Top places to see, highlights, places to avoid. What you need to know before traveling to Crete
From places to food, an overview of tops and flops of this incredible island
Trip dates: Jun 28th – July 9th
When you think about Greek island, you imagine white houses with blue roofs, tiny streets full of little shops, feta everywhere and crystal waters. Almost true: in Crete you get all of those, except the white houses.
But let’s start with some general info on the island: Crete is the biggest Greek island and the 5th biggest in the Mediterranean sea.
The island has a surface of almost 8.5 km2 and is the most populated Greek island.
It has also a fascinating history, dating back to millennia BC (around 2500 BC), with the Minoic civilization. Minos, Ariadne, the Minotaurus… does that ring a bell?
Let’s see the 10 things to know when you visit the island.
Little disclaimer: I travelled with WeRoad Italia, and we did not visit Balos, so I cannot say anything about it except that I regret not seeing it.
1. Elafonisi: prepare for the crowd
The most famous beach in Crete, crystal clear shallow waters, white sands, breathtaking sights and a sh*t load of people.
It would be heaven if you did not continuously bump into somebody camped few meters from you. The water is super nice and warm, the sand feels amazing under your feet, and the noise of the people around is just as unnerving as you imagine.
To avoid that, I suggest going after 5pm when most of the people have left, you still have nice sunlight and the beach with its natural beauty.
I crossed the shallow waters with all my stuff and set myself on the outer side of Elafonissi island right in front of the beach: it was so peaceful and the water felt just refreshing (compared to the warm broth of the pond). Then I crossed back to see the sunset.
There is a huge parking just before the entrance of the paths going down to the beach. You’ll have to walk a little 15min – 20min before arriving to the sea.
In the park beside the beach you will find showers, toilets, bars, wooden paths, etc. Just be mindful not to leave around trash and do not use shampoo or other soaps if you decide or take a shower after swimming as locals are really trying to preserve the nature.
The pink sand you see in pictures – that’s real! of course, don’t expect bright pink hue, but you’ll still see the corals light pink shading on the sand on Elafonissi island.
2. Kedrodasos: a quiet paradise close to Elafonissi
Just 15 min drive south from Elafonissi, you will find Kedrodasos beach. I loved it just as much as Elafonissi. You will need to park at the end of the dirt road and take a 20-30min walk to reach the beach. Fun fact: the parking is full of goats 😀
Candid advice here is to get there early morning as towards midday it starts to be crowded. You will find nice spots in the shade below the trees, and if feels like you have your own little private beach room.
The water is crystal clear and you find many sandy points to enter the sea in between the rocks. Definitely recommended!
3. Preveli: overrated
I’ve seen it in many bucket lists of the island. Let me tell you my humble point of view: what you get is not worth the effort of going down the hundreds of steps under the sun that are necessary to reach this beach.
It was super crowded with muddy waters and it was stinky as a swamp. The sand was dark and felt really dirty. On top of that we were surrounded by geese pooping on unguarded towels.
In short: don’t go there!
4. Matala: the hippie vibe with a breathtaking beach
Located in the South coast, Matala is a little hippie town with vibrant shops and a chill vibe. On the northern end of the beach there are some hippie caves that you can climb up (after paying a cheap entrance ticket), to enjoy the hippie experience and the view from above on the beach.
A bit towards the sunset, we took a little hike (40min) through a trail on the hill on the southern end of the beach (starting in the town), to arrive at the stunning Red Beach (Kokkini Ammos). The colors, vibe, sea there is just incredible. There is a chiringuito on the beach serving amazing mojitos and the whole atmosphere was very relaxed and chill.
Totally recommend the full package, hike included, as it’s totally doable and you have a super refreshing mojito at the end of it. I also recommend spending the evening in town, you have many nice souvenir shops and restaurants where to have dinner and enjoy that hippie vibe!
Red Beach at sunset 
Chilling at Red Beach Chiringuito 
I even made cocktails at the chiringuito with Fanis! 
The view over Red Beach from the trail 
Indications on how to get there on the trail 
Enjoy the view of Matala from the caves 
You can take nice pictures from the caves, but be careful not to fall over! 
Matala Caves 
Matala Caves 
Matala vibe
5. Knossos: ruins of the Labyrinth
Knossos is a must do stop in Crete. Not far from Heraklion, the archaeological site has good rebuilt samples of the original buildings alongside the ruins. A guided tour is ideal to understand the structure of the ancient royal town and the history behind the Minotaurus Labyrinth myth.
Much advised to bring plenty of water and some fruits as well as sunscreen and a hat as it can get VERY hot under the sun.
6. Kourtaliotiko Gorge: a hidden gem
Quite hidden on the road to Preveli, there is a very nice spot with waterfalls in a gorge. You need to walk down an easy path to reach the pond. When the path divides, take to the right to access the pond and bathe in the icy waters to swim all the way to the waterfall. If you go to the left, you will end up above the waterfalls – so you may still see them.
Having rock shoes is highly recommended to comfortably walk in the water. It is a very nice spot if you have time to go there, as it’s very refreshing and the views are incredible.
7. Cheese in all forms and goats everywhere
Enough with places! Let’s move to food now. I am sure many of you appreciate Greek food: pita gyros, the salads, seafood, Dolmadakia, moussaka, etc.
The one thing that I loved above all the rest was the cheese. Not only feta – there is so much more! The island is full of goats so you get a looooot of goat cheese. If you like it (and I am obsessed with it, being also lactose intolerant), this is paradise.
My favorite is absolutely Myzithra. It’s a soft cheese, similar to ricotta, spreadable on bread, and with a sweet taste. Then comes the Xygalo, a creamy cheese that is also sweet, but has a little sour taste too. Also, cretan graviera is total love.
Another discovery is the many ways to cook feta: fried feta saganaki, feta in the oven, wrapped in phyllo and served warm with honey, in cheese pies, in cheese pies with spinach, and of course in salads and pasta! Omg, it was truly cheese paradise.
8. Breaking plates and The Greek Cook Out
Breaking plates is something traditional that locals do in special occasions. We went for dinner in a super cool place in Kissamos called The Greek Cook Out (google maps link here). We had a traditional buffet dinner and danced on the notes of Play Bouzouki (track here below)
After dancing, we started smashing plates – not the ones on which we were eating, luckily, but some made for the purpose.
It was a very nice experience, recommended if you are travelling with a group of people!
9. Driving: brace yourselves for a savage experience
Driving is a mystical experience, if you are used to proper countries where people respect basic road rules, such as do not overtake a car with a double solid line, which seemed perfectly fine in Crete.
I was shocked to experience drivers moving to the right to let others overtake on roads where it would be forbidden.
Speed limits are not logical: straight large road, 80km/h. Highway exits with narrow turn, 80km/h. from 130km/h to 70km/h on the same type of road without turns nor apparent dangers. I constantly kept waze to understand in advance speed limit changes, speed cameras and other dangers.
So if you are renting a car, and that would be recommended to move around easily as distances are quite long, be prepared for the craziness of Cretan drivers and random road rules.
10. Chania, Giafka Tattoo and the people
The people I met in Crete are just amazing: so warm, welcoming, easy to approach and talk to. I stayed in a couple of apartments and the kindness of the hosts was overwhelming everywhere: ready to help with a warm smile and happy to give useful advice.
I spent my last night in Chania. The town is vibrant with life, the center is buzzing until late and the restaurants are delicious. The old town if packed with ruins and sights.
Also, I decided to get tattooed in Chania during on the last night of my stay.
For this I chose Giafka Tattoo Studio with Paola as artist. The whole staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. Fanis stayed to chat when Paola was tattooing, and I was feeling so relaxed that I fell asleep during the tattoo (I did not feel any pain!).
So, this is not an ad, but I loved the experience so much that I really want to recommend it if you are thinkign of getting a tattoo there.
Paola does incredible fineline designs and Fanis is more on traditional tattos. See below one of the two incredible creations that Paola realized for me.
That’s all folks!
Please let me know below in comments if you found this post useful and if you visited Crete and how you liked it 🙂
Erli
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Erli Wanders 
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