We recommend a visit to Spinalonga island explore the fortress built by Venetians in 1579, which later became a leper colony. In my opnion the most beautiful area of Crete is the West Area and also the area that has the most beautiful and uniqe beaches on the island. 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 . Another tip is to visit the beautiful beach of Stavros because it was the beach where the famous Zorba dance was shot in the famous movie with Antony Quinn in the 50’s.
Mountains often extend all the way to the coast, depriving the island of spectacularly long beaches, but providing an abundance of secluded bays with towering cliffs rising above the sea. Probably the best and the most scenic example of this is Glika Nera Beach, accessible only by water. The birthplace of Zeus offers mind blowing sceneries, famous historical sites, dreamy villages where locals share with you their culture, amazing cuisine and generous spirit. The cheapest thing to do in Crete is to visit its beautiful beaches. Not only is it FREE to do, but they’re drop-dead gorgeous too! There are only a handful of beaches like Balos, s3.amazonaws.com Gramvousa, and Chrissi Island where you have to pay a €1 tourism tax.
Crete is hot but the climate overall is slightly modified due to the sea surrounding it. June through August, you’ll find average highs of 27-28°C/81-82°F (you’ll want to enjoy those beaches!) and lows of 22°C/72°F. You’ll thank us for this when all your stuff stays dry your entire trip. I always pack my liquids in a Ziploc bag (plus you need one if you’re traveling with liquids in your carry-on). Here’s everything we use to keep our stuff organized on the road, which we’ve mastered from years spent backpacking around the Balkans. We’ve included recommendations for what to bring to Crete with you for all different kinds of trips – summer or winter, beach or village, active or relaxing.
Going to Crete, you’ll be guaranteed a sea nearby and a pool even closer by. There is an amazing selection of hotels with pretty pools to choose from. For example, Elotis Suites, where we stayed during our trip to Crete, has two pools to accommodate for the adult and little visitors. The pool was big enough for me to try out my floatie on it. After the most delicious breakfast that one can ever ask for, visitors to Crete can continue to the beach-line coast of Rethymnon, where they can enjoy a refreshing swim.