Welcome to part 2 of my travels to Greece! If you haven’t read part 1 of my blog detailing Athens, you can do so by clicking here!
Where we stayed:
Heraklio, Crete: Our Airbnb is linked here. It is a short 5km drive from Heraklion Airport. It is also conveniently located near all your food and shopping needs.
Getting to Crete
The best way to get to Crete from Athens is via plane. However, there is an option to travel by sea, although this takes between 8-17 hours. Personally, I recommend flying since it is only a 50 minute plane ride.
We hopped on an early flight to Crete, where we were going to spend most of our time in Greece.
We also happened to arrive in Crete the day the city was getting ready for a carnival. To no surprise, we got dressed and hit the town.
Apokries (Carnival)
After asking some locals and doing my own research, I learned that Apokries is a time of celebration and preparation before Easter lent. However, the traditions date back to Ancient times, and were originally a period of worshiping Dionysos.
The celebration lasts for 3 weeks! During this time you can expect to see masquerade parties, giant floats, delicious food, and drinking. The whole city partakes in this tradition and it is a wonderful experience to be a part of!
Want to learn more about Carnival from the experts? Click here!
One of the best places to celebrate the Carnival is in Rethymno. You will see below that we ourselves ended up there!
Rethymno
We rented a car and checked out the stunning views of Rethymno.
Note: Most of the cars in Greece are Stick, but luckily we were able to rent an automatic car. The cost to rent a car for 1 day is 45 Euros.
The drive from Heraklio to Rethymno is about 2 hours. Not bad as the drive is scenic, so that makes it quite enjoyable.
Rethymno is the perfect place to escape. You have clear views of water wherever you are, which is incredibly calming.
Speaking of water, the venetian harbor is a beautiful place to take a stroll when in Rethymno. It is also the perfect place to have a midday snack or a freddo espresso before continuing your tour of Rethymno.
One restaurant that you have to check out when in Rethymno is Hasika. It serves upscale Cretan food and is located in Old Town, which is a historic city with stunning architecture.
While in Rethymno, I also recommend you check out the Venetian Fortezza Castle. While most of the fortress is destroyed, it is remarkable to witness what is left of this historical landmark.
Other Activities in Crete
We spent a lot of time shopping in the city center. It was located almost too conveniently to our airbnb. I loved finally being able walk into Pull&Bear and Mango in person, rather than just shopping the brands online.
We also spent countless hours by the water. It is simply mesmerizing, I mean take a look for yourself:
And finally, here is yet another freddo espresso. I still dream of its perfection.
One response to “Crete, Greece Highlights”
[…] This is a part 1 of my Greece highlights series, where I discuss Athens. If you want to hear about Crete first click here! […]