Crete itinerary

1. 1

   Knossos Palace

   Knossos is the largest Bronze Age site in Greece and the legendary seat of King Minos, dating back to around 1900 BCE. The 20,000 square metre palace was excavated by Sir Arthur Evans from 1900 onwards, and his partial…

   Address

   Leoforos Knossou, Knossos 714 09, Heraklion, Crete

   Nearest transit

   Heraklion city bus line 2 from Heraklion bus station A (1.80 EUR, every 20 min, 25 min ride)

2. 2

   Chania Old Town and Venetian Harbour

   Chania's Old Town wraps around a horseshoe-shaped Venetian harbour built between 1320 and 1356, with the Egyptian-era Faros lighthouse anchoring the breakwater. Wander the lanes of Topanas, Splantzia and Kasteli to find…

   Address

   Akti Tompazi, Chania 731 31, Crete

   Nearest transit

   KTEL Chania bus station to Old Town: 10 min walk via Kydonias Street

3. 3

   Elafonissi Beach

   Elafonissi is a protected Natura 2000 lagoon at the south-western tip of Crete, famous for pink-tinted sand created by crushed shells of Foraminifera microorganisms. The shallow channel between the mainland and the…

   Address

   Elafonissi Beach, Innachorion 730 01, Chania, Crete

   Nearest transit

   KTEL daily summer bus from Chania (E90 line, 10 EUR return, 2 hr ride, departs 07:30)

4. 4

   Balos Lagoon

   Balos is the iconic turquoise lagoon at the tip of the Gramvousa peninsula in north-west Crete, with white sand bars, a pirate-era Venetian fort on Imeri Gramvousa island and water that grades from milk-white to deep…

   Address

   Balos Beach, Kissamos 734 00, Chania, Crete

   Nearest transit

   Daily catamaran from Kissamos port (KTEL bus from Chania to Kissamos: 8 EUR, 1 hr)

5. 5

   Samaria Gorge

   The Samaria Gorge is one of Europe's longest gorges at 16 km, dropping 1,250 m from the Omalos plateau through the White Mountains National Park to the Libyan Sea at Agia Roumeli. The hike takes 5-7 hours one way…

   Address

   Xyloskalo trailhead, Omalos 730 05, Chania, Crete

   Nearest transit

   KTEL Chania-Omalos morning bus (8 EUR, 1 hr 15 min, 06:15 daily in season)

6. 6

   Heraklion Archaeological Museum

   The Heraklion Archaeological Museum holds the world's most important Minoan collection, including the Phaistos Disc, the Snake Goddess figurines, the bull-leaping fresco from Knossos and the Hagia Triada sarcophagus…

   Address

   Xanthoudidou 2, Heraklion 712 02, Crete

   Nearest transit

   Heraklion city bus 2 (Knossos line) stops at Eleftherias Square, 200 m from the museum

7. 7

   Spinalonga Island Fortress

   Spinalonga is a small fortified island in the Bay of Mirabello with a layered history that spans Venetian engineering (1579), Ottoman occupation and a 20th century leper colony that operated until 1957. Victoria…

   Address

   Spinalonga Island, Elounda 720 53, Lasithi, Crete

   Nearest transit

   Plaka village boat (KTEL bus from Agios Nikolaos to Plaka: 3 EUR, 35 min)

8. 8

   Rethymno Venetian Old Town and Fortezza

   Rethymno preserves one of the best Venetian-Ottoman streetscapes in the Mediterranean, with the 16th century Fortezza fortress crowning a low headland above the old harbour. Inside the walls, see the Sultan Ibrahim…

   Address

   Fortezza, Cheimaras, Rethymno 741 31, Crete

   Nearest transit

   KTEL Rethymno bus station, 10 min walk via Igoumenou Gavriel Street

9. 9

   Lasithi Plateau and Dikteon Cave

   The Lasithi Plateau sits at 850 m elevation in the Dikti Mountains, a circular valley of orchards, almond groves and cobblestone villages such as Tzermiado and Psychro. Mythology places the birth of Zeus inside the…

   Address

   Dikteon Cave, Psychro 720 52, Lasithi, Crete

   Nearest transit

   KTEL Heraklion-Lasithi bus to Psychro (8 EUR, 2 hr, twice daily in summer)

10. 10

    Preveli Beach and Palm Forest

    Preveli sits on the Libyan Sea south of Rethymno where the Megalopotamos river meets the sea, surrounded by a rare grove of Theophrastus palm trees - one of only two native palm forests in Europe. The beach is reached…

    Address

    Preveli Beach, Asomatos 740 60, Rethymno, Crete

    Nearest transit

    KTEL Rethymno-Plakias bus then taxi 6 km (Plakias bus: 5 EUR, 1 hr)

11. 11

    Phaistos Minoan Palace

    Phaistos is the second-largest Minoan palace after Knossos, set on a hilltop above the Messara Plain in southern Crete. Italian archaeologists led by Federico Halbherr excavated the site from 1900, and unlike Knossos it…

    Address

    Phaistos Archaeological Site, Mires 702 00, Heraklion, Crete

    Nearest transit

    KTEL Heraklion-Mires bus, then local taxi 8 km (Mires bus: 7 EUR, 1 hr 30 min)

12. 12

    Agios Nikolaos and Lake Voulismeni

    Agios Nikolaos is the elegant capital of the Lasithi region, built around the small saltwater Lake Voulismeni which legend says was where the goddess Athena bathed. The 64 m deep lake is connected to the harbour by a…

    Address

    Lake Voulismeni, Agios Nikolaos 721 00, Lasithi, Crete

    Nearest transit

    KTEL Heraklion-Agios Nikolaos bus (8 EUR, 1 hr 15 min, every 30 min)

13. 13

    Vai Palm Beach

    Vai is on the eastern tip of Crete and frames a 250 m crescent of fine sand with the largest natural palm forest in Europe (around 5,000 Theophrastus palms) sweeping right down to the water. The grove was protected in…

    Address

    Vai Beach, Palaikastro 723 00, Lasithi, Crete

    Nearest transit

    KTEL Sitia-Vai bus (4 EUR, 1 hr, 2 daily in summer)

14. 14

    Frangokastello Fortress

    Frangokastello is a 1374 Venetian fortress built to control southern Sfakia and now stands almost intact on a flat coastal plain just metres from a long shallow beach. The square fort with four corner towers became…

    Address

    Frangokastello, Chora Sfakion 730 11, Chania, Crete

    Nearest transit

    KTEL Chania-Chora Sfakion bus (10 EUR, 2 hr 15 min), then 12 km local taxi

15. 15

    Arkadi Monastery

    Arkadi Monastery dates from the 16th century and is the most important religious and historical site in central Crete. The Renaissance-style church facade from 1587 with its eight columns and twin domes is the…

    Address

    Arkadi Monastery, Adele 741 00, Rethymno, Crete

    Nearest transit

    KTEL Rethymno-Arkadi bus (3 EUR, 40 min, 3 daily)

From the trip1 travel guide “15 Top Places to Visit in Crete, Greece” · trip1.com