r/cretetravel

Hi everyone,
We’re currently staying near Chania and would love to explore the surrounding area. We have a rental car, so we’re looking for great day trips that are no more than about 2 hours’ drive (one way).
We’re open to pretty much anything, for example:
Impressive gorges and hikes
Traditional mountain villages
Quiet beaches and hidden coves
Scenic viewpoints
Beautiful nature spots or anything else that’s worth seeing
We’re mainly interested in great day trips. However, if you also have recommendations for nightlife, bars, or clubs in the area, we’d love to hear those as well.
What places would you recommend? Hidden gems, scenic routes, and local favorites are especially welcome.
Thanks in advance!

I felt I needed to post this here to warn others. Near the venetian harbour in the square (don't know the exact name) is a lady selling henna tattoos. She usually has a long line.

These tattoos are NOT natural henna. Natural henna stains an orange reddish color that darker over a couple of days. These stain dark black immediately, with a purplish undertone.

THIS is a dangerous chemical used by scam artists as it stains darker faster. It is called PPD and can cause chemical burns and severe allergic reactions that can show up 4 days to 2 weeks after getting it done.

A lot of the people getting it done are children. So those of you travelling here with kids, please be wary. Me, my friend and my 10 year old sister each got one done before we knew the risks.

I'd also like to warn that once you get PPD you are sensitized to it for life. Since it is used in some brown hair dye, some people may already be sensitized to it and have a more severe allergic reactions

Please keep an eye out and stay safe everyone!!!

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this was one of the worst experiences we have ever had while travelling.
We rented a quad to go to Balos. The vehicle felt old and poorly maintained, and the road was not safe enough for us to continue comfortably, so after driving very slowly for around one hour, we decided to return it.
As soon as we arrived back, the owner immediately ran towards us, started shaking the quad and accusing us of damaging it. He demanded extra money, claiming there was a minimum rental period of 5 hours, despite this not being clearly stated on the document we signed.
When we asked for proof of the alleged damage, he refused to provide any. Instead, he became aggressive, took our car keys from our hands and refused to give them back. We had to call the police to retrieve our keys.
We later called the police ourselves and were told not to worry, as nobody can force tourists to pay for damages without evidence.
The most shocking part is that after everything that happened, he even has the audacity to publicly reply to reviews claiming that we were the ones trying to steal from him, when in reality we simply refused to pay for damages that were never proven and for charges that were never properly explained.
Please be careful if you are considering renting from this place. This was the first time in our lives that we felt intimidated and unsafe while traveling.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with ATV BALOS in Crete? I would like to know if this has happened to other tourists as well.

Hello all hope all is well 💪🏻

Has anyone been to Crete during October? Maybe even specially towards the very last week?

Through some research it looks like it’s still great weather and not as many tourists but I’d love to hear from some people about their experiences if possible!

Thank you 🇬🇷

Hi all, I've been skimming this sub for soke time and I'm going to Crete in September with some friends.

We got a villa close to Heraklion as this seems like a central location and plan to just drive daily wherever we want to go.

Any recommendations who to reach out to so we can have a car waiting at the airport ideally?

We land in Chania.

I would really appreciate if someone could recommend a car rental company that allows traveling on dirt roads. I have read the fine print of multiple rental company contracts and so far they all forbid driving on unpaved or dirt roads. Our goal is to visit beaches like Vathi which requires some dirt road/off road travel before we have to hike down to the beach. I am traveling with a family of 4 so renting a quad bike is not practical. Ideally looking for a 4x4 suv. Thank you in advance!

Me and my three other friends are going to be staying in Chania at the very end of September. We’ve discussed about going to Santorini for a day trip or for a stay overnight. We can see trips for a day online we can book in advance. Does anyone have any advice? Where we could maybe purchase tickets when we get there and roughly how much are they? Any recommendations would be incredible- apparently watching the sunset is stunning

Hi all! My fiancée (28F) and I (30M) are just about set on honeymooning in Crete next late May/early June. We’re very active travelers — great food, good vibes, and beautiful places to walk near the water or through a great town. Would like to spend time on beach. Open to both urban and remote, but we want to stay coastal and get an authentic Crete experience. We will have a rental car. For additional context, we will then do 4 nights in Naxos and 2 nights in Athens before heading back home.

We’re deciding between:
Option 1: 5 nights Chania → 5 nights Agios Nikolaos
Option 2: 5 nights Chania → 3 nights Agios Nikolaos → 2 nights somewhere on the south coast
Is a south coast stop worth breaking up the trip for, and if so, where would you base? Have read that there are often very strong winds in the south that can make it hard to be by the beach.. Or is 5 full nights in the Agios Nikolaos area the better move? Thanks in advance!

Thinking about going on a solo trip to Chania. I’m 30m and just looking for a place with nice beaches, maybe do a bit of sight seeing and have a few relaxing drinks.

Would Chania be good for this?

Hello everyone,

I am planning to go to Crete first half of September with my partner. This is our first time in Crete and I would really appreciate if you could tell me if my plan is okay. I am excited but feeling a bit anxious if this is doable.

We fly into Chania and since it will be a long travel day I figured we could spend the night there, have a stroll in old city and have a nice meal.

My next idea was to go to Chora Sfakia and spend 2 nights there (we would go by bus) - go to Loutro, Sweet water beach, relax a bit (we are not too much into night life, we like to have a drink or two on terrace and overall just relax and enjoy so this seemed nice to me). I know everyone says rent a car but I am not so keen on that idea.

After that we would go to Rethymno (I already looked up the bus plan, how to switch without going all the way to Chania first and then to Rethymno). There we would spend the rest of our trip (4 nights) and fly out of Chania.

My other alternative is to spend the first night in Chania and the rest of the trip in Rethymno (maybe take some excursions etc).

Any suggestions are helpful

I’m booking an Airbnb at Dramia, and the listing mentions strong currents and that the beach might not be suitable for children at times. Is Dramia a bad choice for a beach holiday?

Thank you for the help in advance :)

I am looking for anyone travelling to crete from a London airport who may be able to carry orthok contact lenses for my 7 year old who has left on an earlier flight. Grateful for any leads if there is anyone who can help.

Just booked Makry Gialos for just over a week in late September-early October for me (m41) and my partner (f35). We’re not party people but like a bit of “buzz”

Will it still be relatively busy-ish? People eating and drinking at the Tavernas in the afternoons and evenings?

Would you recommend we book a car for a few days to explore or will the buses suffice to get us to Sitia and other places?

Thanks.

With one free day in Crete, can anyone make a suggestion on what to do beside the olive tasting and the beaches?

Does uber exist there and how easy is it to use?

I’ll soon visit Chania and would love to find some second hand shops. I’m interested in both clothing and smaller items. Would love some recommendations :) thank you!