Where To Stay In Crete

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Written By: Pavlos Inglesis

These are the best places you can stay in Crete. Where to stay in Crete really depends on your situation as you can find something for you in every area whether it is Chania, Heraklion, Malia, Rethymnon, Hersonissos, Agios Nikolaos, or western Crete (which in my opinion is the best area to stay in Crete).

where to stay in crete
A rough Crete Map that explains the different areas of the island. You need at least a week for each area, or you will be driving lots of kilometres every day trying to see everything.

BEST HOTEL IN CRETE: Domes Noruz

BUT ALSO CHECK:

Depending on your situation this is where you should stay in Crete (jump quickly with the links below or keep reading):

READ ALSO: 
Best Villas in Crete
Best Hotels in Crete
Best Family Villas in Crete
How to Get From Athens to Crete
Best Family Hotels in Crete
Best Chania Beaches

Crete is a massive island (in case you don’t know it…). It’s the size of Hawaii’s big island!

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it’s totally understandable if you really cannot figure out where to go in Crete as there are many places and the island is so diverse and different from one area to another that makes it difficult to decide.

You need more than 5 days in Crete (that’s why I do not recommend taking the ferry to Crete) and you won’t be able to explore the whole island in one trip, so you have to choose which one of its prefectures you will focus on Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion or Lasithi.

It’s really not your typical little cute greek island with the small white-washed houses and the cute picturesque roads.

There are big cities with more than 500.000 people in Crete.

So, you are probably wondering: western Crete or somewhere else?

Or maybe just Chania?

What about RethymnonHeraklion , Malia , Hersonissos or Agios Nikolaos?

Where would you be able to find the best beaches in Crete?

Here is what I believe about Crete:

“Unless you are staying in an all-inclusive resort in Crete then you would definitely need a car on the island and more than 5 days in total. The best area to stay in Crete is the western part of the island or the “Chania prefecture”, as it has the most picturesque villages, the gorgeous Samaria Gorge, the beautiful beaches of Balos, Falassarna, Platanias, Elafonissi and obviously the most picturesque town of Crete which is Chania old town”

Keep reading…

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VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW:

  • When Should I go to Crete?: the best time to visit Crete is in June or September because the weather will still be hot but you won’t find that many tourists on the island; avoid July and August by any means if possible

  • North Crete or South Crete: South Crete (that basically looks to Africa continent) is full of unique beaches (like Agia Roumeli, or Palaiochora) , cute remote villages (like Hora Sfakion) but no big towns (like Chania or Heraklion); the best hotels in Crete and the best towns in Crete are all on the north side of the island; it’s also good to know that the roads network between north and south Crete is really not that good so it’s really not worth it staying on the south side of the island

  • Best Area To Stay if it’s your first time in Crete: I suggest you stay as close to Chania as possible because it is the best area in terms of hotels availability, beautiful villages and towns; however you should definitely visit Knossos Palace and the Heraklion area because it’s where most of the historic sites of the island are

  • How to Book a Hotel for Crete: go to Booking.com and make your choice. Airbnb has far less available rooms and villas for Crete.

  • Cheapest Hotels in Crete: generally as a rule of thumb if you stay in less picturesque or remote areas you will find better prices but there is always a catch as you may spend lots of hours driving to and from your hotel – however I believe that Rethymnon (which is very picturesque but less touristic than Chania) is an excellent spot for you to explore both Chania and Heraklion areas as it is in the middle 

  • Best Area in Crete for families with kids: Hersonissos – the best thing about Crete is that it has hundreds of all inclusive resorts that are probably the best thing for families with kids as they have plenty of amenities and everything in walking distance; Hersonissos is the area with the most family resorts around but there are family resorts all over the island and if you find another one that you like go for it (especially if it is around Chania)!

  • Best Area for Nightlife: no it’s not Malia as many online guides suggest; Malia is a teenagers resort with cheap nightlife and junk food restaurants (unless this is what you want…). I honestly believe Chania is the best place for nightlife with beautiful bars, elegant clubs and lovely wine bars and restaurants 

  • Is it Always Windy in Crete?: no it’s not always windy but it can get windy in July and August (especially on the north side that looks over the aegean sea) so you should get prepared for that scenario; most important thing to remember is to check the wind and go to a beach that is not hit by the winds and the best way to know that is if you ask any locals! 

  • What is Crete Greece famous for?: Crete is famous for its history (Knossos Palace and Minoan civilisation), the amazing landscape with the thousands beaches, the incredible Samaria gorge, the delicious cretan food, the picturesque towns of Chania, Rethymnon, Agios Nikolaos and of course the lovely and extremely hospitable Cretan people who are some of the proudest people in Greece

  • Places to Avoid in Crete: unless you are looking for cheap drinks and drunk people on the streets every night, then I do not recommend staying in Malia or Hersonissos.
  • Best Areas to Stay in Crete for Older Couples: I honestly believe Chania or Agios Nikolaos areas are also the best for older couples as they have the best resorts and are very easily accessible and walkable with lots of amenities and a very relaxing vibe
  • How to Get From Athens to Crete: I definitely recommend taking the 45mins flight from Athens to Crete

1. Best Place To Stay In Crete (Overall)

Elafonissi beach is in Chania prefecture on western Crete and it is one of the best beaches in Greece

The best place to stay in Crete is Chania area or western Crete that actually has the best beaches of the island and some of the best hotels along with the beautiful Chania town with its elegant restaurants, the picturesque Old Town of Chania, and the incredible Samaria Gorge (which you should hike).

Chania Town on Google Maps

If you have ever seen a picture from Crete, chances are it is probably from Chania or from one of the western Crete beaches.

Chania has an international airport with direct flights from/to all over Europe. 

The hotel that you will stay in Crete can literally make or break your holidays as there are literally thousands of options to choose from.

You have to understand that even though it’s not necessary to have a car in Crete, there is no other way to explore the beauty of Crete in the most effective and quick way. 

Yes, there are local buses in Crete (there are also Santorini buses and Mykonos buses as well) but they won’t take you everywhere and not when you want them.

So, western Crete is the best option for all occasions but it is definitely the best option if you want to have the best beaches, access to amazing restaurants and great resorts.

Western Crete (and Chania) is the best option if it is your first time in Crete.

I highly recommend staying in Chania Town itself even if it is not on the beach as you will have plenty of options for dinner, lunch, and nightlife at your doorstep and beautiful beaches within a 30 mins drive.

2. Chania or Heraklion ?

Chania with its picturesque old town is much better than big urban Heraklion but Heraklion is much closer to the Knossos ancient ruins and it also has an amazing archaeological museum

Heraklion is the capital of Crete and it is the biggest city of the island.

Heraklion has the biggest airport and port of Crete and it also has one of the best archaeological museums in Europe. 

Heraklion on Google Maps

Heraklion is a big city (more than 500,000 people live in Heraklion and its suburbs) and there is almost nothing reminding you that you are on a Greek island while you are there.  

On the other hand, Chania (or Hania) has an amazing old town with lots of cute little shops and amazing restaurants.

But that doesn’t mean Heraklion is not full of nice restaurants for example, as the food in Crete is amazing everywhere!

Stay at Heraklion if: 

– you are only planning to visit Crete for 2-3 days (which I do not recommend) and ferries and flights only go to Heraklion

–  you want to be close to the museums and the amazing Knossos Palace

– you don’t care much about the beaches and swimming (though there are some really nice beaches at Heraklion prefecture)

Stay at Chania (or western Crete) if: 

– you want to be closer to the best beaches of Crete

–  you want a more picturesque town to wander around

– you don’t really care about archaeological sites and museums

3. Best Place for a Honeymoon in Crete

Crete is a great place for a honeymoon but the hotel you choose will make or break your honeymoon

Let’s admit it: Crete is not the first greek island that comes in mind when you are thinking of a honeymoon in Greece.

honeymoon in Santorini is what you think first.

But Crete has some of the best hotels in Greece with amazing food and incredible service.

And in fact, Crete might be a more affordable option for a honeymoon in Greece than Santorini and Mykonos (which can be extremely expensive).

The reality though is choosing the right honeymoon hotel in Crete is the most important decision because this is where you will be spending most of your days (and nights…).

The other great thing about Crete is that it has a million things to do, cute villages to visit, beaches to swim and even amazing lakes and gorges to hike; this might be a great opportunity for a couple to explore an amazing island with lots of natural beauty, amazing food, magnificent history and lovely people. 

Read Also: Best Honeymoon Hotels in Santorini

As I said, the hotel is one of the most important things while planning your honeymoon.

The place with the most impressive hotels in Crete is (by far) Elounda (on Google Maps) which is on the east side of Heraklion and it has some hotels with celebrity-level service and facilities…

DO NOT make the mistake to book a honeymoon package for Crete as I have discovered from friends that these are charged surprisingly more than just a hotel room that you’d book by yourself.

Travel Agents market amazing Crete, Mykonos, or Santorini honeymoon packages like the holy grail of honeymoons, but it’s really just a nice room with your private pool maybe.

You may get some extras depending on the hotel but it’s not worth it in my opinion.

Just head over to Booking.com and book a suite or a room at Elounda.

BEST HOTELS AT ELOUNDA :

4. Best Place for Families and Kids

Crete is a great place for family holidays and it offers some of the best family resorts in Greece (that’s Lyttos Palace!)

Crete is the perfect place for family holidays as it offers amazing family hotels, lots of beautiful beaches and the island is full of history and activities for the kids.

The area that has the most family hotels in Crete is called Hersonissos but you may find great family resorts scattered everywhere on the island from Chania (west) to Agios Nikolaos (east).

I am personally not a big fan of the all-inclusive hotels and resorts as I believe they don’t really give you the opportunity to travel properly and explore a place and feel its vibes as you mostly stay in a hotel.

If you don’t want to stay at an all-inclusive hotel in Crete then you should definitely consider renting a villa that can possibly sleep more than one family! There are literally hundreds of amazing villas all over the island.

READ ALSO: Best Villas in Crete

READ ALSO: Best Beach Villas in Crete

However, I do understand why they appeal to so many families, to be honest…

Hersonissos (or Chersonissos) is a place with a massive sandy beach, lots of waterparks, amazing family resorts and even aquariums

The great thing about Crete is that the island has many water parks that you can visit even if your hotel does not have a swimming pool or water features for kids.

Crete and Greece are super safe and you don’t have to worry about anything (but that doesn’t mean you should not be careful every time you are on holiday).

BEST FAMILY HOTELS IN CRETE:

5. Best Place for Young Couples

Crete has a million things to do but if you want to explore the island then you should better start with the western part as it has the most things to do

If you are adventurous and you want to see the best of Crete with your other half I believe you should stay at the western part (Chania prefecture) or in Chania town itself.

Chania prefecture is probably the area with the most fascinating things to do on the island:

– visit the amazing beaches of Elafonissi and Balos lagoons

– hike the world-famous Samaria Gorge

– explore the nightlife of Chania old town

– visit one of the most remote areas in Greece: Hora Sfakion

– visit the famous Zorba beach (where the famous movie was shot)

If you don’t want to rent and drive a car or a scooter on the island (which will make your life much easier, to be honest…) try to find a place at Chania Town as all the buses start from and end there.

6. Best Place For Nightlife

Chania’s nightlife with its beautiful bars and elegant wine bars is much more appealing than the craziness of Malia area

You may have probably read online that Malia is the best area for nightlife in Crete.

So, let me describe to you who are the people visiting and partying in Malia: teenagers who probably get seriously drunk every night. Is that for you?

You can definitely visit Malia and explore the very low-quality cheap clubs and bars (you will rarely see any locals apart from the people who actually work there) but in my opinion, this is bad nightlife.

You may have the time of your life in Malia if you just finished school and want a cheap place to spend your holidays but is that proper nightlife…?

On the other hand, I truly believe Chania offers the best package for nightlife: elegant bars, mainstream clubs, beautiful cocktail, and wine bars, and amazing restaurants.

Read Also: My Ultimate Guide on Santorini Nightlife

Best Bars and Clubs in Chania are: 

7. Best Place for Beaches in Crete

Western Crete’s beaches are some of the best in the world (this is the amazing Falassarna beach)

Hands down, the best area in Crete to enjoy the amazing crystal clear greek waters on beautiful long sandy beaches is Western Crete (Chania Prefecture).

READ ALSO: Best Beaches in Crete

There is not that many places in the world that have so many beautiful beaches in such a close distance.

Bear in mind though:

You always need a car in Crete because buses (though reliable) won’t allow you to explore all the beaches of western Crete; the island is pretty big and you definitely need your own means of transportation (unless you stay in an all-inclusive resort and you don’t really care about moving around…)

VERY IMPORTANT: You won’t be able to swim in the seawater in the winter as the water will be pretty cold! If you are visiting Crete in November, December, January, February, March, and April FORGET about visiting the beaches as you won’t be able to swim and these areas are pretty much deserted.

BEST BEACHES IN WESTERN CRETE (CHANIA PREFECTURE):

8. Where to Stay in Crete Without a Car

Crete’s roads are notoriously bad and dangerous so if you don’t want to drive then you must be close to where the action is and use local buses

Crete is a massive island so if you plan to see as many as places as possible then you need a means of transportation.

Renting a car is always an option, but the road network in Crete can be confusing, and the locals have one of the worst reputations in Greece as drivers. You must be careful!

So, if you want to visit Crete without a car you should definitely stay at one of the biggest cities like Chania or Heraklion.

Because Chania is definitely cuter than Heraklion, it makes it a better option overall.

From Chania you should be able to take a bus to all the best beaches of Crete and also the other big towns of the island such as Heraklionb or Rethymno.

From Chania, you can take a bus to Falassarna, a bus to Samaria gorge for hiking and even Elafonissi and Balos tropical beaches.

Crete Weather

Crete is one of the hottest places in Greece and one of the hottest places in Europe.

Here are the average temperatures in Crete from Holiday-weather:

These are just the average highs and lows, but usually, the temperature can be more than 40 degrees Celsius in July or August.

Bear in mind that because the island is so big, the temperature obviously varies depending on the altitude and the wind. It’s obviously colder up on the mountains.

What is the hottest month in Crete?

july is usually the hottest month in Crete but August can be equally hot and humid.

You won’t need any jackets or long sleeve clothes in July and August in Crete; that’s for sure!

However, Crete can become notoriously windy in August, which brings the temperature down.

CONCLUSION

So, there are the best places to stay in Crete! Always have in mind that Crete is a very big island with literally thousands of options for hotels and resorts to choose from. If you are looking for a family hotel you can also consider renting a villa in Crete that can sleep more than 6 people. There are some amazing family hotels to choose from but if this is your first time in Crete I strongly believe you should stay in Western Crete and as close as possible to Chania town as it is the most beautiful area of the island. As a final note, always have in mind that you should book your accommodation at least 6 months in advance as most hotels sell out quickly every year! Crete’s diverse landscape, beautiful beaches, incredible food, and lovely people won’t leave you disappointed in any case and you will definitely want to return for more next year…!

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AUTHOR
Pavlos Inglesis
Greek, born and raised in Athens. I have been to almost every greek island and pretty much in every region of mainland Greece. I have also been eating souvlaki and gyros since the 80s. I love being a dad to my 2 beautiful daughters and also taking great photos of the places I visit. This is my blog to help you out explore the places I have visited with my inside tips as a Greek, knowing the ins and outs of my country and culture. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section under the post you are interested in and I wIll try my best to respond asap.

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11 thoughts on “Where To Stay In Crete”

  1. Hi there.

    We are going on our honeymoon in the summer and we are thinking of Crete. Our plans have changed because of Covid, we now we have a little one coming along too😅. Where would you recommend going in Crete with a 6 month old baby. We would like a nice prom to walk along with the buggy or something similar.
    Or any other Greek islands your recommend for this .
    Thanks

    Reply
    • We love the Alexandros Hotel.Sissi.Its a fabulous place and lovely family run . We have been 4 times over the years and the bay is lovely and there are many great walks.The Restaurants are many and the food is excellent Hersonossis is lovely. They have a little train that does trips to Milatos and up to the Monastery.This goes from the supermarket near the hotel. Trips can be booked at a.local shop across the road.Has a beach at Bufos to which you can walk.

      Reply
  2. Hi Gerard,

    I honestly believe that Chania is the best town and area to stay in Crete with a baby. Chania old town has a lovely promenade by the sea and it’s perfect for buggies. There are literally hundreds of options for restaurants for you as well and in general plenty of space. I do not recommend visiting in August though as it can become very very busy and quite crowded…

    Reply
  3. Hi, I was searching for a couples holiday in Crete and it is definitely hard to decide between the areas. We don’t own a car so I am not sure what to choose. And it is possible to rent scooters or ATV to go around the island? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Crete is a very bug island and although you can definitely rent a scooter or an ATV , it is not advisable or safe. My suggestion would be to stay in Chania and take the bus to the different areas. Chania area has the best hotels and the best beaches of the island.

      Reply
  4. How many days would you recommend for seeing Crete? We’re not big into the night life but do enjoy hiking and culture.

    Reply
    • Hi, I trully believe that you need at least 1 week in Crete and even in that case you won’t be able to explore the whole islands as it’s massive. My advice would be to focus only on one or two of the main areas of Crete and go to as many places as possible. If you are enjoying hiking then you should definitely do the Samaria Gorge hiking and also if you really like culture and history you should visit Heraklion Museum and Knossos archaeological site, to experince first hand one of the most important palaces in Greece.

      Reply
  5. Hi I’ll be staying for 18 days end july early august and booked a week in the west,5 days central and 5 days Agios Nicholaos area///Which in your opinion is the most traditional area and any advises for unusual places?

    Reply
    • Hi Umberto,
      In my opnion the most beautiful area of Crete is the West Area (Chania prefecture) and also the area that has the most beautiful and uniqe beaches on the island. Chania town and Rethymno town are some of the most traditional and unique towns but my advice would also be to visit the picturesque villages of Sfakia, Anogeia and for a truly unique experience the beautiful mountain lakes of Lake Zaros and Lake Kournas. Also, if you like hiking you are going to love hiking the Samaria Gorge (it’s a good 6 hours hike in beautiful wild life scenery) and I also suggest you visit the ex-leper colony island of Spinalogka (close to Agios Nikolaos). Another tip is to visit the beautiful beach of Stavros (close to Chania) because it was the beach where the famous Zorba dance was shot in the famous movie with Antony Quinn in the 50’s.

      Reply
  6. Hi Pavlos. Love the blog!
    We are going to be in Crete for 10 days, and plan to spend all of this in Chania region. Are there any particular areas you recommend staying in this area that are outside of the old town?
    We are thinking to spend 3-4 nights in the old town when we arrive, and then move somewhere else for the rest of the time. We will have a car after leaving the old town so think that staying somewhere different will minimise the driving. Perhaps Maleme, Almyrida, or both?

    Reply
    • Hi there,
      Thanks for your kind words.
      That’s a great plan for visiting Crete!
      My advice would be to stay on the west side of Chania as you would be closer to amazing beaches.
      So, Maleme, Platanias, Agia Marina or even Kolymvari are all great options.

      Reply

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