Western Crete in Five Days
Western Crete in five days allows time to visit Chania and Rethymnon, enjoy the beaches, hike the Samaria Gorge and see the monasteries at Arkadi and Preveli.
The Samaria Gorge in Western Crete
Photo by Mike Gerrard
Even five days in this large area will be rushed, but it does allow time to explore Chania and Rethymnon, see some of the north and south coast beaches, hike the Samaria Gorge, and visit the historically important monasteries at Arkadi and Preveli.
Day One
Morning
Visit Arkadi Monastery then take the pleasant country road (signposted at the end of the car park) to the ancient site of Eleftherna, which should only take 10-15 minutes. After looking round there, continue on for another 15 minutes to the potters’ village of Margarites, where there are places to have lunch. We like the Taverna Giannousakis at the upper end of the village for its excellent home-cooked food.
The Arkadi Monastery in Western Crete
Afternoon
Drive northeast from Margarites to visit the Melidoni Cave, which is about a 20-minute drive away. Then continue on to the north coast, to Rethymnon. You have a choice of routes.
In the Old Town of Rethymnon
Evening
Spend the night in Rethymnon, where you can dine by the harbour. We like the Fanari, which is further away from the main harbour where people try to talk you into their restaurants. We like the Fanari’s more laid-back approach, and the food’s good too.
Our Pick of the Crete Guides
Day Two
Morning
Spend the morning exploring Rethymnon, perhaps taking in the museums and art galleries, and walking out to the Venetian fortress, the Fortezza. For a special lunch before you leave, book a table at Avli, one of the best restaurants on Crete.
Afternoon
Wander round the narrow streets of the old town, see the loggia, stroll around the harbour, and visit the public gardens.
Evening
As a change from the harbour, ask for directions to Kyria Maria, in a narrow side-street behind the Rimondi Fountain. Lamb kleftiko is a house specialty and is totally mouth-watering.
Rethymnon
Photo by 'Lappländer'
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Day Three
Morning
Time to leave Rethymnon and drive south across the island to the Preveli Monastery. It’s less than an hour’s drive, with the last stretch through dramatic gorge scenery. After touring the monastery (dress respectfully), head west to Plakias (20 minutes) and then along the narrow and winding coastal road to the Venetian fortress at Frangokástello, which is about another 40-50 minutes. Another 20 minutes will have you in Chora Sfakion, whose lovely little harbour makes the perfect lunch stop. We like the Livikon, or to give it its full grand name, Kitchen Stories from Samaria to Livikon.
The Harbour at Chora Sfakion on Crete
Afternoon
Drive north out of Chora Sfakion past the Imbros Gorge, the entrance to which is about a 25-minute drive from the town. You could stop and walk in the gorge for a while, though you’ve an hour’s drive back to the north coast for a visit to the Allied War Cemetery at Souda. If you really wanted to walk in the gorge, you could probably skip the cemetery and drive straight to Chania for the night, which is also about an hour.
Chania in Western Crete
Evening
We recommend spending the next three nights in Chania and exploring from there. Enjoy your first dinner on the Venetian harbour, where we recommend the Amphora.
Day Four
Morning
Spend the morning seeing some of Chania’s attractions. You should be able to fit in the market, the Archaeological Museum, and the excellent little Folklore Museum. Have lunch at Tamam, another wonderful Chania restaurant.
Afternoon
Visit the Byzantine Museum and the adjacent Maritime Museum of Crete. A stroll through the old town and around the harbour are also Chania highlights.
Evening
Wander through a different part of Chania, the Turkish quarter, to have dinner at the fabulous Well of the Turk.
Sample Dishes at the Semiramis Restaurant in Chania
Day Five
Morning/Afternoon
Work off some of that food by devoting the day to the Samaria Gorge. You’ll need to book an excursion, as it’s a one-way hike from the mountains to the sea, so you need planned transport. It's one reason we recommend basing yourselves in Chania for three days, as this is the best place to book a Samaria Gorge hike with organised transport. It will be a very early start but you’ll be back in Chania for dinner.
Evening
For a final dinner, try the Semiramis where there’s often live music and always a terrific atmosphere. And there you have it – you’ve seen the best of western Crete in five days!
Chania Sunset
Photo by Pedro Szekely
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Other Crete pages
The Samaria Gorge is one the longest gorges in Europe and doing the hike is one of the best and most popular things to do on Crete.
Studies have shown the Cretan Diet as one of the healthiest in the world, involving lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh fish, and moderate amounts of wine.
The Stilianou Winery near Knossos on Crete uses only Cretan grape varieties, with every bottle numbered, and aims for quality rather than quantity.
Sir Arthur Evans is the archaeologist famous for the excavations he made at the royal palace of Knossos on Crete.
Greece Travel Secrets tours the Lyrarakis Winery on Crete and learns about Crete grape varieties such as plyto, dafni, vidiano, vilana, mandilari and kotsifali.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Eastern Crete including restaurants and tavernas in Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, and Kato Zakros.
The best things to do on Crete and top things to see include the Samaria Gorge, the Minoan Palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the towns of Chania and Rethymnon.
Greece Travel Secrets visits Crete and learns about making rakomelo from Jorgos Kourmoulis in Agouseliana.
Hiking the Samaria Gorge on Crete, one of the best things to do on Crete, by Greece Travel Secrets.
The largest of the Greek islands, Crete has four ENUESCO sites, which are Sitia, Psiloritis, Asterousia, and the Gorge of Samaria.
Rethymnon is the third-largest city in Crete and has a Venetian fortress, Archaeological Museum, Old Town area and Venetian harbour,
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The Goules Taverna in Goulediana, south of Rethymnon, has been called one of the best tavernas on Crete and Greece Travel Secrets recently visited them.
For a Crete olive oil tour Greece Travel Secrets visits Biolea, one of the few olive oil factories on Crete that you can visit.
Greece Travel Secrets eats at Vegera in Zaros and finds a cheap but wonderful feast of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes cooked daily with fresh local food.
This Amari Valley drive in southern Crete starts and ends in Ayia Galini, takes four to five hours and cover 100 kilometres or 62 miles.
Western Crete has some wonderful golden sand beaches as well as mountain villages, monasteries, caves, and archaeological sites to discover.
The Battle of Crete during World War 2 inspired several books and took place with an airborne invasion over Maleme on the north coast of the island.
Maleme near Chania is where the people who died during the battle of Crete are buried, in the German War Cemetery with the Commonwealth War Cemetery nearby.
Elounda on Crete's north coast is a popular holiday town with a pretty harbour, from where you can take day trips by boat to see the island of Spinalonga.
What was daily life as a Minoan like on Crete, living in palaces like the ones at Knossos, Malia, Phaistos, and Zakros, and what were their religious beliefs?
How to see eastern Crete in five days, with its beaches, Minoan palaces, timeless villages, unique churches and mountain and coastal scenery.
Driving central Crete in three days gives you time to see the highlights including the Minoan palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the beaches and the Diktean Cave.
The area east from Paleohora along the south-west coast of Crete includes resorts like Agia Galini, gorges like the Imbros Gorge and quieter towns like Sfakia.
This olive grove walk from Limnes to Vrises on Crete also takes you through orchards and gives close-up views of some of the island’s windmills.
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