WHEN IN CRETE ..
Crete is the 5th largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest Greek Island. It stretches for 260km east to west and from 12-60km in width. Heraklion is the capital, it comprises of 8,336 KM² with a stunning coast line of 1,046km.
Crete had the first European civilization over 4000 years ago with the Minoans. This civilization came to an end around 1400 BC., why is still not clear and theories abound.
From then on, Crete was invaded by all the neighbours, starting with the Mycenean, then the Dorians and later the Romans. The fall of the Roman Empire put Crete under the rule of the Byzantine Empire and Christianity was further established.
The Arabs invaded and conquered Crete in the 8th – 9th century, it was taken back by Byzance and eventually sold to the Venetians in the early 13th century. The rule of the Venetians prevailed until 1669 when the island surrendered to the Turks. Turkish rule lasted until 1898 when Crete was placed under international administration. During these periods Crete was knows as Candia, Krete, Kriti, Kirid In 1913, Crete was officially attached to Greece.
This fascinating rich history is well beyond the scope of this post but once you get there you will find out so much more first hand.
The great news is, the borders are finally opening, so, we set our compass and head to west Crete for a 10 day adventure. 10 days in the West of Crete is what we consider to be a dream come true. It would be such a wonderful place to move to but don’t take our word for it, go visit and see for yourselves. We have listed below some ideas for an itinerary, but it was actually really difficult to condense because there really is so much to do and see you could spend months and still only scratch the surface. Your interest might be the history, beaches, hiking, flora and fauna, culture or food and drink … there really is something of interest for everyone. But here goes anyway…
Day 1 and day 2
Arrive Rethymnon, pick up your rental car and head to your accommodation – we recommend staying within the walls of the old town – or you could also rent a villa in one of the local villages. Base yourself in Rethymnon for a couple of days to get the most of this area. Depending on the time you arrive, today can be spent exploring Rethymnon, there really is so much to see or why not head to Skinaria beach for a lovely relaxing day to charge your batteries ready for the days ahead.
Rethymnon itself has tons of history including occupation by Romans, Venetians and the Ottomans. It was founded by the Minoans who are credited as being the first civilisation in Europe. Visit the Old Town, Venetian Castle, Old Venetian Harbour, Fortezza Castle, Chromonastiri Military Museum and not to mention the plethora of traditional shops and tavernas and stunning beaches and boat trips from the harbour.
In the evenings check out which tavernas are holding Cretan dancing but for sure you can guarantee they will all be selling delicious freshly caught seafood.
Day 3
Pack your snacks and drinks and head to Samaria Gorge, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and National park. Depending on your plans, ideally timewise it’s fantastic to walk one way, stay overnight in Agia Roumeli and walk back the next day; there is simple but adequate accommodation along with food and drinks and this allows you to take your time and enjoy all of what there is to see.
It is a 14km rocky and often steep hike (not walk) so make sure you have the right shoes and adequate food and drinks for the day. It’s approximately 5hr walk so you could head off early, have some lunch, relax on the beach and go for a swim, then head back. It is often recommended to join an organised guided hike as they take care of all the logistics and tickets etc or download the MAPS.ME app where you will find a detailed map. (ps don’t forget to bring your own loo paper!) (recommendation … weak knees? Don’t try it)
Day 4, 5 and 6 (or 5, 6 and 7 if you stayed over in Agia Roumeli after Samaria Gorge)
Heading to Chania – the drive will take an hour to an hour and a half unless you decide to take a short detour via Apokoronas – just a few kms off the E75 to a wonderful, rich agricultural area of small towns, farms, forests and a spiderweb of rivers and streams not to mention the great walks around there and the pottery and craft work it is famous for. Well worth the detour.
On arrival at Chania check into your accommodation and we recommend heading straight to the beach to recover from the hiking; do some swimming, get some sun on your face and those muscles loosened up again. In fact if you stay somewhere like Stavros Beach, you are a short trip into the city but have the relaxing environment of the beach.
There really is so much to see in do in Chania – both Rethymnon and Chania could be the base for a week’s holiday, and you would never run out of things to do and see and Chania is the perfect base for boat trips out to the islands and lagoons, visiting the scenic mountain villages and more gorges if you are a keen hiker. Make some time to visit Kokkino Chorio (Red Village) which overlooks the magnificent Souda Bay.
There’s loads of history in this village going back to the Ottomans but it was also the setting for the classic 1964 Zorba the Greek movie. Visiting Kokkino Chorio and the surrounding area could be a day out on it’s own.
Chania has a very similar history to Rethymnon so plenty of historic sites to see within the city and outside of the city. We recommend jumping in the car and going to the ancient archaeological theatre of Aptera, nearby, enroute is the cliff top church of St Ioanis. Also the Venizelos graves overlooking Chania. For at least 5,000 years Chania was inhabited by Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hellenistic, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Turks and of course Greeks. All of whom have left the stamp on the city in one way or another making it a fascinating place to explore.
Day 7
Where to go after such a great spot as Chania? Well we headed to Rodopos Peninsula, a mountain ridge offering beautiful views of inland villages and the sea, an area glorious with its steep mountains, wild rocks, terraced olive groves, the 17th century Monastery of Gonies, Roman columns and Byzantine church of Agia Marina. We headed to Ravdoucha Beach where you will find tavernas tucked away in the olive groves and the amazing chapel of St Onoufrios. There are several bays, coves and beaches, and rock pools (wear water shoes, they can be slippery). There are a number of choices of accommodation, and we would suggest this is the last stop over for this trip, doing days out from here.
So… you could base yourself in a beach resorts like Livadia Beach or Plaka Beach or actually in the town of Kissamos. Ravdoucha Beach is rocky but very pretty, after a visit there head up the peninsula to Agios Ioannis Gionas Monastery then keep going up to Menies Beach where you will also find Diktynna archaeological site and temple and a little Greek Orthodox church on the islet – have to add some culture to one of the prettiest bays you will visit.
Day 8
Today we are having a relaxing day heading out to Balos Beach and Lagoon and Gramvousa island by ferry boat from Kissamos harbour. Gramvousa and Balos are Wildlife Refuges and habitats of stunning beauty and Gramvousa has a history with pirates ….
There are over 400 plant species in this area of which 3 cannot be found anywhere else on earth. There is also about 98 species of birds. Balos is listed as one of the best beaches in the world and is known for the pink sand. The boat leaves Kissamos in the morning and returns around 5pm.
You can drive here but some parts of the road are not great and we’d hate for you to do anything to your rental car, and besides, what better than jump on a boat and sail the beautiful waters of Crete. The boat carries food and drink for sale, there are no facilities at Balos or Gramvousa (you can of course take your own refreshments). But what you must not forget is your sunblock and water bottles and probably a long sleeved top and a hat. Don’t spoil the day getting burnt!
Day 9
Heading south west to Elafonissi Beach. It’s about an hour drive, through the countryside and hugging the coast, so be ready to stop for photos during the drive. Do take a short detour enroute and visit the ancient olive trees in Ano Vouves believed to be more than 3,000 years old.
Another site to look out for enroute is the Cave of St Sofia. As you get closer to Elafonissi a mini market, public toilets, tavernas etc will start appearing. So you can stock up prior to going on the beach or you can buy food and drink on the beach but there are a couple of beach cantinas. Once you get on the beach you will enjoy the hire of beach beds and parasols, lagoons, paddle boarding, windsurfing and other beach sports available and plenty of parking. You might even be able to get out to the lighthouse and the Memorial Cave (tides dependent). This really is a lovely day out, sightseeing and chilling on the beach.
Day 10
So as this is the last day we are giving you a nice slow paced day to give you time to reminisce on your adventure and relax in the sun (or shade). So today we are visiting an Olive Oil press. Well how can you visit Greece and not check out the olive oil? You can’t right? So we have found the Biolea Estate in Astrikas which is not far from Kissamos. But first you are going for a hike to work up an appetite and not feel any guilt when you arrive at Biolea Estate and want to sample and eat and drink.
Park up at Biolea and 200 mtrs from there you will find the start of the track for Rokka Gorge. It is only a 2km hike, but it will be 4kms as you are also returning. Rokka is also a village, a traditional Cretan village but you won’t find any facilities there, the population is only about 100. But the views to the coast and the hinterland, on the trek and from the village, are just stunning, and there is plenty of history in and around the village – objects have been unearthed that are dated back from the 5th to the 2nd century BC. So a breathtaking (literally) way to spend your morning.
Then when you return to Biloea you are ready for lunch and your tour of the estate. When you are sated you can make your way back to Kissamos and perhaps go for a last swim before having a relaxing dinner on the harbour front and packing for your flight home tomorrow.
There are of course many many tours you can book if you want a day off from driving – coach tours, boat tours, cooking classes, food tours … you name it you will probably find it. This is just an idea of places to visit, there are so many. When considering accommodation don’t forget to check out sites like Airbnb as you will find some gorgeous local accommodation on there. For boat bookings go to ferryhopper.com.
We hope you have enjoyed this trip where we travelled around West of Crete. Crete is split into 4 prefectures, Rethymnon and Chania, watch out for our ‘Head East’ post which will cover the prefectures Heraklion and Lassithi.
Sources:/credits
Christopher P Baker, Kimkim.com
Cretetravel.com
Greecetravel.com
Inspirock.com
Ecotourismgreece.com
Getyourguide.com
Cretanbeaches.com
Mel365.com
Thetinybook.com
