Day 1 – Arrive in Crete & Explore Heraklion
We arrived at Heraklion Airport in the early afternoon. We picked up our rental car and went to Heraklion for lunch. We went around downtown and did some shopping before driving to our Airbnb in Melampes. The drive took about 1.5 hours
Day 2 – Matala Beach
In the morning we woke up, had breakfast and spent some time admiring the lovely view the house had to offer. The Airbnb had a lot of amenities such as an infinity pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room so we took some time in the morning to explore those as well.
Afterwards, we all got ready to go to Matala beach which was about a 1-hour drive. Matala Beach is a popular beach with rocky cliffs and many restaurants.
The beach was so beautiful and clean. Wasn’t too crowded which was nice. After a few hours out in the sun, we walked around looking for
Note: If you want to use the umbrella and chairs to cost about 1-5 euros depending on the beach
Day 3 – Balos Beach & Chania
Balos Beach was a 3-hour drive. We arrived in the late afternoon and spent a few hours there. The last section of the drive leading to the parking lot was really tricky. It was an uphill drive alongside a narrow cliff. A bit difficult if you are driving a manual car.
The walk to the beach from the parking lot was about 30 minutes, it wasn’t too difficult because it was mainly downhill but be careful because it’s really rocky. While walking down to the beach, you get this incredible view. The beach was so breathtaking, the water was so clear.
After spending a few hours here, we headed back to the car. This was the difficult part. Walking back up to the car. It was a steep uphill from the beach.
We drove another hour and headed over to Chania for dinner. Chania is such a beautiful, picturesque city. We wandered around looking for a restaurant to eat by the harbour. We got to this incredible restaurant with a cute bakery. It did not disappoint. The food was incredible and the view was even more spectacular.
Day 4 – Cave of Zeus
Today we drive 2 hours to see the birthplace of Zeus. When we arrived, there were a few cute souvenir shops and restaurants. We walked up to the cave first and explored. It wasn’t too crowded. There was a path around the inside of the cave making it very accessible to walk through.
Today was a short day for us because we wanted to enjoy our Airbnb more. We headed home after and enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi before making dinner.
Day 5 – Venetian Fortezza Castle & Rethymno
Today was our last day exploring Crete. We ventured off to the Venetian Fortezza Castle which was about a 2-hour drive. We went for a nice little walk before stumbling upon the town of Rethymno for dinner. It was a cute little square with plenty of souvenir shops, restaurants and more! We had dinner here and then I walked around looking for a mailbox to send my postcards.
In 2019, I stopped buying souvenirs and instead bought postcards to be sent out. After buying the postcards, I would go home or find a nice cafe to write a little message and then send them out.
That was the last day we got to explore Crete because we were hit with a storm our last two days. Despite losing those two days it was an incredible trip. This was our first time in Greece and I’m so glad that we decided on Crete to explore. I highly recommend this! Crete wasn’t crowded, weather was beautiful. We couldn’t have gone at a better time.
