From the Palace of Knossos to Balos Beach, and Spinalonga Island to the dramatic White Mountains, welcome to my guide to the best landmarks in Crete to visit.
This article covers the whole island of Crete, and is intended as an overview of some of the best sights you’ll see on the island.
They range from a tiny thousand-year-old Byzantine chapel on a beach where St Paul traditionally landed to some of the most beautiful landscapes on the island.
I hope this article gives you some inspiration.
These are the most visited and famous landmarks on Crete
1. Knossos Palace
The Minoan Palace of Knossos is the most famous of all landmarks in Crete. It’s one of the largest sites discovered from the Minoan civilization, which pre-dated Classical Ancient Greece by an astonishing 1,500 years.
The site – on the southern edge of Crete’s capital, Heraklion – was only discovered in 1878, and excavations began after 1900. British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans led the work, and was responsible for the reconstructed parts of the site. They may not have been very accurate!
The site is well worth the visit. It’s vast, and probably consisted of a palace and temples. The artworks found around the site are amazing. Replicas of some of them, including the famous Blue Ladies – can be seen around Knossos. The originals are held at the superb Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
GOOD TO KNOW: Visit either early or late in the day to avoid the worst of the summer heat – there is very little shade around the site.
See Also: The 15 Best Things To Do In Heraklion and Visiting Knossos Palace Crete
2. Koules Heraklion
Koules is the Turkish name for the Venetian fortress (Rocca al Mare) built to guard Candia (the old name for Heraklion) harbour and the surrounding coast. It was built between 1523 and 1540, and you can still see the Venetian Lion of St Mark above the gateway – albeit worn away by 500 years’ exposure to the elements.
The Koules served as both a fortress and cargo store. It seems bigger on the inside than it does from outside, and it’s now a very evocative, atmospheric exhibition space.
I also recommend climbing the stairs to the roof and wall walks. From the top you have outstanding views of the Venetian Harbour and city of Heraklion, with the ferries and cruise ships coming and going from the nearby port too.
GOOD TO KNOW: Admission is a very reasonable €4 for adults, €2 for children.
TOUR: This full day Heraklion city guided tour includes the Venetian Harbour area, the city’s main market and Knossos
3. Chania Lighthouse
The lighthouse in Chania is the most recognisable symbol of this gorgeous city. It was originally built by the Venetians, lighting the entrance to the harbour and also fortifying it from attack by Ottoman Turks.
The Turks did eventually capture Chania in 1645, probably over a century after it was completed. It eventually fell into ruin, and was rebuilt by Egyptian troops under Ottoman command in 1864.
The lighthouse looks stunning at sunset in summer, when the sun sets behind the Rodopou peninsula to the west.
GOOD TO KNOW: I also recommend walking along the harbour wall to the lighthouse to enjoy the views back over the city. The views are superb all the way along. And one of the best is from the beginning of the walk, looking inland to the Old Town and White Mountains.
Tour: This Old Town Guided Tour With Street Food is a superb way to see Chania.
See Also: Best Things To Do In Chania and Chania Old Town Photo Guide
4. Rethymno Fortezza
The Venetian fortress dominates the Old Town and harbour of Rethymno, Crete’s third largest city. The Castle dominates the horizon and looks especially beautiful during those deep red, lingering sunsets you get in Crete in summer.
It was built during the 16th century by the Venetians, replacing an earlier fort on the headland. It’s a fine landmark, but wasn’t the most formidable of fortresses. It was captured bythe invading Ottoman Turks, who later built the stone domed mosque there.
The Fortezza is now an evocative site, with many foundations of houses destroyed after the Second World War. There is a small exhibition, but the main reason to visit is to walk the ramparts and enjoy the views. Psiloritis, the second-highest mountain in Crete, is to the east, and the sunsets behind the mountains to the west are magnificent. One of the best castles in Crete to visit.
See Also: Things To Do In Rethymno
5. Spinalonga Island
The tiny island of Spinalonga has only become relatively popular over the last 20 years or so, since the publication of Victoria Hislop’s novel The Island. The book revealed the tragic history of the island to a much wider audience: it was the last leper colony in Greece, having served as a place of confinement to sufferers of the disease from 1903 to 1957.
Leprosy patients were banished to the island, and left to fend for themselves. Conditions later improved, when a law student from Athens who had contracted the disease was also sent there. You can walk around the ruined village where these people lived, and the small Museum sheds some light on their appalling suffering and social isolation.
The islet was originally fortified by the occupying Venetians, and their 16th-century bastions are among the best-preserved anywhere in the Mediterranean. The island has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status – if it achieves this, it will be the second site on Crete to do so.
Tours to Spinalonga run from Heraklion and all points east (Including Hersonissos and Malia) to Agios Nikolaos. These include boats from Plaka, Elounda or Agios Nikolaos. Some just take you to the island and back. Others, like this one, also take you for a swim in the gorgeous clear waters off the nearby Kalydon Peninsula, and a barbecue lunch on Kolokitha Beach.
6. Arkadi Monastery
Arkadi Monastery – in the hills near Rethymno – is a place of great significance to Cretans. During the Cretan Revolt of 1866, a garrison of 259 soldiers – together with around 70 women and children – bravely held out against a much larger Ottoman Turkish force. Rather than face capture by the Turks, the rebels and people inside opted to die, which they did after the Abbot ordered the gunpowder store to be blown up.
The main thing to see in the monastery complex is the fine 16th-century church, one of the most impressive churches in Crete.
GOOD TO KNOW: You can reach Arkadi Monastery by bus from Rethymno, otherwise it’s a short drive from the town. Alternatively, several tours run to Arkadi, and also include the nearby pottery village of Margarites and Melidoni Cave. This tour is one of the best, with a visit to a traditional olive oil factory added to the itinerary.
See Also: Arkadi Monastery Crete – The Complete Guide
7. White Mountains
The dramatic White Mountains (Lefka Ora) are the highest in Crete, and one of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe. Approaching them from the coast – on the Agia Roumeli ferry from Paleochora – is an unforgettable experience, with over 2,400 metres of sheer rock soaring out of the sea.
The rugged mountains dominate the southwest corner of Crete. One of the most popular tours in Crete is the day-long Samaria Gorge hike, a 10-mile trek down from Omalos to Agia Roumeli including options from Chania and from Rethymno. The Tripiti and Kavdos gorges are less popular but every bit as spectacular, and only get a fraction of the visitors.
8. Balos Beach
Balos Beach is one of the best beaches in Crete, and one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe.
It’s a stunning lagoon beach in the north-western corner of the island, with mountain peaks on one side and a cape on the other. The beach is a stretch of beautiful golden sand, with crystal-clear turquoise water on one side and clear ankle-deep water on the other, perfect for kids to paddle in.
The beach is one of the best places to visit in Crete, especially if you avoid the summer crowds. A dirt road takes you to a car park high above Balos, but most visitors opt for a cruise to Balos beach from Kissamos via Gramvousa Beach. This tour runs from Chania and the resorts between there and Kissamos, and includes your boat ticket.
GOOD TO KNOW: Gramvousa Beach is pretty special too. You only get around two hours there. My tip is to opt for a rest on the beach or a walk up the hill to the Venetian Castle. the views from the latter are phenomenal.
9. Agios Pavlos Church (Near Agia Roumeli)
This is possibly my personal favourite Crete landmark, and by far the hardest to reach on this list. It takes quite an effort to reach Agios Pavlos, but it is so worth it.
The church is above Agios Pavlos Beach Crete, one of two with the same name on the island. This is a few miles along the coast from Agia Roumeli, the village at the terminus of the Samaria Gorge hike. It’s NOT the one to the east in Rethymno province!
This gorgeous Byzantine church wears its thousand years well. It has endured a millennium of all winds and weathers, and still stands serene above the pebble beach with staggering coastal and mountain views.
The church is usually open, and inside it’s very simple, with the remains of a few very old frescoes. The church and beach are named after St Paul, who was reputed to have landed there on a mission to Crete.
A superb taverna on the beach is open until late October.
Getting there: a 60–90-minute hike along the E4 trail from Agia Roumeli in the direction of Loutro. To reach Agia Roumeli, either catch the ferry from Paleochora or Chora Sfakion.
GOOD TO KNOW: If you’re doing the hike, bring 2-3 litres of water per person. It’s also possible to get someone to drop you at the beach – ask around at the harbour in Agia Roumeli. This would usually be €20 each way.
10. Lassithi Plateau
If you’ve visited Crete before, chances are you’ve eaten produce grown on the Lassithi Plateau. The rich soil of this remarkable landscape high in the mountains gives the world some of the finest Cretan food and, like many places in this part of the world, also has its fair share of legends.
The Plateau is an amazing sight, pancake-flat fields watered by windmills and surrounded by rocky mountain peaks. The water supply tends to come from the winter snows.
And overlooking the Plateau, the Cave of Zeus is where Zeus, the god of the Ancient Greek Gods, was hidden as a baby to protect him from his father, the Titan Kronos.
GOOD TO KNOW: It’s a steep mountain drive to the Lassithi Plateau from the coast. Many opt to visit the Plateau on a tour. This one includes an off-road safari in the mountains. Others like this tour combine the Lassithi Plateau with Knossos Palace in Heraklion.
11. Lake Voulismeni, Agios Nikolaos
Voulismeni Lake is one of the main sights in Agios Nikolaos, the main city in eastern Crete. It’s a small, deep freshwater lake just inland from the harbour, to which it’s connected by a short canal.
One of the best things to do in Agios Nikolaos is eating out in the balmy summer evenings, and there are several restaurants along the shore of the lake.
There is also a small whitewashed chapel built into the cliff face, which serves as a small fishermen’s museum (albeit with irregular opening hours). Take a walk up the steps from there to the top of the cliff, and the best view in Agios Nikolaos. The town looks wonderful – especially at dusk – and Mirabello Bay in the distance.
12. Kamara Sea Arch
This spectacular natural rock arch is hidden away on the North Crete coast 15 km (10 miles) east of Rethymno, between Spilies Beach and Geropotamos Beach.
Both these beaches are fantastic, and the Kamara rock arch is a 10-15 minute walk from either.
You briefly glimpse the Kamara arch as you travel towards Rethymno from Heraklion, but don’t see it from the Spilies side until you’re right on top of it.
There isn’t a well-defined coastal path to the arch, but it’s easy enough to reach. A dirt track runs parallel to the main road. Walk a few hundred metres along this, then turn and walk across the open ground towards the coast. You’ll soon find the arch.
When you’re there you realise that it has its own gorgeous pebble beach. You can reach this by boat or jetski. What a blissful spot.
Landmarks in Crete – Final Thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed my guide to the best landmarks in Crete, and that it has whetted your appetite for further exploration of the island.
Check out my guides to the main cities in Crete, all of which serve as great bases for exploring various parts of the island. My guide to the best things to do in Heraklion, the capital, takes you to Knossos, the outstanding Archaeological Museum and Agios Titos church, but also takes you off the beaten path in search of fantastic Cretan food.
Also take a look at my guide to the best things to do in Chania. I think it’s the most beautiful city in Crete, possibly even the whole of Greece. Also check out my guide to the best day trips from Chania. The city is a great base for exploring the west of the island, especially its three most famous beaches. Balos Beach is wonderful, and there’s the famous pink sand Elafonissi Beach at the southwestern corner of the island. And don’t miss staggering Falassarna Beach if you’re ever in the far west of Crete.
In the east of the island, Agios Nikolaos makes a great jumping-off point. It’s close to Spinalonga, and also the popular coastal village of Elounda, home to many of the best luxury hotels in Crete.
It’s also close to the gorgeous tropical Voulisma Beach, and the mountain village of Kritsa Crete, one of the most beautiful on the island.
David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times. David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.