 1957, and the setting of Victoria Hislop's novel The Island. Boats run from Plaka, Elounda and Agios Nikolaos; go in the morning, as there is little shade.
A high farming plain ringed by mountains, once famous for its white-sailed windmills, with the cave where myth says Zeus was born above Psychro. The cave path is steep and slippery, so leave the sandals at the hotel.
A fortified monastery inland from Rethymno where, in 1866, the defenders blew up the powder store rather than surrender to the Ottoman army. It is a national symbol and an easy drive from the Rethymno coast.
A south-coast bay where Roman-era tombs carved into the cliff were home to hippies in the 1960s. The caves are fenced and open by day, and the village keeps a relaxed, slightly alternative feel.
A carefully restored village south of Knossos, surrounded by vineyards. Local wineries pour Vidiano whites and Kotsifali reds, and a tasting here makes a good afternoon after the palace.
Food and drink
A barley rusk softened with grated tomato and olive oil, topped with crumbled mizithra cheese and oregano. A Cretan lunch in itself.
Crete's grape spirit, also called raki, often poured at the end of a meal on the house in small glasses. Pace yourself; a polite refusal is fine.
Small pastries filled with soft cheese such as mizithra, baked or fried, and sometimes sweetened with honey.
Snails fried face down in olive oil, then finished with vinegar and rosemary, a classic of village tavernas.
A thin pie from Sfakia filled with fresh cheese, cooked in a pan and drizzled with thyme honey.
Money
Crete runs from bargain family all inclusive east of Heraklion to the top hotels of Elounda. What catches people out is distance: a cheap hotel a long way from your arrival airport is not a cheap holiday once the transfer and the lost half day are counted. Three or four days of car hire opens up the gorges, the south coast and the mountain villages, and is often better value than an upgraded room.
Flights and transfers
Two airports change the game here: Heraklion serves the centre and east, Chania the west, and both take direct seasonal flights from northern England. Booking the wrong airport for your resort is the classic Crete mistake, and it can add two hours each way. We match the airport to the hotel before we talk prices.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
2 hours ahead of the UK
Euro (€)
Greek
Type C and F, 230V
On the right
Varies by area; most visitors, and many locals, drink bottled
Round up or leave 5 to 10 percent; the free raki or dessert at the end is custom, not a hint
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Passport. Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen area.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use, so you may be asked to register your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first visit. It is free.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
Match the airport to the resort. Chania suits the west: Chania town, Platanias, Agia Marina and, at a push, Rethymno. Heraklion suits everything from Hersonissos and Malia to Elounda and Agios Nikolaos. Flying into the wrong one can add a long drive at both ends of the holiday.
The resorts east of Heraklion, around Hersonissos and Stalis, have the widest choice of family hotels and a short transfer. In the west, Agia Marina near Chania has a long sandy beach and gentler evenings. Elounda suits families who want luxury more than sand.
The main strip in Malia is still one of Greece's best-known party streets in July and August, and we would not put families or couples next to it. The old village and the beaches either side are calmer, and Stalis next door is a much gentler choice.
It is long rather than technical: several hours downhill on loose stones, which is hard on the knees. You need boots, water, a hat and reasonable fitness, and it does not suit young children. The gorge closes in bad weather, so keep the day flexible.
For part of the holiday, yes. Crete is big, the buses between towns are good but slow to reach the gorges and the south coast, and organised tours only skim the highlights. Three or four days of car hire, delivered to the hotel, is the usual answer.
A week works for one base and a couple of days out. Two weeks lets you split the island, perhaps a week in the west around Chania and a week in the east near Elounda, which we often suggest for a first visit.
Photographs
Also worth a look
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