5 Days in Crete Itinerary

Crete is the larges (and my favorite) of all the Greek islands. There is tons to see and I would love to spend a month exploring this beautiful island. But since that’s not an option for all of us sadly, I’ve put together my ultimate 5 days in Crete itinerary.

You can see a ton in Crete in 5 days! Especially if you’re ok with a jam packed itinerary (like me) I recommend basing yourself in Chania, one of the biggest and most charming cities in Chania. Chania has an airport with daily flights from Athens, and is easily accusable to Crete’s most famous beaches, Knossos, Samaria Gorge and more!

Keep reading below for my recommendations on spending 5 days in Crete. If you have a little less time to explore you can find my 3 day itinerary here.

Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!

Day 1: Chania Old Town & Venetian Harbor

I recommend spending your first of five days in Crete exploring downtown Chania’s Old Town and Venetian Harbor area. Chania is one of the most charming cities in Crete. The Old Town area is filled with charming, winding alleys that are great for exploring aimlessly, and the picture opportunities are amazing!

Chania (and Crete in general) has a rich history that gives it a unique mix of influences from various cultures that have occupied Chania throughout history. The Venentians had a particular impact on Chania during their time there, you’ll see this especially in the charming Venetian Harbor.

I recommend sticking around until later at night. The Venetian Harbor is a great place to catch an infamous Cretan sunset. Any of the restaurants facing west are a great place to grab a spot on the patio for dinner and sunset with a view. My top recommendations are PALLAS or Palazzo Alamare on the harbor.

Chania has tons of great restaurant options though – check out my full guide here.

Day 2: Elafonisi & Falasarna Beach

Day 2, time to hit the beach! Crete has some of the most popular beaches in the world. I recommend venturing out of Chania to explore some of Crete’s best beaches. You can see my full guide to best beaches in Crete here.

Elafonisi and Falasarna are two of the most popular beaches in Crete, and if you’re up for a long-ish day trip it’s possible to see both in one day!

Elafonisi Beach

I recommend hitting the road early in the morning to beat some of the traffic and the crowds. Elafonisi about a 90 minute drive from Chania, but during the summer the traffic can start to back up quite early on the narrow roads, so it’s best to head out on the earlier side.

The drive can be a challenge, especially if you’re not a comfortable driver. The roads are really narrow, and feature some dicey hairpin turns through the mountains) but overall not too bad in my opinion!

Generally, I recommend renting a car in Crete, as it gives you much more flexibility to explore, the island is huge, and without a car your schedule is dictated by public transportation.

Elafonisi is one of the most stunning beaches in Crete (my second favorite) The large beach features pink sand, crystal clear blue waters & a stunning mountain backdrop and is a can’t miss on your trip to Crete!

Getting to Elafonisi as early as possible gives you a few hours (or more) to chill and explore the world famous beach before heading to another one of Crete’s infamous beaches, Falasarna!

Falasarna Beach

Next stop is Falasarna. If you’re using Google Maps it might give you several options, but I recommend taking the coastal route from Elafonisi to Falasarna. It will give you stunning cliffside views for the entire trip. The ride is about an hour and twenty minutes. The drive is similarly narrow roads with hairpin turns as the drive from Chania to Elafonisi, but not too bad.

I recommend stopping to grab a late lunch on your way there, Falasarna has some excellent restaurant options. You can see my full list of best restaurants in Falasarna here. My top pick would be Zacharias Tavern. It’s right on the way from Elafonisi to Falasarna and it was one of my favorite meals my whole trip! The moussaka was unreal.

Falasarna beach is a large, pretty beach with steep mountain backdrops. It’s a little more accessible and the other two infamous West Crete beaches (Elafonisi and Balos) making it a good pick for families.

The beach also has more in terms of amenities and there are several restaurants/beach bars in the area.

Falasarna faces directly west, making it one of the best places to watch the sunset in Crete. If you don’t mind driving a bit in the dark to get back to Chania (the roads aren’t too bad from Falasarna to Chania) I recommend staying and catching the sun set at Taverna Spilios, which offers some of the best views.

Day 3: Heraklion & Knossos

More exploring for day 3! Chania is located near the capital of Crete, Heraklion. Heraklion is near the most infamous archaeological site in Crete, Knossos, making visiting the two as a day trip a great option from Chania!

Knossos

I recommend heading to Knossos first to beat the crowds! It’s about a two hour drive from Chania. You’ll want to dedicate maybe 2-3 hours to explore Knosso before spending your afternoon exploring Heraklion.

Knossos is a Bronze Age archaeological that is considered Europe’s oldest city by many. This incredibly well preserved palace offers insight into the lives of the Minoans.

Tickets are required for entrance and can be purchased here. General admission is 18 euro. There are also skip the line options available. Opening hours are 8AM to 8PM in the high season.

Heraklion

I prefer Chania to Heraklion, but once you’re already in Knossos I recommend grabbing a late lunch and exploring the coastal capitol for a few hours before heading back to Chania!

Day 4: Samaria Gorge

If you’re not a fan of hiking I recommend taking day 4 to relax, preferably at a stunning seaside hotel in Chania. See my favorites here.

But if you’re up for another long day trip and more adventure I recommend heading to Samaria Gorge for some hiking and exploring.

I was surprised by how mountainous Crete was. The island offers such diverse landscapes from stunning, tropical beaches to snowcapped mountains. Samaria Gorge is a National Park located in the mountains of Western Crete and is a great spot for adventurers!

The full hike, if you wish to do it, will take about 5-7 hours depending on your speed. You don’t have to complete the entire hike if you don’t wish, but you’ll have to hike back out the way you came.

The easiest way to visit and do the whole trail is to take a guided bus tour where the bus will drop you off at the trailhead (Omalos) and pick you up in  Chora Sfakia, the trail actually ends in Agia Roumeli, but this town is not accessible by vehicle, so you’ll need to take a 1 hour ferry to  Chora Sfakia to cattch the bus back.

These are long day tours! It’s about 90 minutes from Chania each way (plus the 5-7 hours to hike + the one hour ferry) so be prepared for a long day and gorgeous views!

Day 5: Balos Beach & Kissamos

Saving the best for last! No trip to Crete is complete without a stop at the infamous Balos Beach, my personal favorite of Crete’s beaches. It’s also often included on lists of best beaches in the world!

Balos is a bit harder to get to than Elafonisi or Falasarna.

Balos is a lagoon that can be reached either by ferry that runs several times a day from Kissamos, a small town about 40 minutes from Chania. Or Balos can be reached by car. The last 4 miles of the drive is on a dirt/rock road up the side of the mountain to Balos. The ride isn’t terrible, but it’s definitely not for nervous drivers. Also, rental car companies are fairly adamant you don’t drive rentals up the rock road and that damage on that road is not covered.

That didn’t stop the tons of cars (all rentals) that I saw from driving up the road (this was during early April, so I can only imagine how many more there are during peak season) As long as you go slow and try to avoid big rocks and ditches you should be fine!

The ferry costs 29 euro. Cruises depart twice daily at 10:10AM and 12:40PM and last about 7 hours. Details can be found here. The ferry also stops at Gramvousa, a small island en route to Balos.

Since you’ll be in Kissamos anyways to either get the road to Balos or catch the ferry to Balos, I recommend spending your fifth night here (although you can head back to Chania if you want, it’s only a 40 minute ride)

Kissamos is a charming little beachside town with epic views of the coastal mountains, and cheap accommodation options. On my most recent trip to Crete I stayed at the Nautilus Bay Hotel and cannot recommend it enough! It’s such good value for your money. I paid $100 a night for a king bed with ocean views. The hotel is modern, clean, has a private beach, pool, beachside bar, free parking & more!