Trying to figure out how to travel around the largest island in Greece can seem a little overwhelming but do not worry this Crete Greece itinerary will tell you everything you need to know before your trip.
This itinerary goes over things to do in Crete Greece, where to stay in Crete, and so much more!
This post is all about the Crete Greece itinerary.
How Many Days to Spend in Crete Greece
Crete is the largest Greek island out of the 6000 islands that make up Greece. For such a large island you can spend a long time visiting Crete to see everything this island has to offer. But I lot of people island hop around Greece for vacation so they do not have weeks to spend here. In my opinion, I would say the minimum amount of days to spend in Crete would be four and the maximum around two weeks.How to Travel to Crete Greece
The two ways to travel to Crete are by plane or by ferry. There are two airports on the island, Chania International Airport (CHQ) and Heraklion International Airport (HER). When you are researching flights check out Google Flights to try and find the best deals.
There are also two ferry ports on Crete located in the same cities as the airports, Chania and Heraklion. If you are looking for ferry tickets I booked all of mine off of Ferryscanner for my Greece trip. After a lot of research to find the best deals on ferry tickets, I found Ferryscanner had super affordable options.
How to Travel Around Crete Greece
Since Crete is such a big island it is not a walkable island like others in Greece. The two main ways of getting around Crete Greece would be renting a car or taking public transport. If you are looking into renting a car for your stay in Crete check out Kayak they have great deals for as low as $24 CAD for four days. Usually, public transport is much more affordable than renting a car but since the bus rides around the island are usually a couple of hours long the tickets cost around 10 euros depending on where you are travelling to. So renting in the long run may be more affordable but if you are like me and do not feel comfortable driving in a different country the public busses are a great option.Where to Stay in Crete Greece
The two most popular cities to stay in Crete are Chania and Heraklion since they are the location of the airport and ferry port.
Chania is known for being a very beautiful city with nice beaches and Heraklion is known for having more historical attractions. So when you are choosing where to stay it is up to you and what you prefer. When I visited I decided to stay in Chania since it is more west and closer to the places I wanted to visit during my stay.
I stayed in a nice little Airbnb during my trip to Crete located right in the center of Chania.
4-day Crete Greece Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Heraklion and Travel to Chania
Most ferries I found sail into Heraklion Port so this is where our itinerary will begin. Depending on the time you arrive in Heraklion, spend a bit of time exploring this city and its historical sights before making your way to Chania. The drive from Heraklion to Chania is just over 2 hours long.
Some top sights to see in Heraklion include…
- Lion Square
- The Venetian Loggia
- Odos 1866 (Old Market Street)
- Old Port of Heraklion
- Archaeological Museum
- Venetian Fortress
Day 2: Explore Chania Crete
For your second full day in Crete, you must explore the amazing city of Chania. Some of the top attractions in Chania include…
- The Municipal Market of Chania (closed down but still interesting to see the old building)
- Venetian Neoria Moro
- Maritime Museum of Chania
- Archeological Museum of Chania
- Lighthouse of Chania
- Old Venetian Port of Chania
- Kucuk Hasan Mosque
- Firka Venetian Fortress
Day 3: Visit Elafonisi Beach
For your third day in Crete visit the famous Elafonisi Beach. Elafonisi Beach, also known as the pink beach, is a very popular tourist spot in Crete. Depending on the time of year you visit this beach can get very packed but it is a beautiful beach with clear blue water.
WARNING before you go! The sand on this beach is not as pink as the pictures online I had really high hopes and was a little disappointed when I arrived but it is still a very nice beach to spend the day at.
There are a few ways to get to Elafonisi Beach, if you have a car you can drive yourself. Make sure to arrive early as the parking lots can fill up quickly. If you do not have a rental car public buses are an option from Chania. Busses from Chania to Elafonisi and back only run once a day, 9:00 am (Chania to Elafonisi) and 4:00 pm (Elafonisi to Chania) so make sure you do not miss the bus. Round-trip bus tickets cost 20 euros. And another option to get to the beach is a day-trip tour. You can book a tour off of GetYourGuide which costs around $45 CAD and includes bus transport and guide.
Day 4: Hike Samaria Gorge
For your last day and hopefully best day in Crete (my favourite part of my trip) you will hike Samaria Gorge. This hike might seem intimidating since it is an 18km hike but it is absolutely amazing and is not too difficult if you are an active person.
There are two main ways people do this hike on their own with public transport or with a tour. Driving yourself is not really an option since this hike is one-way so it would be a process to get back to your car.
Hiking Samaria Gorge on your own is pretty easy and the option had chosen during my trip. You purchase bus and ferry tickets and walk the gorge with whoever you are travelling with. To do this hike without a tour you will have to purchase a round-trip bus ticket (14.50 euros) and a ferry ticket (15 euros) as well as an entrance ticket at the start of the hike (5 euros).
If you decide that doing this hike with a tour is the best option for you there are lots of options out there. Look into tours on GetYourGuide for as low as $44 CAD to have it organized for you. Just a warning that a lot of these tours to Samaria Gorge do not include the entrance fee and ferry ticket in the cost.
If you are looking for more details about hiking Samaria Gorge check out my blog post “Everything You Need to Know Before Hiking Samaria Gorge in Crete Greece.”
And that brings us to the end of our 4-day Crete Greece Itinerary. This post went over how to get to Crete, how to get around Crete, how long to stay in Crete, where to stay in Crete, and things to do in Crete Greece. Hope this helped plan your trip to Crete and I hope you have the most amazing time!
This post was all about the 4-day Crete Greece itinerary.
