Crete city breaks Holiday - short stays and long weekend breaks in Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Corsica. With 1,000km of coastline dotted with beautiful sandy beaches, incredible rock formations and surrounded by warm shimmering turquoise waters, Crete boasts an abudance of summer resorts to suit all budgets and tastes.
However, Crete is not just about beachlife - it has a fascinating interior and no more so than the domineering Mount Ida in the White Mountain (Lefka Ori) range. Rising to 2,456m, Mount Ida is where you will find Ideon Cave, which according to Greek mythology, was the birthplace of Zeus.
| Crete at a glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Heraklion | |
| Currency | Euro | |
| Population | 635,000 | |
| Coastline | 1046kms | |
| Highest Point | Mount Ida 2,456m | |
| Airports | Heraklion International Airport | |
| Ski touring in winter (no lifts yet!) | ✔ |
Featured holiday villas on Crete
Like most places, the options for self catering accommodation in Crete cater for all budgets and tastes with a good mix ranging from farmhouses to luxurious beachfront villas and apartments. Holiday rentals are very popular with families, friends and groups as they provide the freedom, flexibility and space to do what you want, when you want - home from home.
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Crete is an all year round destination with long hot and dry summers and mild winters. The best time to visit is from April to June and from September to the end of October as this avoids the scorching hot summer holidays where temperatures can often reach to 44 °C (111 °F).
Featured resorts in Crete
Things to see & do on your city break
There are too many fascinating places to visit and things to do in Crete to list them all but we have put together some of our favourites whilst on your your holiday in Crete.
| A few suggistions..... | |
|---|---|
| Explore the mountain trails of Mount Ida | ✔ |
| Visit Spinalonga Island | ✔ |
| Swimming at the beautiful Seitan Limania beach | ✔ |
| Ski touring around Mount Ida, White Mountains | ✔ |
| Visit the tiny fishing village of Loutro | ✔ |
| Take a boat to the stunning Balos Lagoon | ✔ |
| Explore the Holy Trinity Monastery | ✔ |
| Wander around the old town of Rethymno | ✔ |
Visiting nearby islands
Crete has over 100 satellite islands with most of them being wildlife sanctuaries. Some of the islands are definitely worth a visit as part of your Crete holiday. A couple of suggestions...
Elafonissi
Elafonissi is the closest island to Crete being just 100m from the shore. At low tide, you can even paddle over and make camp on the beautiful sandy beaches. With fringed with pink coral sand and crystal clear warm waters of the lagoon, the beaches get really busy in the height of summer.
Gavdos Island
Gavdos is a little under 50kms from the West side of Crete and is one of the few inhabited islands out of the 100 or so that surround the main island. From Crete, you take the ferry from either Chora Sfakion, Paleochora or Sougia.As part of your Crete holiday, it's definitely worth spending a few days in Gavdos. There are some accommodation options, shops and taverns but it's worth taking a few essentials if you are travelling with children. The beaches are breathtaking with white talcum powder sand and crystal clear waters - Sarakiniko beach is one of the most popular.
Our view on city breaks in Crete
Crete has always been a very popular tourist destination and these days, even more accessible with frequent flights making this Greek island a short break destination. It is an island of stark contrast from the tourist hub beach resorts with breathtaking scenery and luxurious hotels, clubs and designer boutiques, to the unspoilt inner mountain villages where time seems to have stood still. In a nutshell, Crete is a top family holiday destination, full of gastranonomic tradition, rich in culture, history and incredibly friendly.
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