Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice 2022 destinations name some of the world’s best holiday locations every year. In this year’s sun seekers category, one Greek island made the top 10.
Crete may be an island, but it’s a vast one – don’t miss the gorgeous capital Chania, with its Venetian harbour and restaurants along the water’s edge.
One of the island’s most beautiful beaches is Elafonissi, known for its gorgeous pink sand coastline.
Elafonisi continues to draw hordes of beach lovers to the south coast of Crete. It’s a special place thanks to its unique isthmus beaches, which come dashed with strange pink sand.
One Tripadvisor reviewer said: “The pink sand beach is one of the most beautiful in Crete. Just go there, you won’t regret it.”
Another said: “Wow, this is the best beach I have visited in Europe, clean, safe and the water is so inviting.”
You can freely hop to the isle of Spinalonga on any number of regular taxi boats from the villages of Plaka, Elounda and Agios Nikolaos in the northeast. What awaits is one of the most immersive Greek islands to visit from Crete.
Crete is also home to high mountains, including the Dikti range in Lasithi and the White Mountains in the Chania region. The highest peak on the island, Mount Psiloritis (2456 meters high), is in the heart of the Rethymnon region and it’s a great place to go hiking.
All these mountain ranges also host wonderful gorges and canyons, such as Ha gorge, Topolia gorge, and one of Europe’s longest gorges, Samaria.
The 16km-long Samariá Gorge also teems with pilgrims, but there are 50 more canyons to explore, often with only the elusive kri-kri (wild goats) for company.
In the area of Psiloritis, Patsos gorge is another natural gem to explore in Crete.
Milia, a 17th-century hamlet powered entirely by solar energy. Everything on the organic menu is grown, caught or reared locally. In fact, it’s almost impossible not to eat well on Crete, which produces superb cheese, honey and olive oil, as well as delicious goat, rabbit and smoked-pork dishes.
Classical sites include the Palace of Knossos, a Minoan settlement with its own labyrinth, and the remains of the city of Eleutherna.