4 days in Crete: my itineraries

If you’ve got 4 days in Crete, you’re in for a treat! Beautiful beaches, mountains, historic sites…
We’ll take you to the best sites and experiences on the island with our itineraries ideal for visiting Crete in 4 days, with accommodation in Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion or Malia.
We’ve also included alternatives if you don’t want to drive.

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4 days in Crete: what you need to know

4-day itinerary in western Crete: Chania or Rethymnon

4-day itinerary in Eastern Crete: Heraklion or Malia

4 days in Crete without a car

4 days in Crete: what you need to know

4 days in Crete: is that enough?

With 4 days, you won’t be able to see all of Crete, but you can discover some of its most beautiful landscapes

A Venetian town
A Minoan archaeological site
A boat trip
Magnificent beaches
Beautiful mountain roads

So that’s good enough, you just have to be prepared to make choices.

Compare available flights.

Do you need a car?

With 4 days, we strongly recommend renting a car for several reasons:

to explore everything at your own pace
to visit fascinating places off the beaten track
to admire the sunrise or sunset, or just the right moment…

Don’t worry, driving in Crete is very easy. Read my article on the subject.

And if not, we have some car-free suggestions in the last section of this article.

Need to rent a car in Crete?

My tips:

Compare prices on my favorite platform: Discovercars.com – one of the best rated comparison sites!
Prefer a compact car for the narrow streets in villages
Consider their full coverage option – it for peace of mind!
Book early to have a large choice of vehicles!

See all my tips

See available cars

4 days in Crete: where to stay?

The island is quite long.
It’s a 2? hour drive from Chania to Malia.

I recommend the 3 main towns and a beach town for access to everything:

Chania (Chania)
It has it all: a town with lots of charm, mountains and beaches nearby….
See top-rated accommodation in Chania
Rethymnon
The most central, with a long beach alongside the town
See the top-rated accommodations in Rethymnon
Heraklion
The big city, with museums and restaurants
See top-rated accommodation in Heraklion
Malia
Seaside resort with beautiful beaches and active nightlife
See top rated accommodation in Malia

In this article are itineraries from each of them.

Or see my article about the best places to stay in Crete.

4-day itinerary in western Crete: Chania or Rethymnon

Best hotels to stay in

Here are our recommendations for Chania:

Luxury – Casa Delfino Hotel and Spa with lots of charm! – See photos, prices and availability
Boutique Hotel – Residenza Vranas with fantastic views – See photos, prices and availability
Apartments – Studios Semeli near the beach – See photos, prices and availabilities
Family – Palazzo Duca with spacious suites for 4 people – See photos, prices and availability

Here are our recommendations for Rethymnon:

Luxe – Rimondi Boutique Hotel avec piscine – Voir photos, prix et disponibilités
Hôtel Boutique – Hôtel léo avec du caractère – Voir photos, prix et disponibilités
Appartements – Les Sea Front Studios – Voir photos, prix et disponibilités

Day 1: Chania

I really enjoyed my visit to Chania. One of the things that particularly struck me was the town’s charming and colourful architecture. As I strolled through the streets, I was greeted by a pleasing palette of warm pastels and earthy tones adorning the buildings. The combination of Venetian and Ottoman influences adds an extra layer of appeal, giving the impression of stepping back in time.
What’s more, the old port holds a special place in my heart. The sight of the lighthouse, fishing boats and cosy waterside cafés creates a serene and picturesque scene.

Explore:

the Venetian port and lighthouse
the Maritime Museum of Crete
the Greek Orthodox cathedral
the beach

Day 2: West coast and the pink beach of Elafonisi

Head down the west coast of Crete to reach the pink beach.
Elafonisi is a beautiful, secluded beach on the south coast. It has become famous for its warm shallow waters and pink sand (because of the crushed shells). It is often cited as one of the best beaches in Europe.
The lagoon was formed between the small island of Elafonisi and the coast.
We recommend getting there early to make the most of it before the crowds.
Find out more about my article on Elafonisi beach.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time on the beach, you can combine it with the town of Palaiochora, climbing up to the ruins of the castle to see the sea and the mountains.

On the return journey, you can plan two stops:
Stop 1: Moni Chrisoskalitissis
Stop 2: The pebble beach of Stomio with its little white chapel.

Day 3: Balos Lagoon

This is clearly one of the most beautiful places on any trip to Crete. It’s a very popular spot for good reason.
The area is wild with mountains falling into the sea, islands creating a bay and a shallow lagoon to enjoy it all.
The sand is white and pink, the water is turquoise, the rock is dark and (hopefully) the sky is blue… it’s a beautiful rainbow of colours!
More photos in my article.

The easiest option is to take the boat from Kissamos, which first stops at the island of Gramvousa and then takes you to the Lagoon.
Alternatively, there is a 4X4 track that starts to the west of Kissamos.
Or you can take organised tours from the towns.

See programmes and prices.

Puis explorez la ville de Rehymnon avec sa longue plage, sa vieille ville et sa forteresse vénitienne.

Day 4: Heraklion and Knossos Palace

Today we’re going even further back in time and doing a bit of archaeology.
Our first stop is Knossos Palace.

Knossos is the most famous archaeological site on Crete. Easily accessible from the capital, some of the buildings were recreated by Sir Arthur Evans and his team.
Knossos has been called by some the oldest city in Europe. It was built around a large Minoan palace from the Bronze Age.
I recommend arriving at 8am to enjoy the site without the large group (buses start arriving at around 8.45am).
See my article on Knossos Palace.

You can then go to the town of Heraklion to visit the archaeological museum.
It boasts a vast collection of Minoan artefacts from all the island’s sites. You’ll find the head of the Minotaur, the Phaistos disc, the mosaics of Knossos…. and objects of all sizes in good condition.

Alternative days:

Option 1: for the sporty: a hike in the Samaria Gorge
Samaria is the most famous gorge and the most famous hike in Crete.
The walk takes you between vertiginous mountain walls. At times, it is very narrow.
If you complete the whole hike, it is 16 to 18 km (you can pay for a bus for the last 2 km).
You can do the whole walk (downhill then flat, no technical difficulty) – from Omalos to Agia Roumeli – the easiest option is to book a day trip from one of the main towns (because you don’t end where you started) – See options

Option 2: Day at the beach

You can either enjoy the beach in Chania or Rethymnon, and relax, or take the car to discover other beaches such as Seitan Limani or Kalyvaki.
Or further afield, you can visit some of Crete’s most beautiful beaches on the south coast: Triopetra beach and Preveli beach.

Option 3: Rethymno and Arkadi

Today you can discover a little of the island’s more recent history:

Start by visiting Arkadi Monastery, a 30-minute drive from Rethymno.
The tragedy that occurred here in 1866, killing hundreds of locals, had a significant impact on how the revolution against the Turks was perceived internationally.
Today, you can explore many of the rooms in the monastery and see traces of the battle. The museum has some beautiful exhibits.
But I thought it was the atmosphere that had the most impact. It was like no other monastery I’ve visited in Crete.
Read more about my article on Arkadi Monastery.

Where to stay in Crete?

My favorites:

Chania, a charming town: See best rated accommodations
Rethymno, history, beach and central location: See best rated options
Heraklion, main city: See best rated options
Palaiochora, for stunning scenery, away from crowds – See best rated options
Mochlos, for a very quiet area: see best rated options
For a sandy beach and some nightlife: Malia or Bali

See our article on where to stay

4-day itinerary in Eastern Crete: Heraklion or Malia

Best hotels to stay in

Our recommendations for Heraklion:

Luxury – GDM Megaron – See photos, prices & availabilities
Boutique – Hotel Veneziano – See photos, prices & availabilities

Our recommendations for Malia:

Luxury – Ammos Beach Hotel – See photos, prices & availabilities
Boutique – Sunshine Boutique Hotel – See photos, prices & availabilities
Aparthotel – Pyrgos Beach Apartments – View photos, prices & availability

Day 1: Zeus cave and Malia ruins

The Grotto of Zeus is the most famous in Crete. You can visit a single chamber full of beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. Located on the Lassithi plateau, the road to get there is very pleasant. It is surrounded by the myth that it is the birthplace of Zeus.

From the car park, it’s a steep 20-minute walk into the cave – and inside there are 200 steps down and back up (not for people with knee problems) – unguided tour.
See my article on the Grotto of Zeus

Then visit the Lassithi plateau with its mills and monasteries.
On the way down, stop off at the small monastery of Panayia Kera. The church is truly charming.

Situated on the north coast (east side), Malia is famous for its archaeological site. It’s also a great area for exploring both sandy and rocky beaches.
Malia is my favourite of the 3 main Minoan palaces on Crete. Not only because my uncle was an archaeologist there, but also because the walls are higher than elsewhere. So it’s much easier to imagine what it might have looked like.

Then you can relax and enjoy Malia and the resort atmosphere.

Day 2: Gortyna, Phaistos and Matala

Stop 1 – Our first stop is Gortyna on the south coast of Crete. It’s an archaeological site unlike any other, as it covers the Minoan period through to the Hellenistic period (3rd and 2nd centuries BC) and the Roman periods during which the city reached its peak (1st to 5th centuries AD).
The main thing not to miss is behind the theatre: the walls covered in writing. This is the Code of Law of Gortyn (5th century BC).
You can also enjoy the theatre, the ruins of St Titus’ church, a legendary tree, sculptures….

Stop 2 – Then you can visit the Palace of Phaistos. Inhabited since the Final Neolithic (3000 BC), it reached its peak during the palatial period (around the 20th century 00 BC to the 15th century BC).
Visiting the site, you can clearly appreciate the strategic position with beautiful views over the valleys.
The storage rooms are among the best to see, with pottery inside.
You can also see in which section the Phaistos disc was found (a clay disc with symbols thought to be Minoan – but which remains an enigma). It is now on display at the Heraklion Museum.
See my article

Stop 3 – End the day in Matala and wait for the sunset.
If you want a hippy vibe combined with a beautiful sunset, Matala is for you.
The beach has a good orientation, and when the sun gets lower and lower, it makes the wall and its caves even more fascinating.
See more photos

Day 3: Island of Spinalonga

Probably fortified by the Venetians in the 16th century (it seems that they also cut off part of the land to make an island).
The fortress was retaken by the Turks in 1715.
In the 20th century, it became a leper colony.

You can walk around the entire island along the fortification walls, stopping off at the church along the way.
You can climb to the top of the fortifications for a breathtaking view of the bay.
The buildings of the old town include a cistern, warehouses, houses… and a small museum with exhibitions on each historical phase of the island.

Located on the north coast, just north of Agios Nikolaos
The island is accessible by boat from Plaka (the shortest), Elounda and Agios Nikolaos.
There are also organised day trips from various tourist towns – See options
See my article.

Day 4: Heraklion and Knossos Palace

Alternative days: Beaches or Chania City

Option 1 Triopetra and Preveli beaches

Today, set off to discover two of Crete’s most beautiful beaches on the south coast.

Triopetra is rarely listed as one of the best beaches in Crete, probably because it is a pebble beach without many facilities.
But the rock formation at the end is well worth a visit. The name of the beach means 3 rocks.
Their structure is fascinating, looking like sheets of rock stacked on top of each other.
See more photos

Preveli is a unique place in Crete. The gorge leading to the beach is full of water and palm trees.
What’s more, you can see it from above with your own eyes (not with a drone). I just love it! I think it’s one of the best viewpoints in Crete.
You can drive up to the large car park and walk down the 400 steps to the beach.
Or you can take a day trip that includes Preveli beach – See programmes
Or you can take a boat from Plakias that takes you directly to the beach, in season.

Option 2: Chania

A short drive to discover the most beautiful city in Crete: Chania

Explore: