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Which end of the island, and which sort of place — an honest comparison.
In short. For a first visit to Crete, stay in the west — the Chania region. It has the best old town, the most dramatic beaches and the greenest countryside. Base yourself in Chania town for walkable evenings, in Apokoronas or the inland villages for quiet and space, on the Almyrida–Kalyves bay for easy family beaches, or in Rethymno for a middle position between west and centre. Choose the east (Elounda, Agios Nikolaos) for resort-style luxury, and the south coast for solitude.
| Region | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Chania (west) | First visits, the finest old town, the famous beaches, green hill country | The star beaches are a long drive; August is busy |
| Rethymno (centre-west) | A handsome old town with a long beach, and a central base | The main beach strip is developed and can feel generic |
| Heraklion (centre) | Knossos, museums, the best flight choice | The city is workaday; the nearby coast is heavily built up |
| Lasithi (east) | Resort luxury at Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Spinalonga | Furthest from western Crete’s scenery; hotel-centred |
Chania: the best area to stay in Crete for a first visit
The west has the island’s best-preserved old town around a Venetian harbour, the White Mountains and the Samaria gorge, and the lagoon beaches of Balos, Elafonissi and Falassarna. It is also the greenest part of Crete. Inland, Apokoronas gives you quiet villages ten minutes from sandy beaches, which is why we think it is the best area to stay in Crete if you want both. Our villas in Chania, Crete page covers staying there in more detail.
Rethymno: the middle of the island
Rethymno has a handsome Venetian old town under its Fortezza and a long town beach. It is a sensible base if you want to reach both the west and Heraklion, at the price of a more developed coast.
Heraklion: Knossos and the flights
Heraklion is the island’s capital and main airport, and the base for the Minoan palace at Knossos and the Archaeological Museum. It is the practical choice for archaeology, less so for a relaxing holiday, because the city is busy and the coast either side is built up.
Lasithi and Elounda: resort luxury in the east
The east is where Crete’s big luxury hotels are, around Elounda and Agios Nikolaos, with boat trips to Spinalonga. Choose it for a spa hotel. It is a long way from the west’s gorges and beaches.
First time in Crete
The Chania region. You get the Venetian harbour, the White Mountains, the Samaria gorge and the western lagoons within reach of one base. Stay inland if you want quiet, in town if you want to walk to dinner.
Families with young children
The Almyrida and Kalyves bay, or a villa in the hills just behind it. Shallow, sheltered sand, tavernas on the front, and short drives. Avoid basing yourself somewhere that needs an hour in the car to reach a swimmable beach. More in our guide to family villas in Crete.
Couples
A village house or small villa in Apokoronas or the Chania hills, with Chania old town half an hour away for dinner. Elounda if what you want is a luxury hotel with a spa. See our villas for couples and Crete honeymoon ideas.
Two families or a group
A villa with more than one building, so people can be together without being on top of each other. Exclusive-use estates work far better than adjacent rentals on a development. Bleverde’s two villas can be booked together for twelve.
Walkers and hikers
Western Crete, within striking distance of Omalos for the Samaria gorge, or the south coast for the Aradena and Imbros gorges and the coastal path.
Quiet and slow
The south coast, or an inland village anywhere in the west. Both mean driving. The south in particular is a mountain crossing away from everything else.
A town base
Chania or Rethymno old town means you walk to dinner and never touch the car in the evening. It also means noise, heat held by stone streets in August, and parking as a daily problem.
A coast-road base
A coast-road base puts you a minute from the sea and in the middle of the season’s traffic, with neighbours either side and a pool that is rarely yours alone.
A village or hill base
A village or hill base gives you quiet, views and space, with a shop and taverna within walking distance if you choose the village carefully. The cost is that you drive to the beach: ten to fifteen minutes in the right spot is a fair trade, forty in the wrong one is not.
Before you book a villa in Crete, check
- The nearest swimmable beach. Ten minutes is fine. Forty will shape your whole week.
- Whether the pool is private. “Shared pool” on a development and “private pool” behind your own gate are very different holidays.
- What is within walking distance. A taverna and a shop you can walk to change the evenings more than any view.
- The drive from the airport. Chania airport serves the west; Heraklion adds up to two hours for anywhere past Rethymno.
- Who you are booking with. Booking direct with the owners usually means fewer fees and a real person to ask.
Where we sit, for what it’s worth
We are biased, so treat this as a data point rather than advice: Bleverde is in Apokoronas, in the hills above Gavalochori village in the Chania region. It is the inland-village option rather than the town or the coast road: quiet, with the beach close enough not to become a chore.
Where to stay in Crete for the west: distances from the estate
- Gavalochori village, tavernas and shop: a ten-minute walk
- Almyrida and Kalyves beaches: about 10 minutes by car
- Chania old town: about 30 minutes
- Rethymno: about 40 minutes
- Chania airport: about 45 minutes
- The Samaria trailhead: about 1 hour 15
- The western lagoons: around 2 hours
Two villas share the estate, each with three bedrooms and its own saltwater pool: Villa Elia, the old stone house, and Villa Levanda, the contemporary one. There is more on the village in our Gavalochori and Apokoronas guide.
What is the best area to stay in Crete?
For a first visit, the Chania region in the west. It combines the best-preserved old town, the most striking beaches and the greenest countryside, and it works as a single base for most of what people come to Crete for. Within it, Apokoronas suits people who want quiet villages close to sandy beaches; see our villas in Chania guide.
Is it better to stay in Chania or Rethymno?
Chania if you want the finer old town and access to western Crete’s landscape. Rethymno if you want a more central position and a long town beach, and are willing to trade some character for it. Apokoronas sits between the two, about 30 minutes from Chania and 40 from Rethymno.
Where should families stay in Crete?
Near a sheltered, shallow, sandy beach with tavernas. The Almyrida and Kalyves bay in Apokoronas is one of the easiest, either on the front or in the hills just behind it. A villa with a private pool helps a lot with young children. See our family villas in Crete.
Where should couples stay in Crete?
A small villa or village house in the Chania hills, for privacy and quiet with Chania old town close enough for dinner, or Elounda in the east for a luxury hotel. Our Crete villas for couples page explains how a three-bedroom villa works for two.
Do you need a car in Crete?
Unless you are staying in Chania or Rethymno old town and intend not to leave, yes. Public transport links the main towns but not the beaches, gorges and villages most people come for. Hiring at the airport is the simplest option.
Is one week enough to see Crete?
Enough for one end of the island, not for the whole. Crete is around 260 km long. Pick west or east and explore it properly rather than driving the length of it. Our things to do in Crete guide lists the day trips from the west.
Which part of Crete is quietest?
The south coast and the inland villages. Both require driving, and the south coast in particular is a mountain crossing away from the airports and the north-coast towns. Inland villages such as Gavalochori are quiet without being remote.
Is a villa or a hotel better in Crete?
A villa if you want space, a private pool and your own pace, especially as a family or group. A hotel if you want daily service and restaurants on site. Our villas in Crete page shows what an owner-run villa estate offers.
Looking at the Chania region?
Two villas with private saltwater pools in the hills of Apokoronas, ten minutes from the beach and half an hour from Chania.