Welcome to Crete!
The beautiful island of Crete offered everything we wanted, from clear blue autumnal skies through to the delicious, fresh food. It’s a well-visited European destination but I wanted to visit Crete for a number of particular reasons:
- My friend and ex-colleague retired to Crete 8 years ago and I was interested in catching up and seeing what the expat life was like in Crete;
- H and Zizi’s grandmother, aunt and cousins were holidaying in Crete at the same time;
- We’d enjoyed a couple of wonderful Mediterranean island road-trip holidays in Sicily and Cyprus, and knew that beaches and ancient ruins worked well for our kids; and
- I didn’t make the most of my previous trip as a 19 year-old, more interested in clubbing than culture!
The rugged beach to the East of Frangokastello offered a natural playground for H and Zizi
DID YOU KNOW? After avenging the murder of her mother earlier in the day when she herself was abducted, Rhodanthe (also known as Kritsotopoula – child of Kritsa) ran off into the mountains disguised as a man. She joined the Cretan freedom fighters and in 1823 fought ferociously against the Turks near Lato, but died from a shot to the chest. Efforts to save her revealed her sex and she is now revered as a Cretan heroine who equalled male peers in battle.
The child of Kritsa is a powerful example that women are as strong as men.
Some Great Family Crete Highlights
Crete Highlights #1: Food, food, food! Every meal I felt healthy due to the fresh vegetables and was incredibly tasty, particularly the aubergine imam
Climbing the hills at Lato ruins with H was so much fun (plus a bit windy!)
The views back to Elounda from Spinalonga Island were stunning.
There was a lot to do at the beaches around Frangokastello and H took full advantage!
Our Crete Family Travel Tips
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Hire a car and travel around the island. It’s so varied and many of the ancient ruins sites are fairly inaccessible without one
Gournia ruins was closed (don’t go on a Monday!) but we still managed to reach it in our hire car
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Instead if ordering main courses, try ordering mezes and salads when eating out. The variety was a hit for both us plus H and Zizi, who must have consumed their body weights in Greek Salads by the end of our holiday
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Don’t plan puddings as we usually got a free nibble at the end of meals – often melon and grapes which H and Zizi love
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Most restaurants had high-chairs and many had children’s playgrounds adjoined where there was space – eating out was very kid friendly
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Crete is at the Southern tip of Europe and can get quite hot in the summer, so consider visiting outside summer. We had great weather in October and had the same in Sicily last year
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We think visiting ancient ruins with toddlers is a great day out for the family. Crete has an abundance of varied, picturesque ancient sites.
The ruins at Aptera were a mix of old and new, plus the scenery was spectacular
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If you’re visiting ancient ruins with a baby, then packing a sling or backpack will make your day easier
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Water shoes are a good idea because many of the beaches are pebbly underfoot
Finding this interesting?Need a guidebook? We used this guidebook throughout our Crete holiday, which included the Crete highlights above. If you are thinking about a Crete holiday then CLICK THROUGH to purchase (note – I am an Amazon affiliate member and will receive a small commission if you do buy, but it won’t cost you any extra. Thanks!)
Our day by day Crete itinerary
Our day by day Crete itinerary included the Crete highlights described above.
Accommodation Type/s: Other than spending 2 nights in an expat’s mountain home, we organised very family friendly accommodation through booking.com
Transport used: We wanted to explore the island of Crete and so hired a car at Iraklio airport, dropping it off in Hania airport.
H and Zizi were a bit tired after a late flight but still enjoyed the open spaces at the Palace of Knossos
Zizi loved the warm sea in Mohlos (and her new hat!)
The bay at Mohlos had a selection of friendly restaruants
Approaching Spinalonga Island with H, Zizi and their cousins was an adventure in itself.
Roar!!! H and Zizi loved Dinosauria (although a couple of hours was enough for us!)
Frangokastello fort is small, but still worth a trip around it with intrepid toddler explorers.
Walking along Hania’s harbour is a delight to the senses, a visual and culinary treat!
Comments Welcome! Help other families have a great time in Crete.
Welcome to the World for a Girl community. Please share your own ideas and thoughts about Crete family travel. Do you agree with our Crete highlights or do you have others to add? Did you do a similar Crete itinerary or could you recommend an alternative one,? What tips do you have for other Greece or Crete family travel?
6 Comments on “Crete Highlights: Family Travel Blog”
Wow it`s amazing how you catched such a different parts of the island! Last year I spent 3 days in FrangoKastello as well!)) I passed Imbros gorge from down to up and back, but of course with young kids it could be a bit difficult. I must say I really enjoyed my time in Hora Sfakion, it`s a village around 11 km away from Frangokastello. So if you`ll decide to come back to Crete I highly recommend to get there)).
Thanks for the tip for Hora Sfakion. And agree – Imbros Gorge would be very challenging with toddlers… This is why we chose to drive past it when travelling North from Frangokastello and we were still able to catch the incredible views.
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Hi, I just stumbled across this post and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Crete through your eyes. I’m lucky to have enjoyed a home in Kritsa since 2001. I became entranced with the story of Kritsotopoula and my research led to a novel. http://viewbook.at/Kritsotopoula. I always go to her annual memorial service if I’m in Kritsa the second weekend of May. It is a very moving experience you might enjoy my blog – https://kritsayvonne.com/2018/05/13/kritsotopoula-memorial-day/
Wow. Thanks for sharing Yvonne. You’re so lucky to have a home in such a beautiful part of the world. Thanks for letting me know about the annual memorial service – I’d love to attend one day.