They’re the two biggest resorts in the most touristed part of Crete – so is Hersonissos or Malia the better place to stay?
Both towns have a reputation as party resorts attracting a younger, sometimes noisier crowd. But both also attract a lot of families with children and some older couples.
We spent three summer months in this part of northern Crete, staying an extended period in both towns. We got to know every beach, every street, every picturesque corner during that time – and the pros and cons of each.
In this article I compare different facets of both towns, including their beaches, what else to see in each, where to stay, eating out and day trips from each. There are plenty of similarities – but also a few differences, which might help you in your choice between the two. I hope you find it helpful.
Where To Stay
The accommodation in Hersonissos and Malia is very similar, with a few luxury (5-star) hotels and many 4* and 3* aparthotels, with basic kitchenettes in each apartment. Here are some of the best in each town:
Hotels In Hersonissos
***** – Creta Maris Resort – luxury resort in prime spot on the coast with private beach, 17 swimming pools
**** – Casa di Veneto – luxury suites in centuries-old building in old Hersonissos village, just over a mile from the beaches of Hersonissos
*** – Eleana Beach Suites – superb suites in the heart of Hersonissos, a few steps from the harbour
Hotels in Malia
***** – Alexander Beach Hotel & Village Resort – one of the best Malia luxury hotels, near the western end of the stretch of Malia beaches, and a fabulous sunset spot
**** – Theo Star Beach Hotel – prime beachfront hotel, very close to the centre of town
*** – Stella Apartments Malia – beautiful apartments in the heart of Malia Old Town
Beaches
This is a close-run thing. Hersonissos has a couple of fantastic beaches – Gefyri Beach and Sarantari Beach – about a mile from the centre of town. The only drawback with several of the Hersonissos beaches is that they are small, narrow and jam-packed with umbrellas. If I was going to lie on the beach for a couple of hours, I’d want a little more space in which to do so!
Some of the Malia beaches are similarly crowded – particularly sections of the main Malia Beach. But walk a few hundred yards in either direction and the beaches start to open out, with more space, including whole swathes of sand without sunbeds and umbrellas. Having some of them on a beach is great – but I think there should also be some space for those who don’t wish to use them. And there’s plenty of this at Malia, particularly at Potamos Beach.
Our Choice: Malia
History
Hersonissos has plenty of pedigree, and was once an important Roman port (known as Chersonesus), and there’s a Roman fountain on the harbour promenade, and ruins of what would have been a prominent church on the headland above the harbour (unfortunately not accessible).
However, Malia edges this category thanks to its UNESCO World Heritage-listed Minoan Palace, one of six palatial sites around the island and one of the most significant Minoan sites in Crete. The site mostly consists of foundations of buildings, and otherwise the most visible remnants are the pithoi, reconstructed terracotta jars used to store olive oil and wine. The size of the complex, together with its setting between the peaks of the Dikti mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea, helps you conjure a mental image of what must have been a hugely impressive site back in the Bronze Age, over 3,500 years ago.
Our Choice: Malia
Other Attractions
Hersonissos has two star attractions – the wonderful homespun Aquaworld Aquarium and Reptile Centre and Lychnostatis Open Air Museum. My son adored Aquaworld, and requested that we return a week after our first visit for his birthday. They rolled out the red carpet for him and he got to feed a blind green sea turtle there. They also encourage kids to handle lizards and snakes, which I think is a good thing. And my son loved this.
Lychnostatis is a brilliant Museum. The complex looks quite small from the outside, but there are so many exhibits and so much information packed in there. It documents life in Crete in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with exhibits ranging from a recreated late 19th-century farmhouse to a 13-step how to guide to washing clothes the old-fashioned way. I was flabbergasted by the latter, which involves a cauldron, olive oil, caustic potash and indigo – it must have been incredibly strenuous for the poor souls (women, sadly, I suspect) who had to do this day in, day out.
Malia doesn’t have anything like this, so Hersonissos wins this category hands down.
Our Choice: Hersonissos
Eating Out
We ate outstandingly well in both Hersonissos and Malia. We self-catered in both towns, but as the studio kitchenettes in many places in Greece offer limited possibilities for cooking, we ended up eating out about half the time.
Hersonissos has a few great seafront restaurants, and a couple of streets back, Valentino’s does some of the best street food we’ve ever had in Greece. It also has a good selection of tavernas and cafes a mile or two up the hill in Old Hersonissos, Piskopiano and Koutouloufari. The three villages aren’t exactly a secret, but are considerably quieter than the town, which is why they are quite popular with older couples and families.
Whenever we ate out in Malia, we didn’t have to venture far, as we were staying in the Malia Old Town. Again, we greatly enjoyed everything we tried, and we loved the atmospheric squares with busy flower-decked restaurants, with hints of slow-cooked lamb, oregano and raki wafting our way when we walked past.
It’s often superbly done, and the San Giorgio Restaurant, with its flowers and tables in a square outside a tiny church of the same name, is the kind of place you’d return to night after night. So is the bougainvillea-decked Odos Taverna, at the northern end of the Old Town. But the best place we ate is the Stone House, a brilliant restaurant just off the main street and across the street from Agios Nektarios, the main church in the town.
Our Choice: Malia
Day Trips
The centres of Malia and Hersonissos are only five miles apart, and the towns practically run into each other, so there really isn’t any difference when it comes to the range of places you can visit on day trips.
Tours in all directions around the island pick up from both Hersonissos and Malia, and the many buses plying the Heraklion-Malia-Agios Nikolaos route (and beyond to Ierapetra and Sitia) also stop in both towns.
Our Choice: a high-scoring draw
Boat Trips
This category is a no-contest – it’s Hersonissos. Malia doesn’t have much of a harbour, whereas Hersonissos has a very busy one, full of boats taking visitors along the Hersonissos and Malia coast, sometimes further.
Our Choice: Hersonissos
Accessibility And Convenience
The one trick that has been missed with buses in Crete is that most of them travel along the same routes, leaving plenty of gaps.
This doesn’t matter too much in Hersonissos. The buses run along the main street, which runs almost parallel to the harbour shoreline, so wherever you alight, you don’t have too far to walk to the beach.
But in Malia it’s almost a mile – around 1.5 km – from the two busiest stops, 32 and 33, to the beaches. This isn’t ideal – particularly if you have to walk down – and then back up – the strip of bars and pubs in the scorching heat of the day. A taxi from the main square, near the bus stops, costs €9-10. Far from ideal. Some sort of shuttle bus – like the free city bus in Agios Nikolaos – would be a good idea, and hopefully something will be done about it one day.
Our Choice: Hersonissos
Hersonissos or Malia – Our Choice
I think I warmed to Malia more than Hersonissos because it has more of an ‘off-ramp’. The crowds and noise from the traffic – and to a lesser extent from the clubs and bars – can get a bit much, especially in the scorching summer heat.
In Malia you’ve got places to escape from it, particularly the Old Town. It’s not necessarily that old – mostly from the 19th century – but some of the streets, and especially some of the restaurants – are beautifully set up. The area has a completely different feel to the strip down to the beach, and the restaurants in the Old Town attract an older clientele and more families.
Hersonissos Or Malia – Final Thoughts
I hope this article has helped you decide between Malia and Hersonissos. Both have their charms – it’s all about what is right for you.
For further I reading, I suggest checking out my articles on the best things to do in Hersonissos and things to do in Malia.
I also suggest reading my articles on the top Hersonissos Beaches and Malia beaches, which goes into a lot of detail on what you can expect.
And if you’re looking to branch out beyond this area elsewhere in Crete, take a look at some of the following articles:
Things To Do In Chania – discover the most beautiful city in Crete, indeed, perhaps, Greece
Chania Or Heraklion – which is the best city in Crete to visit?
Pink Beaches In Crete – the 3 stunning pink sand beaches to visit on Crete
Famous Landmarks In Crete To Visit – from Knossos to its most famous beaches, gorges and more
Kedrodasos Beach – glorious pristine beach and coves in a grove of rare juniper trees
Things To Do In Rethymno – discovering Crete’s enchanting third city
Rethymno Beaches – 20 of the best beaches in Rethymno province in central and western Crete
Bali Crete Beaches – guide to all 5 beaches in this beautiful north coast village
Things To Do In Heraklion – discover the greatly underrated capital of Crete
Visiting Knossos Palace Crete – the foremost ancient Minoan site in the world
Things to Do In Agios Nikolaos – the seaside capital of eastern Crete
Visiting Spinalonga Island Crete – the Venetian fortress that became Greece’s last leper colony
Sissi Crete – one of the prettiest harbour villages in Crete, close to Malia and Hersonissos
Panormos Crete – complete guide to this charming fishing village on Crete’s north coast
Arkadi Monastery Crete – fascinating monastery and church, site of infamous massacre during the Cretan Revolt
Kalypso Beach Crete – a fjord, of all things, in Crete – and one of the best places to swim and snorkel in Greece