16 Reasons to Choose Crete Among Greece’s Sea of Islands

One of the most famous Greek islands is also the largest. Crete attracts large numbers of tourists every year, and for good reason. Whether you are looking for a fun-filled and exciting time in a Greek paradise or learning more about the country and its many islands' long and fascinating history, there are many great things to do in Crete. While some are expensive, there are many frugal options too.

1. Spend Some Quality Time at Elafonisi Beach

First in our guide to things to see in Crete is the stunning and serene Elafonisi Beach. Most beaches on and around Crete are lovely, but Elafonisi Beach stands out from the crowd thanks to two prominent and unique features – the sparkling crystal-clear waters and the striking pink sand. The sand gets its color from the natural ground coral and shells it is made from.

The waters around the beach are no deeper than one meter, so they are perfect for splashing around and playing with younger children.

2. Visit Knossos Palace

Step into the past – one of the best things to do in Crete is to spend time at Knossos Palace. It is the most important of all the Bronze Age archaeological sites on the island and has around 600,000 visitors yearly. 

To get the best out of your trip, you should visit the Palace with an experienced and expert guide who can share mythical and real-life stories related to the site, which covers 22,000 square meters.

It is thought the site was first built thousands of centuries ago. Because of various excavations over the years, since 1950 BC, archeologists discovered many renovations and extensions must have been made to it.

3. Visit the Heraklion Archeological Museum

History buffs looking for the best things to do in Crete will not want to miss out on the Heraklion Archeological Museum. Most experts consider this the best museum in the world for Minoan art. Here, you will find a collection of stunning artifacts, including jewelry, plates, coins, sculptures, and more. You can visit the Palace and the museum as part of the tour.

4. Hike In Samaria Gorge

Are you looking to stretch your legs while staying on and around the island? One of the top things to do in Crete is to hike through the breathtaking Samaria Gorge. There is a reason why so many tourists visit this natural attraction. It's just stunning. There are sheer rock faces only 9ft/3m apart, and the hike down through it that leads to the sea is 11 miles/18km.

Depending on your fortune, you may look out for a kri-kri, a rare and beautiful goat species native to the island. Even if you don't happen to run into one, you will still have a memorable experience trekking along the trail past wildflowers, abandoned churches, and geological wonders.

5. Windsurfing off Kouremenos Beach

For adrenaline junkies, there are many cool things to do in Crete, including windsurfing and other water sports. One great spot to participate in these activities is Kouremenos Beach, close to Palekastro, a small farm town on the island's eastern coast. The beach may not look extraordinary at first glance; the setting is not as gloriously paradisaic as other parts of Crete, and the beach is covered in pebbles.

But on days when there is high wind, that's when the windsurfers come out. Despite being less attractive than other beaches around the island, it is popular with thrill seekers and sporting individuals for those gusts that hit the beach around the year.

6. Amazonas Park

When looking for things to do in Crete with kids, one place you will want to put on your travel itinerary is Amazonas Park Crete. This is a tiny but delightful private zoo located on the hillside. There are many stunning animals to look at and meet; the park's main attractions are rare bird species, like many parrots and monkeys from continental South America. That's not all, though, as there are lemurs and donkeys that you can feed.

7. Preveli Beach

For all sun worshippers and beach lovers, one of the top things to do in Crete is visit Preveli Beach. Many people consider this to be not just one of the best beaches in Crete but one of the best beaches in the world. 

You only need to look at the photographs of it to see why so many flock to it yearly. The Heart Rock is a famous rock formation, and the crystalline waters with a pleasantly warm temperature are just two of the reasons why. The fact that it is based at the opening of Kourtaliotikos Gorge makes it feel like you are stopping at some distant paradise.

You can reach the beach by hiking there, and you should be aware that there is a short trek from the designated parking lot to the beach.

Thanks to its unique position, you can participate in other activities here, including abseiling off the waterfall at Kourtaliotiko to land in the beautiful Megalos Potamos River.

8. Enjoy Watching the Fish

Are you and your family fans of fish and marine life? There are two great options if you want to do things in Crete for families and to experience some curious underwater wildlife. 

For around 2,000 different sea species from around the Mediterranean, like sand tiger sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays, there is Cret Aquarium Thalasso Kosmos in eastern Heraklion at Gouves along the island's northern coast. This is the first modern aquarium style in Greece and is part of the country's Hellenic Centre for Marine Research.

Then, to the east of Gouves is Limenas Chersonissou, where there is the Aquaworld Aquarium, a rescue center for all types of sea life and reptiles that offers hands-on fun and even the chance to handle some substantial friendly snakes.

9. Visit The Botanical Park and Gardens of Crete

Aside from the marine life we have discussed, there are other things to see and do in Crete involving the natural world. For instance, the Botanical Park and Gardens of Crete. This place is remarkable because of the many beautiful flora that thrive there and the backstory behind its inception. Petros Marinakis, the owner of the gardens, watched in 2003 as the 400-year-old olive grove he had inherited, located in the Fouirnes mountains in southern Chania on the island, burned.

Rather than moving on from the stunning location, he created something new. He replaced the olive groves with an incredible collection of tropical, alpine, and Mediterranean plants and flowers to highlight the island's diversity. It's become an oasis full of herbs, vines, flowers, and orchards. There is also a great restaurant if you want to stay there all day. This is also a very frugal thing to do with a day.

10. Visit the Last Leper Colony of Europe

One of the most unique things to do in Crete is to visit the island of Spinalonga, located in the Gulf of Elounda, close to northern Agios Nikolaos, which had a Venetian fortress in the past. What is so unique about this island is its history as a leper colony. It became this way after 1715, when it came under the Ottoman Empire. Since 1904 Cretans called it the Isle of Tears. Surprisingly, the last residents only left there in 1957.

It was featured in The Island, a 2007 novel by Victoria Hislop, and since then has become more tourist-friendly. You can explore the fortress, the houses, shops, streets, and ruins.

11. Chania

Chania was once the capital city of Crete and is now the second biggest and most prominent. It is picturesque, to say the least, with a stunning mixture of neoclassical, Ottoman, and Venetian architecture. It is most famous for the Venetian port, lighthouse, and the Mosque of the Janissaries, which has a curious and striking bubble-dome top. You can spend a whole day here, and it is one of the places offering many great things to do with kids in Crete.

That includes the brand-spanking new attraction called Minoan's World, where the oldest civilization in Europe meets the first 9D cinema and 3D museum.

12. Explore Zeus's Cave

Greece is a country steeped in history and mythology, and the influence of Zeus, the King of the Greek Gods, is an integral part of that heritage. 

According to myths related to the gods, Rhea, Zeus's mother, took Zeus when he was a baby into hiding in the Dikteon Cave, a genuinely remarkable spot found above Agios Nikolaos on the Lassithi Plateau. Why was he in hiding? His father, Cronos, liked to snack on babies. Regardless of the authenticity of that tale, this landmark is worth the hike up if you can manage it and the trip down 200 steps into it. The rock formations you are met with resemble a cradle with baby Zeus.

You can combine a trip here with a guided tour of the Lassithi Plateau, which is famous for the Venetian-era windmills for irrigation, where you will also have a chance to explore the frescoed Panagias Keras Church and gaze upon a plane tree that's 2,000 years old while eating some tasty lunch. This makes it one of the things to see and do in Crete.

13. Learn to Cook Like Cretans

Crete is where what is known as the Mediterranean Diet was developed and has its own delicious and unique cuisine. Many of the best restaurants around the island offer this on their menu. One of the best things to do in Crete is not just eat like a Cretan but learn to cook like one by taking a small cooking class. One is on a small traditional family farm in Melidoni, the mountain-situated village high above Chania.

The hosts are amiable and knowledgeable and will take you on a tour of their garden, where you can pluck fresh ingredients before they teach you how to prepare some delicious Cretan dishes while offering up tales about the invention of the words. Afterward, you sit down and enjoy a shared feast of all your dishes and appreciate the views of the Aegean Sea.

14. Wine Tasting

Along with Cretan food, we should not only recommend that you go for wine tasting for one of the top things to do in Crete. Did you know that in Vathypetro, which lies south of Heraklion, a wine press of Minoan origin was unearthed, dating back to 1500 BC, making it the oldest in Greece? It makes sense this same region with Tuscan foothills and subzones named after the main towns of Archanes, Dafnes, and Peza produces around 80% of the island's red and white PDO wines from the indigenous grape varieties of Vilana, Liatiko, Mandilaria, and Kotsifali.

One of the best ways to benefit from traveling through this part of the island is by taking a tasting tour of the different wineries with an expert sommelier.

15. Gortyn

As noted earlier, Greek mythology, including Crete's history, is essential to the country and its related islands. Gortyn is one of the most significant archeological sites on the island and is said to be where Zeus, in the guise of a bull, devastated Europa. This is illustrated on the 2-euro Greek coin, and this is also where you will find the oldest law code in the world inscribed on blocks around the 500 BC mark. In the past, the Roman Empire made Gortyn the island and North Africa's capital city. Today, ruins of the temples, the Odeon, the Acropolis, and the early Christian Basilica of Agios Titos spread among olive groves. For history and mythology fans, this is one of the cool things to do in Crete.

16. Balos Lagoon

To close our list, Balos Lagoon is one of the best things to see and do in Crete if you are looking for somewhere to relax. You find a beautiful beach of white sand in the northern part of the island between the Gramvousa islet and the island's coast. Although you can drive there, taking one of the many excursion boats from Chania or Kastelli Kissamos is the easiest.

Final Thoughts

Crete may not be the most oversized island in the world, but that doesn't mean you can't have a fantastic vacation there. As we have shown, there are many great things to do in Crete, whether going away alone, with your partner or spouse, or with children of all ages.