Travel guide · Greece
Crete
Beaches, gorges and historic towns for a varied island trip.
Crete is Greece’s largest island, with long sandy beaches, towns and villages, mountains, archaeological sites and monasteries. The north offers plenty of tourist facilities; the south is more rugged and has few sandy beaches. It suits you if you want to mix beach time with day trips and hikes.
Explore Chania’s Venetian Old Town, narrow lanes and harbour, or visit Rethymnon. You can hike the Samaria Gorge or the shorter Imbros Gorge. The beaches of Balos, Elafonisi and Falassarna, along with the island’s monasteries, ancient sites and Venetian fortresses, make good day trips.
Pleasant from April to May and from September to November
Orange means: 18 to 28 °C by day and rain on at most 3 days in 10. For the beach it may be warmer.
April: 12 to 21 °C, rain on 1 day in 10
All months as a table
| Month | Low to high | Rain |
|---|---|---|
| January | 8 – 15 °C | 3 in 10 |
| February | 8 – 16 °C | 2 in 10 |
| March | 10 – 17 °C | 2 in 10 |
| April | 12 – 21 °C | 1 in 10 |
| May | 16 – 25 °C | 1 in 10 |
| June | 20 – 29 °C | 0 in 10 |
| July | 23 – 32 °C | 0 in 10 |
| August | 22 – 31 °C | 0 in 10 |
| September | 20 – 28 °C | 1 in 10 |
| October | 16 – 24 °C | 2 in 10 |
| November | 14 – 20 °C | 3 in 10 |
| December | 10 – 17 °C | 3 in 10 |
Getting there
From Frankfurt about 2 hrs 55 min by schedule. You land in Chania (CHQ), 12 km from the centre.
Where to stay on Crete?
Well-known places to stay by town and how they are rated, on average out of 10.
- Chania Town9.2
383 well-known places to stay
- Plakias9.1
29 well-known places to stay
- Georgioupolis8.9
18 well-known places to stay
The best-known hotels
tripbot shows prices once your days are set.
9.1Royal Sun★★★ · 2,675 reviews
9.1Cocoon City Hostel2,627 reviews
8.1Lucia Hotel★★ · 2,407 reviews
9.1Kydon The Heart City Hotel★★★★ · 1,936 reviews
9.4Lagon Life Spirit Boutique Hotel - Adults Only★★★★★ · 1,930 reviews
8.7Kumba1,925 reviews
9.1El Greco Hotel★★★ · 1,831 reviews
8.1Kumba At Koum Kapi1,807 reviews
Worth seeing
Food and drink
Traditional Cretan food relies on fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, pulses and fish; try gyros and other regional snacks, too. Local wine and tsikoudia, also called raki, are among the drinks to look for.
What travellers ask
It is pleasant to be out from April to May and from September to November: 18 to 28 °C by day and rain on at most 3 days in 10. The warmest month is July at about 32 °C; it rains most often in December.
From Frankfurt about 2 hrs 55 min by schedule. You land in Chania (CHQ), 12 km from the centre.
Most well-known places to stay are in Chania Town (383, rated 9.2 out of 10 on average). The best rated are Chania Town (9.2), Plakias (9.1), and Georgioupolis (8.9).
Start with Samariá Gorge National Park, Lefka Ori, Kydonia, Küçük Hasan Pasha Mosque, and Agia Triada Monastery.
A car or motorbike lets you explore the island comfortably and fully.
Yes, from May into October. The hike starts near Xilóskalo and covers 14 kilometres to Agía Rouméli.
There is little crime on the island. Still, use the safe in your room for valuables and don’t leave anything in plain sight in a car.
As of October 19, 2026. Climate: usual values from ten years, temperatures mostly from the nearest weather station (NOAA), rain from NASA POWER. Places to stay: tripbot’s hotel catalogue (LiteAPI). Places: Wikidata, OpenStreetMap and Wikivoyage. Text written by tripbot’s AI from the articles below; every number and every tip stands there.
Articles: Wikipedia: Kreta (de), Wikivoyage: Kreta (de), Wikipedia: Crete (en), Wikivoyage: Crete (en). The text adapts these articles and, like them, is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.