Itinerary - Crete Beach Life

Roundtrip flights or transportation to reach the destination are not included in the package, so you can decide from where and when you want to leave! This gives you complete freedom of choice to adjust your travel itinerary to your needs. You need to arrive at Heraklion airport where we will pick up the rental cars and move all together to the facility, so we recommend you arrive by 6 p.m.

Check into the facility in Stalida and welcome meeting. We are on the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean, and in one week we will have a chance to discover it slowly-this evening we start with its flavors: the typical cuisine of Crete will amaze us, with its Greek and Turkish influences. So: what are we eating tonight? Among the Cretan specialities to try right away, we put dakos - a kind of local bruschetta - and hortas - some wild herbs that grow in these parts, served with a drizzle of oil, a delicacy!

Our first day in Crete begins with a morning dedicated to a visit to the site of Knossos, one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe and the place where, according to legend, the labyrinth in which the Minotaur was imprisoned was located. We are walking right inside the books of literature, in the city of King Minos Ariadne, Daedalus and Icarus. Our day continues with a refreshing dip and a well-deserved lunch break at Bali beach (fear not: we have not ended up in Indonesia, we are still in Crete) with its striking emerald green crystal waters and breathtaking sandy coves. The rest of the day is at our leisure: no set agenda, we follow the flow and get caught up in the old town of Heraklion with its squares, cafes and picturesque markets.

Today we will have a free day exploring the town of Matala, a picturesque unspoiled village on Messara Bay that lies on the south coast in the province of Heraklion. It won't be difficult to be enchanted by the beautiful crystal-clear waters of the Libyan Sea and the cliff overlooking the beach with its prehistoric-era caves.

We continue our journey of discovery of the largest of the Greek islands and its heavenly beaches. Today we head to the eastern part of the island, specifically to Agios Nikolaos, a charming fishing village that has become famous thanks to its incredible beaches and its thousand-year history. Let's try to enjoy this place as much as possible and why not, let's also have a good glass of red wine.

Later if we feel like it we can move to Mirabella Bay, the largest gulf of the Greek islands and fifth largest in the Mediterranean. Here we can indulge in a relaxing cruise on the waters of the Bay and let the waves wash over us as we enjoy the sun disappearing behind the horizon.

This morning we set out for the northern coast to move from Heraklion to Rethymnon, where we will reach the hotel that will host us for the next few days. There is no rush, we take our time to visit Rethymno and enjoy the sights we will encounter along the way. We won't even tell you that every opportunity, beach and cove will be a great excuse to stop and dive into the crystal clear waters of this part of the island.

The alarm clock has already rung: it is time to head to the east coast, to Kissamos, where yet another dip in the sea awaits us. White sand, turquoise water, hidden coves and the shade of junipers welcome us to this paradise on earth. Here a morning of snorkeling awaits us to enjoy the sea life and explore the surrounding area. We dive and swim along the shoreline until we reach a natural rock pool. Shortly thereafter we find ourselves inside the dark Kissamos Cave, carved out of an old iron mine: looking around we will feel as if we are in an otherworldly dimension. We will be captivated by the deepest darkness and the play of light created by the reflections of the sea. We will swim near some tall pylons from World War II that still stand in the sea and discover that at this very spot, in those days, iron was mined from the hill and transported by sea.

Aren't you starving after all that swimming? It's time to have a snack! In the afternoon we slow down a bit and take some free time to explore Chania, also known as the Venice of the East, as well as the second-largest city on the island of Crete.

This morning we wake up early: we want to reach today's destination well in advance of everyone else, so we can enjoy it in all its splendour. We are talking about the pink beach of Elafonissi, which is not only a tongue of sand with a thousand shades of pink, but also a protected area - caretta-caretta turtles come here to lay their eggs, so there will be areas of the beach cordoned off to protect the hatchlings.

We enjoy the peace of the early morning hours (assuming we managed to get out of bed early!) and then find a little place to spread our towels - then, again, the sea beckons! Here, too, the water is an otherworldly colour, and it is impossible to resist it! On the way back we stop at Falassarna Beach, another of the most beautiful beaches on this wonderful island. For our last evening, we have two options: we can decide to stop here and enjoy dinner at sunset (did someone say pita gyros?) or return to Rethymno.

Time to say goodbye! See you soon for another WeRoad adventure!