Ultimate 7-Day Itinerary: Explore The Best Of Crete, Greece
Embark on a captivating 7-day journey through Crete, Greece. Explore historic sites, pristine beaches, and charming towns. Savor local cuisine and create unforgettable memories.
Day 1: Arrive and Settle In
Rent a car. We used Best Cars, which met at the Heraklion Ferry Terminal. Depending on when and how you arrive, make your way to Rethymno (about an hour from either Heraklion or Chania, where you are likely to arrive by air or ferry). Head to your accommodation and settle in. Swim in the pool, if you are lucky enough to have one, or check out Rethymno Beach before stocking up on groceries and snacks.
Day 2: Explore Rethymno
Head to the Old Town. The grand entrance known as Porta Guora sits beside the Municipal Gardens, which has a playground for younger children. Take in the cobblestones of Old Town, check out a local bakery and enjoy the sites. Make sure to see the Rimondi Venetian Fountain and walk around the Venetian Fortezza. Wander through the shops and find some special souvenirs. If you last the day, check out Veneto for dinner before taking in the sunset at the breakwater.
Day 3: Visit Knossos Palace and the Melidoni Caves
Head back towards Heraklion to Knossos Palace for opening to beat the crowds, about an hour’s drive from Rethymno. Parking is free on-site, and you can get virtual tickets (about €11/person, with children under five free) when you arrive to save waiting in line. This Minoan Palace, which was home to King Minos traces back to the Neolithic era. There is little shade at the site so make sure to take a hat and some water. Plan for a couple of hours at the site.
Drive about an hour from Knossos to Melidoni Caves, you will make your way through a couple of small villages with a Honey Museum and Olive Oil Farm as you near the caves. Make sure to watch for the giant cacti. Buy your tickets at the gate (€4 for adults and €3 for children) and wind your way through a short path to the cave. As you get your first glimpse of the magnitude of the cave you will descend through a long staircase, enjoy the cooler temperatures as you make your way to the bottom and learn about the history of the cave. Return to Rethymno, about a 30-minute drive.
Day 4: Pedal Lake Kournos
A half-hour from Rethymno, make your way to Lake Kournos. There is free parking close to the beach access by the Korissia Family Restaurant where you can rent pedal boats by the hour from €10-€15 and enjoy a cold drink. The water is clear and quite shallow in spots, and the bottom of the lake is sandy and soft making it a great place to play and swim. Make sure to cross the lake on your pedal boat to swim with the turtles. There are a few other great beaches just West of Rethymno like Episkopi as you head back to town if you haven’t had your fill. Enjoy dinner at a local Taverna as you watch the sunset.
Day 5: Visit Chania
Chania is a picturesque city known for its Venetian harbour and narrow streets and is about an hour West of Rethymno. Find a car park and stroll through Old Town to find some fantastic souvenirs and great food. Make your way across the breakwater to the Lighthouse and see the waterfront from a different perspective or go for a carriage ride if you’ve had enough walking.
If you want another swim, check out Seitan Limania Beach, 30 minutes from Chania on the Akrotiri Peninsula. The walk down to the beach is steep and takes about 15 minutes. You may want to pass on this one if you have little kids. Our kids decided they would rather spend the afternoon in the pool, so we missed out on Akrotiri Beach (I think that just means we must go back for another visit).
Day 6: Walk the Palm Forest at Preveli Beach
Drive about 45 minutes to Preveli Beach a beautiful, secluded beach surrounded by high cliffs and a palm forest. Lay your towel under the shade of a palm tree and go from the ocean to the river at the giant heart-shaped rock. The river is walkable with soft mud and small rocks (bring your water shoes if you have them). You can take this same walk with the goats on a path beside the river if you prefer. Be sure to do the river walk first thing before returning to swim in the ocean as the beach gets busier as the day goes on and people are boated into this remote beach.
Wear your runners if you are walking in from the neighbouring beach as you wouldn’t want to do this in flip-flops. There are two ways to walk into Preveli, choose the less steep option by leaving your car at Ammoudi Beach (free parking) and taking the 15-minute path along the ocean, enjoying the spectacular views. This path is still steep in areas but is much flatter than the hike to the Preveli parking lot.
On your way back stop for a late lunch at Taverna Gefyra Preveli and enjoy the river views from this outdoor restaurant. Stop for photos at the Kourtaliotiko Gorge lookout and be sure to see the tiny church built into the mountains as you go by.
Day 7: Travel Day
Pack up, have a great breakfast, and grab a few snacks for the flight/ferry as you make your way home or to your next adventure.
Do-Overs
There were so many more beaches on our list to see: Triopetra, Matala, Frangokastello, and Elafonisi, and while most weren’t far, Crete is a big island and it was a lot of driving, we ended up shortening our list for a more relaxing pace.
Although I am a big fan of staying in one place for the week, especially with kids, if I were to come back, I would split our time between Rethymno and Chania. This would allow us to see the things around Chania and a few of the more remote beaches without quite as much driving. Either that or a longer visit.
See Experienced It for our family’s favourite things to do in Crete and Good Eats for our favourite restaurants.
