The southern coast of Rethimnon prefecture. There are some beautiful beaches, many accessible only on foot. The monastery at Prevelli is of particular historical interest as the site from where Abbot Agathagelos Lagouvardos sheltered and assisted the evacuation of Allied troops during WWII. There are also several museums and an ancient Minoan cemetary.
Crete Avril Mona Mountain is a historical place in Western Crete popular with tourists.
The Lasithi Plateau. A large plateau located in the mountains where due to its altitude of a few thousands feet is cooler than the coast. Its a flat area full of irrigated fields and a road runs round the perimeter. Here you can find the "Zeus Cave" (Ideon Andron) where according to greek Mythology the infant god Zeus was hidden as a child from his father.
The palm tree lined beach of Vai. The east coast of Crete a few kilometres from Sitea has a valley containing europes only native growing wild palm trees. This tree lined valley terminates in a fabulous sandy beach and bay and is possibly the most scenic beach on the island. To the south (right) of this over a small cliff is another large beach that due to having no road access is often completely deserted.
Zakros Gorge - south of Sitea and Vai lies the Zakros Gorge (also known as the "valley of the dead" due to the ancient neolithic tombs in the valley wall). This gorge runs several kilometres down towards the sea and ancient palace ruins of Zakros and can be walked comfortably there and back in a few hours unlike is larger cousin the Samara gorge.
Spinalonga - a small island containing an old leper colony located near Elounda and next to the quiet village of Plaka. This island achieved fame in the novel "The Island" by Victoria Hislop and there are many boat trips running from Agios Nikolaos, Elounda and Plaka to this island.
Gramvousa - an inhabited island, reachable by boat (plenty organized excursions), you can see there a splendid old fortress and a lovely beach.
Every year in May the local Cretans commemorate the great Battle of Crete which was a battle against invading paratroopers
See the vast ancient city of Gortyna: has many ancient Roman ruins, Byzantine Cathedrals, and a tree where supposedly Zeus and Europa first made love
Go to Lasithi which has ancient caves, sacred sites, and is the location of a forming leper colony. This place also has many small ports, ruins of a Minoan Palace, and old windmills
Elounda Lagoon- Clear turquoise lagoon that conceals the sunken city of Olous. There is also a ancient Greek myth that mermaids live here
Myrtos. An agicultural traditional village 8k west of Ierapetra, few tourists, endless empty beaches. Archaeological sites and donkey tracks to hill villages. Warm all year round, warm sea until late January. Good bus service, local butcher, baker etc.
Agia Roumeli. A coastal village near the Samaria Gorge.
The White Mountains ('Lefka Ori'), Crete's largest mountain massif, with over 100 gorges, and peaks of over 2,500 metres
Paleochora Located on the South coast of Western Crete and is a large village. The village itself is not pretty but the beaches are beautiful and there is an abundance of restaurants, bars, hotels, and rooms
Plakias is a small, quiet resort on the South coast of Crete. It has a magnificent beach and is backdropped by stunning mountainous scenery that offers good walking.
Elafonisi is a small beach on the southwestern tip of Crete. It only has two places to stay and is an excellent location to spend the day at the beach.
The Beaches West of Chania Long stretch of sandy beaches that has now made this area a huge tourist attraction. Also has many hotels, apartments, bars, and tourist shops
Georgioupolis 9Km. long of sandy beaches on the Northern end of Crete. Many new hotels are being built on the island to sustain the growing tourist population
Falasarna Located on the Western part of Crete, has many nice beaches and the water their was voted second cleanest water in all of Greece
Gramvoussa Located on the westernmost peninsula of Crete. Used to be very secluded only accessible by private boat but the turquoise lagoon and white beach now has to deal with tar on rocks and frequent rubbish on the beach but it is still a beautiful site.
Sougia 1200 meter long pebble beaches located in a very small village where it is never crowded. The landscape and waters are beautiful and nuditiy on the beaches is acceptable
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Crete
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Crete - updated May 2024
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Crete Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
