Crete! A Must See Greek Island to Visit!

Agios Nikolaos Waterfront at Night

There are so many islands in Greece, it's hard to choose which ones to visit. Santorini and Mykonos are definitely two of the more popular ones.  But be prepared in the summer they are quite busy.

Greece begins it's tourism season on Greek Orthodox Easter weekend until October 31st of each year. In 2020, my family and I had booked a trip to Crete along with a small island called Naxos but it had to be cancelled. You know why!!

It took us 3 years to take this trip but in July we flew to Crete to spend 8 days there. It is the largest of the Greek islands and one trip cannot cover even a fraction of it. It takes almost 4 half hours just to drive from the east side of the island to the west.  Renting a car is a must if you plan to explore and try to get the smallest one you can. The roads are narrow especially in the small villages. One thing we learned when driving is when someone wants to pass you, be courteous and move to the right edge of the road so they can.

We decided to stay in eastern Crete near a small village called Plaka. I did very little research when planning this trip but I must say the eastern side was a great choice.

Eastern Crete is much less developed than the western side. It is more rugged with small villages interspersed throughout the mountains. The western side of Crete is more touristy and I think it's because they have the best sandy beaches there. They also have the Samariá Gorge which is a major tourist attraction. We spent most of our time along the eastern coast with a couple trips into the capital city of Heraklion.

Top Things to do in Eastern Crete

1. Sailing the Aegean Sea to Dia Island 

Viator Tour to Dia Island

Greek Church on Uninhabited Dia Island

We travelled to Crete the first week of July. Europe has been super hot this summer. Every day the temperatures were around 37 degrees celsius with no rain or clouds in sight. Before we left, I did book a boat tour through Viator on a  sail boat. We picked up the tour at the port in Heraklion and had 6 other guests on the boat.  We sailed out to Dia Island where we could swim, snorkel, paddle board and enjoy the scenery. It is a popular spot for sail boat tours. My husband and son swam into shore and explored the island where they found some old treasures beside a Greek church. I love the blue and white colours that they use on these tiny churches.

2. Exploring Hidden Beaches in Eastern Crete

Richtis Gorge in Eastern Crete

A View from Top of Kolokithia Beach, Elounda

As I mentioned before, small cars are a must in Crete if you plan to go off the main roads to explore hidden treasures. In the mornings we would do an activity, but in the afternoon we visited various beaches. We try to stay away from the popular beaches (they usually have the better sand) but they are so busy. We did more than three beaches but I want to tell you about these particular ones.

I had wanted to visit the Samariá Gorge but discovered it was way too far from where we were staying. So instead we had a recommendation to go to see Richtis Gorge which was much closer. You can either park at the top of the gorge and walk down to the beach or drive down this crazy narrow road to the beach and hike up. We did the crazy road so we only had to walk up hill at the beginning. It was super hot that day so we walked as for as the waterfall and then turned around.  The beach is pretty rocky there and water shoes are highly encouraged. I jumped in with my running shoes instead. The water was so warm and we swam to a small cove to hang out. The beach is nothing spectacular to look at but after hiking the water felt good.

Kolokithia Beach is near Elounda. You drive across this narrow causeway where there is water on both sides. We parked up at the top of a hill and had to hike down to the beach. There are two areas. One was super busy as there was a tourist boat nearby so we headed to the left to a smaller beach instead. This beach was rocky in parts but you can swim along the coast and hang out on the big rocks if you like. There was even ruins from a Christian Basilica right beside us.

On the last day before we had to head home, we decided to make it a total beach day. We drove out to the southern coast.  We were planning on heading to another beach, when I spotted a beach far down inside this little cove called Agia Fotia Beach.  Again, another crazy trip down a narrow windy road. It was worth as it was so quiet but the beach was hot. It was covered in small pebbles which really attract the heat so shoes were a must. I highly recommend bringing a tent for shade also.

Ruins of Christian Basilica at Kolokithia Beach

Agia Fotia Beach in Southern Crete

3. Shopping in Small Villages 

Shops along Plaka Waterfront

Deboning a Fish in Plaka

There are so many villages on the eastern side of Crete.  Not too far from where we were staying is the small village of Plaka. It was only 5km away but took 20 minutes to get there. Going around mountains takes time! Here they have a beautiful waterfront, handmade shops and some great restaurants. One night we had dinner at Giovanni Giorgios along the water and they cut up cooked fish right in front of us. I also found this pottery tulip at the Provolos Art Shop.

Up in the foothills of the mountains is a tiny village called Krista. Here you can find narrow streets adorned with flowers and if you keep walking up the main road you will find some wonderful shops including a Ceramic and Glass shop by G. Perakis. 

Ceramic Tulip from Plaka, Crete

Flowers in Bloom in Kritsa

4. Foods of Crete

Chicken Souvlaki

Gyros with Fries

No Lettuce in Their Greek Salad

I must say the food here is delicious! If you like fish, tomatoes, chicken, baklava and roasted potatoes, you will love the food here. It's all cooked in their olive oil with simple spices.  Some of our favourites from the trip are in the photos.

Grilled Shrimp and Roasted Potatoes

5. Crete is Filled With so Much History

You could spend your whole trip visiting historical landmarks in Crete. The Palace of Knossos is located just outside of the capital of Heraklion (make sure to visit the city at night). The most popular pedestrian street is called the 25th of August Street. If you start from the waterfront area make sure to keep walking. The best part of it is the middle of the street.

Back to the palace now! The Minoans built the first palace but since then it has gone through many reconstructions. Some of the palace is the original but a lot has been redone over time. We got our tickets online before we went as it saved a lot of time. We did it through Viator again.

A very popular tourist attraction is the Cave of Zeus up in the Lasithi Plateau. After you arrive, you have to walk up a one kilometre uneven path to the cave. The walk is straight uphill so I recommend good shoes as I twisted my ankle on the way down. The locals offer donkey rides up and down the path. The cave is really deep and has stalagmites everywhere. 

Lastly, we did not have time to visit Spinalonga Island near Elounda. Spinalonga is known across the world as the host of the leper community from 1903 to 1957. But if you have the time, it is definitely recommended. I have bought a book called The Island by Victoria Hislop  which was recommended to me.

Palace of Knossos

Spinolango Island

Cave of Zeus Stalagmites

To finish off, I found this sign in Kritsa in a store window that is now closed.
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Until next time, enjoy the Beauty of Nature!
Cheryl🌷

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