Holidays to Crete

The majority of our holidays are in western Crete and so for these we use the airport of Chania (which is served by a range of UK airports) rather than Heraklion to the east. Flights are frequent so please enquire for odd durations on dates that suit - we can arrange a wide range of tailormade options.

If you are staying in Chania or along our favoured north-west coast (Kalives, Almirida, Rethymnon and Panormos) it is a straightforward transfer by bus or taxi along an excellent coastal road. Chania itself is about 20 minutes from the airport and Rethymnon an hour.

Paleochora is situated on the southern side of the west coast and is reached via a winding road through the mountains; the journey from Chania airport takes about 90 minutes.

No roads at all lead to idyllic, tiny Loutro on the south-west coast, but it can be reached only by boat. If you wish to travel direct to Loutro from the airport, a mountain road leads to Chora Sfakion and a short boat trip (20 minutes) takes you to Loutro (2 hours in total). Loutro combines very well as part of a twin-centre holiday with time at Paleochora first, involving a two and a half hour ferry ride from Paleochora along a stunning coastline – a holiday within a holiday!

In regard to Crete transport, an excellent, fast road connects all the main towns along the northern coast, and there is a decent public bus system covering the same area.  But as the holiday trade is largely confined to Crete’s northern coast and its four main towns (Chania and Rethymnon in the west, Heraklion and Aghios Nikolaos to the east) it means that travel around the rest of this extraordinary island – particularly inland among the mountains and the traditional villages – requires a more independent mode of transport. Hiking brings its particular rewards (for shorter distances and at cooler times) but the car certainly opens up the island.

Given Crete’s mountainous topography it will come as no surprise that once you leave the major coastal road many of the inland roads are liable to twist and turn as they wend through alpine meadows and fertile valleys. Fortunately, though, the roads  are constructed of good quality tarmac, and there is no problem navigating wherever you might like to go.

Undoubtedly a Fly-Drive holiday is an excellent way to discover the variety the island offers. At Sunvil, we encourage independent travel and flexibility, and can arrange car hire for whatever length of time you might need, whether for the entire holiday, a week or for a few days. We can also arrange short-stays in BB hotels that will allow you to choose your own routes.

Always bear in mind that Sunvil has been operating in Crete for 40 years and has a wealth of experience in terms of suggestions and recommendations. We prefer, though, to respond to our customers’ own enquiries rather than laying out specific itineraries that may not suit your interests.

Our resident representatives are based in North West Crete and will visit guests staying in Chania, Kalives, Almirida and Panormos. Contact numbers will be given those to staying in Paleochora and Kastelli/Kissamos (will visit on request).

All areas can be mixed and matched. We suggest combining the North with the South coast or Paleochora with Loutro (with Paleo first centre - see South West Crete description for details).

We can arrange car hire for you on Crete. In 2023 delivery & collection to/from Chania, Chania Airport, Kalives and Almiriida is free of charge - all other areas incur a delivery and/or collection fee of 70 Euros except for smaller cars booked from AND to Paleochora (i.e. the car has to be delivered to and collected from the same Paleochora accommodation).

FLY DRIVE HOLIDAYS

The size and interest of Crete lends itself perfectly to a touring holiday. Our fly drive holidays afford the opportunity to explore the whole island at your own pace staying in smaller comfortable family-run hotels on a bed and breakfast basis (details will be advised at quotation stage).

The itineraries below are just suggestions - they are fully flexible and can be adapted to your personal tastes and interests. Or you could have a fly drive week followed by a week’s stay in a resort.

Eastern Crete (10 nights)

Heraklion (1)

Elounda (3)

Sitia (3)

Ierapetra (1)

Zaros (2)

Western Crete (10 nights)

Rethymnon (2)

Heraklion (1)

Zaros (1)

Plakias or Aghia Galini (3)

Chania (3)

Full Crete (14 nights)

Rethymnon (2)

Heraklion (1)

Elounda (2)

Sitia (2)

Ierapetra (1)

Zaros (1)

Plakias or Aghia Galini (2)

Chania (3)

Given the size and variety of the island and the way the different seasons offer different experiences, the time you choose to visit has a real influence on any suggested ideas for holidays to Crete.

For many people, holidays in Crete are associated with the months of July and August, when temperatures are at their highest and 12 hours of daily sunshine are the average. In these conditions, holidays are mostly centred around the pleasures of the beach, relaxation in the evenings, and occasional forays into the island’s more unique and exceptional offerings. Often your day can feel satisfyingly filled with doing not very much at all; the morning on the quiet beach, swimming in the warm sea, the lazy lunch and the gentle siesta in the shade, another bout on the beach, and finally a long, leisured dinner in a cheerful taverna.

But even in high summer there are plenty of alternatives. The towns of Chania and Rethymnon have beguiling alleyways amidst a mix of Venetian and Ottoman  architecture, and both have interesting archeological museums. In the small fishing village of Almyrida near Rethymnon, you can learn about the famed Cretan Diet by taking part in cooking lessons. A mere 3kms to the west of Chania is the protected area of Chrissi Akti, offering easy access to the city with relaxation on a golden beach. For those who like their days to be more demanding, Rethymnon has become something of a centre for cycling.

In the south, in the general absence of roads, water becomes the main form of transport: you can take a boat from Paleochora and catch a glimpse of dolphins off the remote Gavdos islet, or hike the coastal path to ancient Lissos and take the small ferry back. So extraordinary are the colours in the south that painting courses are popular, and certainly no visit to Paleochora or the tiny village of Loutro is complete without a voyage along the craggy, dramatic coast.

A Fly-Drive holiday gives you the freedom to explore the villages and mountains of the interior, where so much of Crete’s history lies hidden. Almost any journey will lead you to exquisite, remote villages, perched not far from the over 200 gorges that slice through the island – from the spectacular like Samaria and Aghia Irini, to the intimate, wild beauty of Katholikou.

Certain places are fundamental to the Cretan identity: the ancient fortress monastery  at Arkadi, for instance, where in 1866 over 800 men, women and children blew themselves up rather than surrender to the Ottomans, and the village of Kandanos, in 1941 razed to the ground and all its inhabitants killed by German paratroopers as a reprisal against partisan resistance.

If you visit earlier in the year, between April and early May, holidays in Crete take on a different aspect. The air is fresher, the heat is less sweltering, and the countryside is carpeted with wild flowers -, gladioli, narcissi, lupins and wild Cretan orchids. The Amari valley is at its most glorious: surrounded by mountains, with numberless rivers and streams, here are apple and cherry trees either in blossom or laden with fruit, alongside gnarled olive groves, with only the gentle sound of tinkling goat bells in the distance. This is an ideal time for those who love hiking, either along the spectacular coastal paths of the south or through the island’s huge variety of gorges.

Whatever the time of year, there are as many ideas for holidays to Crete as there are visitors; each will have the chance to encounter a special moment, a memory to revisit.

Famous as the most hospitable of all Greeks, the Cretans take great pride in the quality of their friendships. Generosity and loyalty are the very roots of life on Crete. It is said that a Cretan will do anything for a friend, and a friendship made in Crete is a friendship for life.

Such an attitude guarantees a warm welcome. It is almost a matter of honour that a visitor should receive the best possible service – and honour is central to the Cretan identity.

The main towns along the north-western coast (Chania and Rethymnon) have established a way of life that caters for the tourists’ interests without damaging the island’s natural rhythms. Shops may stay open till 11.00 pm along the maze of picturesque lanes, restaurants around the harbours may be busy long into the night, but the sun still compels people to doze and dawdle in the heat of the afternoon, in the same way as the setting sun requires the locals to promenade (the “volta”) along the waterfront. Unchanging, too, is the enjoyment of your leisurely evening meal, as countless stars fill the night sky and the sea laps against the beach.

Travel further south, to Paleochora, and it feels as if you are entering a world that time itself has forgotten. Even Chania feels a million miles away. Here is a place to relax and forget, where roads come to an end and all that remains is the sea. Easy-going and convivial, the southern coast has a special appeal for the laid-back of all ages.

The coastal areas may have become familiar with tourists and have adapted to our presence, but once you have ventured into the foothills and mountains you very quickly encounter the traditional Cretan lifestyle. Sitting in a café in the village square – probably in the shadow of an ancient church – will be a group of older moustached men, wearing black fringed bandanas on their heads, light woven shirts, black boots tucked into wide breeches, and the “meidanogileko”, the classic Cretan waistcoat. The inevitable glasses of raki complete the picture.

The Crete lifestyle has evolved over centuries, dominated by the island’s natural resources and its climate. The combination of mountains, water and sunshine make for an extremely fertile environment, and Crete has the longest growing season in the whole of Greece. Consequently there is an abundance of highest quality local produce – apricots, strawberries, figs, lemons, grapes, pistachios, olives, peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and all manner of herbs and pulses.

Add to that list all the different fish to be found in the sea, and it is no surprise that Cretans enjoy an exceptionally healthy diet. Fresh fruit and vegetables, alternating fish and meat, with liberal use of olive oil gained fame as “the Cretan Diet”, as experts tried to account for the unusual longevity of the island’s inhabitants in the 1960s. A plate of “mezedes” will give you a chance to taste the various delights that are available locally.

Within the family of Greek islands Crete may be the largest, yet there is something that feels separate and distinct about it.  It may be Greek, but it is Cretan, too, and Crete has a history all of its own.

The Minoans lived here, nearly 5,000 years ago – the very first civilization in Europe – and evidence of their advanced culture can still be seen at sites like Phaestos and Knossos in the east, and Gortis and Tripiti in the west. Minoan civilization was destroyed around 1450 BC, probably a victim of the cataclysmic eruption on Santorini which has led to the myth of Atlantis, the Lost Continent. Ever since, due to its position in the Mediterranean Sea, the island has felt the influence of shifting empires:  Roman, Arab, Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish. Each has left its own mark to a greater or lesser degree, as can be seen in the different styles of architecture and the delicious mix of foods.

Above all, this history of struggle against invasion has been central to the development of the Cretan national character: courageous, independent and proud. Cretans are deeply conscious of their heritage and the part they have played in even recent history – such as the island’s ferocious resistance against German paratroopers in 1941.

There is so much more to life on Crete than sunshine and sea.

Due to the island’s temperate Mediterranean climate, the weather in Crete changes suitably with the seasons. In Spring the island is lush and green, in Summer dry and often baking hot, more mellow and shaded in Autumn, and colder, wet and even snow-topped in Winter.

The mountain ranges that stretch from east to west provide a natural barrier to the dominant north-westerly winds that provide much needed relief during the hottest days of summer. The northern coast is typically Mediterranean: vibrant, fertile and full of colour; in contrast, the southern coast has more in common with its North African neighbours, being altogether drier, less green, and hotter.

Even in December the daytime temperature is regularly 15°C, and by April the days have become very pleasant, with a daily average of 6 hours of sunshine at 17°C. There could be cool winds from the north and occasional showers so it’s helpful to pack light rainwear, and the temperature falls in the evening so that a fleece is much appreciated. The sea is still cold for some – but the hardy find it bracing.

April and May are the freshest months, with valleys carpeted with wild flowers. The island has come to life, to be enjoyed before the arrival of the tourist crowds. By June the hours of sunshine each day have reached an average of 11 hours, and the temperature is a steady 24°C.  The sea is inviting, at a warm 22°C.

The high temperatures and long hours of sunshine attract the majority of tourists to the island through July and August. Recognising that Sunvil customers prefer to have experience of authentic environments, we have consequently chosen to concentrate our locations on the less visited, more tranquil western side of the island, which remains resolutely and unmistakably Cretan. Here there is still space and time for those languorous, sun-filled days, where families can stroll to the beach and relax with a drink in a palm-fringed taverna. At 25°C, the sea can hardly be more welcoming, and all that is needed throughout the day is swimwear, sun cream, and a wide-brimmed hat.

Very occasionally the southern coast is visited by the sirocco wind from Africa, when temperatures can rocket towards the 40°Cs.

Evenings in Crete are a delight. Despite the heat of the day, the low levels of humidity make the evenings pleasant and bearable. The skies are filled with stars, a light breeze wafts from the sea, and hospitable Cretans make excellent company. It’s sensible, though, to take precautions against that other night-time companion: the inevitable mosquito. Take care, particularly if you are dining outdoors in a taverna near a beach.

The avoidable misery of sunburn and insect bites can ruin anybody’s holiday – so be prepared!

Many visitors’ favourite time of all is in September. The crowds have left, the island is beginning to relax again, the temperature remains in the mid-20°Cs, there are 10 hours of daily sunshine, and the sea is at its warmest, having been heated throughout the summer. The evenings are cooling, so once again a jumper is a sensible addition, as you watch the thousands of stars in the deepest skies.

The season finally concludes at the end of October, but this month is popular, too, with people who are seeking a final experience of sunshine to take them through the cold days of winter. There can be occasional bursts of rain, but in Crete, even in October, the weather and the sea can be beautiful and warm – well into the 20°Cs. There is a sense of winding-down and slackening pace, and then – abruptly – the season is over and the holiday element of the island shuts down.