Crete is the largest and most touristic island of Greece. In this world-famous tourism center, there are many places to visit and see, as well as many things to do.. On this island, where the Venetians made many contributions, Heraklion (Heraklion), Chania and Rethymno (Rethymno) are among the most beautiful and popular places on this island.
Of course, touristic places are not just these Cretan cities.. For a wonderful Crete holiday, you can find beautiful historical and touristic places, beaches with magnificent clear seas, in the list below.
Where to stay on this island before moving on to the list of the most beautiful places to visit in Crete? It is worth mentioning the question. If you have no idea where to stay in Crete, where to stay in Crete? You can find a much more detailed accommodation guide by taking a look at our article.
Where to Stay in Crete ?
Crete Places to Visit
Places to visit on this island are generally Chania, Rethymno and Heraklion. Although it consists of touristic and historical buildings in places such as, you can find other most beautiful places on the Island of Crete in the list.
1.Knossos
Knossos is a palace and. 18. It is the name of the city it besieged with a population of 100 thousand in the century.. The palace was built about 3,000 years ago and is featured in Greek mythology as the seat of King Minos, where Daedalus built a labyrinth to hold his son, the Minotaur. A place affected by repeated disasters such as its eruption.
It was first excavated by British Archaeologist Arthur Evans in 1900.
You can browse through the extensive reception courtyard, where the royal family will host their guests, and enter the Throne Room.. You can enter the Sanctuary, walk part of the Royal Road towards the coast and see the four-story Royal Apartments.
2.Elafonisi Beach
The most popular of Crete beaches, Elafonisi is considered one of the best in the world.
The beach is located on a rectangular island in the channel between the mainland and Elafonisi, famous for its beaches and sand dunes with pink sand.
The water between the mainland and the island is clear, shallow, and lagoon-like, and you can often move from one sandbar to the other without getting your feet wet. There’s also a pool.
Add to this the white sands, turquoise water, azure sky and views of Crete’s mountainous southwest coast. A magnificent beach emerges.
3rd Strait of Samaria (Samaria Gorge)
The Samaria Gorge, famous for its unique valley walk, is among the things to do in Crete. It is very popular.
The 16-kilometer hike starts at the viewing platform under a winding road and wooden steps from which you will hang from your feet with rock walls climbing almost 300 meters.
At the end of the Bosphorus, like 3 km to Agia Roumeli one way remains. From here you can find ferries to Sfakia or Sougia.
4th Rethymno Old Town
Rethymno, known as the third largest city in Crete, is located in Old Town. Famous for City District. Here, you can see beautiful historical buildings, as well as stroll through the colorful winding streets.. You can also find plenty of restaurants in the center of the region where you can try delicious Greek dishes.
The structure that best explains Rethymno’s turbulent past is the Neratze Mosque.. It served as a Venetian Church for almost 300 years until 1925 before becoming a mosque.. Today, Rethymno’s municipal odeon hosts regular music concerts.
Originally behind the walls, the city’s narrow cobbled streets line the 14th century when Crete was in the hands of the Venetian Republic.. It was arranged in the 19th century and was placed on Renaissance mansions, arches and Catholic churches.. There is a 16th-century Loggia (also converted into a mosque by the Ottomans) and the Rimondi Fountain of 1629, framed by two pairs of Corinthian columns next to a Gothic arch.. Add these structures to your list of places to visit in Rethymno.
5th Balos Lagoon
Balos Lagoon, a rival beach to Elafonisi, is also very popular among Crete beaches. .
Balos is about 60 kilometers northwest of Chania. You can reach here very easily from Kissamos, which is 18 km away from Balos, by ferryboats.
The lagoon is sandwiched between two capes, Gramvousa and Tigani, and consists of shallow, turquoise waters.. It’s just as safe in here as it is in a pool.
If you go on a road trip, going down the rugged hillside is an experience in itself, and you take a bend to face the fringed lagoon against the rocky mass of the white-sand Tigani.
Therefore, it is useful to go here by ferryboats.
6th Chania Venetian Harbor – Places to Visit in Chania
Places to visit and see in Chania on its own exists. So we say spare at least half a day for Chania.
The western part of the harbor is for disembarkation, while the more sheltered east pocket is for shipbuilding and maintenance.
Here, from the mid-1400s. You can still see the terrace of dry docks and repair areas known as Arsenali, built until the 1599s. This ordinary Grand Arsenal has had many different roles over the years, as a Christian School, a hospital, and Chania’s Town Hall.
After post-war renovations it now houses the Center for Mediterranean Architecture.
7th Arkadi Monastery
One of the most beautiful places in Crete, this monastery is located 20 km southeast of Rethymno.
5. Arcadi Monastery, claimed to have been founded by the Byzantine emperor Arcadius in the 16th century, is located on a plateau surrounded by vineyards, olive trees and oak trees..
During the Ottoman period, it was famous for its gold embroidery and an extremely rich library, and this monastery is now known as a Greek national temple.
8.Falassarna Beach – Beaches of Crete
Considered the best beach in Crete and one of the best in Europe, Falassarna beach is located west of where the Gramvousa Peninsula joins the mainland. It is located on the coast.
You can also experience a remarkable paragliding experience on the beach, thanks to the rugged hills rising in the background.
9.Phaistos Palace and Archaeological Site
The second largest Minoan palace in Crete after Knossos, Phaistos stands in a dramatic position rising to the plain of Messara in southern Crete.
In Greek mythology, this is the home of Radamanthus, brother of Minos. was. Phaistos is the origin of the enigmatic Phaistos Disk in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion and existed in Neolithic times when the fourth iteration of the palace was built on the ruins of its destroyed predecessors.. A settlement that reached its peak around 1700.
The city grew over the course of 17 centuries and was designed with the landscape in mind.
When you stand on the original cobblestones of the main courtyard, you can see a unique view.
Lake 10.Voulismeni
This unusual body of water is surrounded by boats, cafes and restaurants in the eastern town of Agios Nikolaos.
Lake Voulismeni is now a 1870 year old town. it is not exactly a lake as the canal is laid. Connection with the town’s harbor and sea.
Although the lake is only 137 meters wide, you can notice from the darkness of the water that it is extremely deep.
There is a local legend that the lake is bottomless, but this maximum is 64 meters a long story that goes into depth.
11.Malia Minos Palace
Malia, which you can add to your list of places to visit on Crete Island, is one of the must-see places on its own.. The Minoan Palace is among the most popular and important places in Malia.
You can see the ruins of this Minoan Palace in Malia, a modern place east of Heraklion.
Ruins. partially shaded by a glass ceiling, and the area is dated to 2 BC.. Since they were abandoned at the end of the millennium and were not inhabited, new buildings are not interfered with.
20. One of the artifacts unearthed during the French excavations in the 19th century is a gigantic vase, 1.75 meters high and with a volume of more than 1,000 liters, used for oil or wine.
In the palace days, it was two-storied and consisted of a porch, theatre, west and central court, magazines. , adorned with workshops and royal quarters.
The section under the roof is a recently excavated hypothesis crypto that the lords of the city would sit for political meetings.
12.Holy Trinity Monastery – Agia Triada Monastery)
This is 17. The 17th-century monastery is located on the Akrotiri Peninsula, surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees. It lies in the compound.
As you walk through it, you will be greeted by the three domes of the abbey church, four powerful Doric columns, and two small Corinthian columns lining the entranceway.
The monastery is a blend of Greek Orthodox and Western Mannerist architecture and It has an interior covered with icons and a dark blue ceiling shining with golden stars.
In the museum, 16. You can view a portable icon of the early century Theologian St John, along with paintings and rare manuscripts.
Wine and olive products made by the monks are sold in the monastery shop.
13 .Preveli Beach
Preveli is a unique place in Crete. The valley leading to the beach is filled with water and palm trees.
Plus, you can see it with your own eyes from above (not by drone). You will love this place.
You can watch the unique view of the beach and the island from this place, which has the best viewpoint in Crete, and take beautiful landscape photos.
14.Triopetra Beach
Another beach among the places to see in Crete is Triopetra Beach, which is famous for its cliffs.
A little different than other beaches, Triopetra is among the most beautiful beaches of Crete Island. .
The name of the beach means 3 stones. The rocks on the beach look like layers of rocks stacked on top of each other.
You have to have a vehicle to get here.. If you have a vehicle, definitely add this beach to your list.. Even if not for swimming, you can go here just to see the rocks.
15.Voulisma Beach
Volisma, one of the best beaches of Crete, is a place with its colors and colors. It is a cove that will fascinate you with the shapes created by the waves.
This place gets overcrowded in the summer months.. So if you are looking for some quieter beaches, you can skip this beach.
16.Vai Beach
Vai is another famous beach in Crete.. A sandy beach at the end of a valley filled with palm trees. That’s why it is one of the most exotic looking beaches on the island.
This beach, like Volisma Beach, is one of the most crowded beaches on the island.. Especially in July-August.
17.Toplou Monastery
Toplou is like a high-walled fortress and a charming central courtyard.. This place is among the most beautiful places in Crete. Although it is said to be impressive with its history, it is also quite beautiful with its structure.
18.Fodele Church
I think this is the most fascinating church in Crete.
It doesn’t have a special story.
We just loved the colors of the rocks, the small arched shapes and the green valleys around it.
If you have a car, be sure to check it out.. It is located in the west of Heraklion, near the village of Fodele.. If you are making a list of places to visit in Heraklion, you can add this place to that list.
19.Melidoni Cave
You can’t go all the way to Crete and see a cave.. While you’re going to see the cave, see the best on the island.
Melidoni Cave is located between the North coast, Heraklion and Rethymno.
Unlike other caves, the lighting is much better in this cave. This cave also has a tragic history, where it is said that the locals who hid inside by the Turks in 1824 drowned.
20.Palaiochora
It has a different atmosphere and style compared to other towns. Paliochora is home to the ruins of Castel Selino, which is home to unique landscapes.
It is said that it is not easy to reach here if you do not have a car.
Where to Stay in Crete ?
There are many options for accommodation in Crete. But before choosing the facility, if you decide which region/town you will stay in, the facility selection will be much easier.
If you are going to Crete by ferry, we recommend you to stay in Chania Region.. Chania is the most popular and beautiful area of Crete. Already, Chania is among the places to be visited by itself.. Therefore, if you can afford it (Chania is not very expensive), check out Chania Region first.
If you are planning to stay in Crete for a long time like 4-5 days, you can visit Rethymno, which is the cheapest place on the island. stay and rent your car from here. If you are not planning to rent a car, we say do not go outside of Chania.. Because the places where you can go without a car in Crete can be a bit troublesome or expensive.. You either have to participate in tours, or you have to take expensive boats.. Therefore, Rethymno Region without a car can be a bit difficult, Chania would be more ideal.
