5 Days in Crete – A Love Letter to My Favorite Greek Island (and Its Moussaka, Beaches & Sunsets)

Crete is the largest (and my favorite) of all the Greek islands. It’s filled with dreamy beaches, charming towns like Chania and Heraklion, amazing food, mountain adventues & is one of the most reasonably prices Greek islands. There is tons to see and I could easily spend a month exploring this beautiful island. But in the meantime I’ve put together my ultimate 5 days in Crete itinerary.

You can see a lot in Crete in 5 days! Especially if you’re ok with a packed itinerary (like me) I recommend basing yourself in Chania, one of the biggest and most charming cities in Crete. 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!

Getting to Crete

By Plane

Plane is the quickest way to reach Crete from Athens. Since Crete is so far south compared to other Greek islands the ferries can take quite a while. I flew from Athens to Crete and it took less than an hour.I definitely recommend a flight v. ferry.

Crete has two main airports that offer regular flights from Athens, and flights to a few other Greek islands in the peak seasons, Chania and Heraklion. For this itinerary flying into Chania is the best option.

By Ferry

If you prefer ferry, Crete has several ferry port that can be reached from Athens. Given how far Crete is from Athens the ferries can be a bit long. The shortest trip from Athens to Crete is 8 hours, but they can take longer than that.

I always use Ferry Hopper to compare costs and schedules across multiple ferry companies & book my tickets.

Where to Stay in Crete

Chania

Chania is one of the most charming towns in Crete & offers beachfront hotels a little farther outside the main Old Town area. For this itinerary I’d recommend basing yourself in Chania!

I wanted a hotel with a pool & beach vs. being directly in the Old Town, so I opted to stay in the outskirts of Chania, you could also choose to stay in Old Town if you want to be in walking distance to restaurants & bars. My top recommendations for nearby, but not in Old Town:

Domes Noruz Chania

Domes Noruz Chania, Autograph Collection For a more upscale option, this 5 star adults only resort is my top recommendation!

Conveniently located 2.5 miles from Old Town Chania this hotel offers a private beach, two pools, an award winning spa, free parking, an on-site restaurant & more!

Corinna Mare

Corinna Mare Hotel is a great beachfront hotel featuring two swimming pools, an on site restaurant, parking, and apartment style accommodations in addition to regular hotel rooms. It’s also only a ten minute drive from Old Town Chania, which can also be reached by local bus.

This is a 3-star property that’s super clean and offers lovely amenities & epic sunset views. The rooms are a bit dates, especially the bathrooms and kitchenettes, but for the cost and the hotel offerings it was so worth it for me!

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! I recommend renting a car in Crete if you feel comfortable. The main roads are super easy to drive on, but there are some super narrow and windy roads as you pass through smaller villages to get to some of the more beautiful beaches. Having a car gives you so much flexibiity, but you could also opt for a guided tour if it makes you feel more comfortable. Skip here for details on a guided tour.

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!

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

I recommend taking the coastal route from Elafonisi to Falasarna. Google maps may give you several options, but I recommend choosing the route that hugs the coast. 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.

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, especially if you skip Elafonisi and drive directly there.

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.

Guided Tours from Chania to Elafonisi & Falasarna Beach

If you’d prefer to join a guided tour and skip the stress of renting a car there are guided tour options for visiting Elafonisi in a day trip or both Elafonisi & Falasarna Beach in one day.

Elafonisi Day Trip from Chania

This is the perfect trip if you’re just trying to spend a relaxing day at Elafonisi. It’s a 12 hour day trip where you spend 4 hours in Elafonisi with a quick stop at Agia Sofia Cave on the way to Elafonish, and a one hour stop at a restaurant on the way home from Elafonisi. This is also super reasonably priced at $32

Elafonisi & Falasarna Day Trip from Chania

If you want to visit both beaches (I recommend this option) this tour takes you to Elafonisi in the morning (it’s better to get here early and beat the crowds) and you get to spend 2 and half hours at Elafonisi. After that head to Falasarna and spend 2 hours relaxing there before heading back to Chania. This trip is a small group and a bit more expensive at $120

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

For your final day in Crete I recommend heading to Balos Beach, which is one of the absolute most stunning beaches in the world, and my favorite beach in Crete. Balos is a bit harder to get to than Elafonisi, despite being closer to Chania, but it is so worth the trip. You can either take a ferry or drive, I opted for the latter. Details below!

How to get to Balos Beach by Ferry

Balos is a lagoon that can be reached either by a ferry that runs several times a day from Kissamos, a small town about 40 minutes from Chania. The ferry costs 29 euro. Cruises depart twice daily at 10:10AM and 12:40PM and last about 7 hours. Details and tickets can be found here. The ferry also stops at Gramvousa, a small island en route to Balos.

If you want to add the ferry + transportation from Chania if you haven’t rented a car I’d recommend a day trip like this one that takes you from Chania to the ferry then to Balos.

If you arrive by ferry make sure you climb the stairs up towards the parking lot of Balos, this is where the best views are! See pic above

Driving to Balos Beach

Balos can also be reached by car. It’s an easy drive to Kissamos and thr base of Balos from Chania, but 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!

Kissamos

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!

Planning a Trip to Greece?

See my other Greece content here:

• Santorini Travel Guide
• Mykonos Travel Guide
• Corfu Travel Guide