Fun Things to Do in Crete

A Greek island vacation usually means enjoying small island life, hanging out on the beach, taking a walk through a village, and perhaps renting a scooter for a day.  But Crete is a bit different from the small islands of the Cyclades.  Crete is big!  Crete is Greece’s largest island and is almost the size of Hawaii’s Big Island, taking about five hours to drive across east to west and an hour and a half north to south.  Its large size also means there are a lot of fun things to do in Crete. 

Chania: A Harbor Town on Greece’s Island of Crete

Crete is Greece’s largest island and, therefore, has a number of cities and towns from which to choose.  Our trip to Crete was actually a last minute add-on to our off-road trip through Central Greece with Tripology Adventures.  A friend of ours told us his favorite Greek islands were Santorini and Crete, and he won me over with his description of the beautiful town of Chania, a quaint old fishing village with a gorgeous Venetian harbor.  Chania not only makes a great home base from which to explore Crete, there are also a number of things to do in Chania itself.  The Venetian quarter of Chania is chockfull of tourist attractions along with a mixture of Venetian and Turkish architecture.

Everything You Need to Know About Hiking Samaria Gorge

If there is one thing you do when visiting the Greek island of Crete, you must hike Samaria Gorge.  There are certain epic hikes throughout the world, and the hike through Samaria Gorge National Park is one of them.  What makes Samaria Gorge epic?  At 16 kilometers, Samaria Gorge is one of the longest gorges in Europe (some sources say the longest, others the second longest), is located in Crete’s only national park, and provides stunning views all day long.