Things to Do In Hersonissos
It’s best known for its beaches and nightlife, but we were delighted to find other things to do in Hersonissos too. Along with Malia it’s the biggest seaside town in Crete, part of a string of resorts that stretches most of the 20 miles west to the capital, Heraklion. We visited to find out what else there is to see and do, and whether or not it makes a good base for exploring Crete.
We stayed in Hersonissos for over a week, and visited it several times while staying a few miles down the road in Malia. We found a couple of fantastic beaches a short walk from the busy centre of town, an outstanding open-air museum and a lovely aquarium. There are also some pretty hillside villages where you could head for a quiet afternoon at one of the many tavernas. It’s also ideally placed for exploring the north coast of Crete, including Heraklion, and the mountainous hinterland just to the south.
In this guide I’ll show you the best of Hersonissos’ beaches and the other sights in and around the town. I’ll show you places you can visit from Hersonissos, either under your own steam or on a tour, and suggest some of the best places to stay in Hersonissos. I hope you find it helpful.
Hotels In Hersonissos
***** – Creta Maris Resort – 5-star luxury on the most scenic stretch of the town’s coastline, plus 17 swimming pools – accommodation includes rooms, suites, beachside bungalows and more
***** – Abaton Island Resort & Spa – high-end luxury resort at the eastern end of Hersonissos, close to the Lychnostatis Museum, and two miles (3 km) from the town centre
**** – Glaros Beach Hotel – great location on the seafront promenade, close to beaches, restaurants, harbour and town centre
*** – Sea Breeze Hotel – highly-rated seafront hotel, harbour views, close to the main street and bus stops
Hersonissos Beaches
The Hersonissos beaches are the reason the town became so popular from the 1970s onwards. Many of them are small and narrow, certainly compared to some of the beaches a few miles away around Malia. But their proximity to the restaurants, bars and clubs of the town means they are always likely to be busy in season.
The best two beaches – Sarantari and Gefyri – in Hersonissos are just north of the town, and I cover these in more detail later in the article. Of the others, my favourite is Chrysi Ammos (Golden Sands or Golden Beach) just to the east of the Star Beach resort. It’s more spacious than the likes of Hersonissos Beach, which is crammed with umbrellas and sunbeds in much the same way a tin can is packed with sardines.
Star Beach
Star Beach Village and Water Park is one of the main Hersonissos attractions. It’s the largest hotel complex in the town, with several swimming pools, water slides, a bungee jump and a few very pleasant sandy coves.
It’s open to visitors as well as hotel guests, and is an ideal way to spend a hot afternoon in the sun. It’s just over a mile from the centre of town and the harbour. If it sounds like the kind of place where you’d like to stay, you can book your Star Beach rooms here.
Sarantari and Gefyri Beaches
The two best beaches in Hersonissos are about a mile to the north of the town. The first of these is Gefyri Beach, a series of picturesque tiny coves and one longer beach a short walk beyond the Hersonissos Maris Hotel. It’s very different in character to the beaches around the centre of Hersonissos, with the colourful strata of rocks in the cliffs very easy on the eye.
Sarantari Beach is a five-minute walk north of Gefyri, and it’s another beauty. Like Gefyri, it faces east and is sheltered from the northern meltemi wind that roughens up the sea along the northern Crete coast. It’s a narrow sandy beach with pebbles, backed with 10-metre-high cliffs, with a single row of umbrellas and sunbeds for hire. It’s much quieter than the beaches in the town, and by early evening is in the shade if you need somewhere to cool down a little.
Many cruise boats stop in the area for the scenery – the best in the area – and swimming breaks. I’ve included more information on some of these excursions later in the article.
Aquaworld Aquarium and Reptile Rescue Centre
This wonderful aquarium in Hersonissos captured our hearts, so much so that Our Little Man asked us to take him back there for his birthday a week later.
It’s part aquarium, part reptile rescue centre. Our Little Man, who is considering a career as a vet or zoologist, loves to be hands-on with animals, so this is the perfect place for him. He was able to pick up and hold several lizards, but wasn’t too sure about a large non-venomous snake (I stepped in for that one, an amazing creature indeed).
As it was his birthday, he also got to hand-feed a beautiful blind green sea turtle who had been rescued some years before. The whole place has a wonderful homely, homespun vibe, and our son far and away preferred it to the larger CretAquarium. The owner, John McLaren, is a lovely chap, and we had a great chat with him.
Lychnostatis Open Air Museum
Lychnostatis Open Air Museum is close to the eastern town boundary of Hersonissos. This small complex is one of the best museums in Crete, a series of recreated buildings and rooms documenting rural life in Crete in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
I’ve always been a big fan of this type of Museum, and it’s also one of the best of its kind anywhere in Europe. It is superbly curated and designed, particularly the storerooms with their shelves stacked with dried plants and herbs. Someone deserves an award for this work.
Start in the gardens with displays of plants, trees and grapes grown in Crete, and there are some fascinating outbuildings like the drystone mitato (shepherd’s hut) and the whitewashed chapel by the seashore.
The rooms inside the main building range from a middle-class Heraklion family’s bedroom to a beautifully arranged farmhouse, and there’s also a small exhibit on the 19th-century Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule.
Its opening times are a little unusual. It’s open from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm Sundays to Fridays. It’s closed on Saturdays.
You can book your Lychnostatis Museum tickets here.
Hersonissos Boat Trips
If you’re staying in this part of Crete, bear in mind that if you’d like to go on some boat trips, they run from Hersonissos rather than Malia, which doesn’t have much of a harbour. These boat trips from Hersonissos all stay fairly locally, either in St George’s Bay or a few miles east off the coast of Stalis and Malia. And some of them include the opportunity for some swimming in that gorgeous clear seawater:
Hersonissos Boat Cruise with Swim Stops and Lunch – swimming off the coast at Stalis and Malia
Hersonissos Half-Day Pirate Cruise – a trip on a pirate boat along the Hersonissos and Malia coast with swimming, snorkelling and a meal on board the ship
Hersonissos Jet Boat With Snorkelling – for those in search of an adrenaline rush with some high-speed turns and also swimming and snorkelling time
Sunset Catamaran Cruise from Hersonissos – with wine, sushi and swimming stops too
The Hersonissos Villages – Old Hersonissos, Piskopiano and Koutouloufari
In a busy resort like Hersonissos you need some quiet corners to relax and rest up for a while, and the three hillside villages above the town offer exactly this.
The three villages – Old Hersonissos, Piskopiano and Koutouloufari – run into each other, and all offer the same thing – some pretty street corners, plenty of tavernas serving good food, wine and beer, a great spot for a long lazy lunch and afternoon, or an evening out.
You could easily walk through all three villages in a few hours, and other than a few picturesque scenes the best place to visit there is the small Rural Life Museum in Piskopiano.
Where To Stay – Casa di Veneto – suites in restored centuries-old house in Old Hersonissos
Eating Out
There are hundreds of restaurants in Hersonissos, catering to a great many tastes. We tended to stick to Greek food, but there are plenty of other options. Our Dutch friends at our hotel were overjoyed to find the Friet van Piet café around the corner from our hotel, and a few other cater to northern European tastes.
The Hersonissos seafront is lined with restaurants, and there are some great views from some of them. The best of the ones we tried are Akrogiali, about five minutes’ walk east of the main Hersonissos beach, and I Avli tis Pareas, just off the seafront on Filonidou Zotou.
An honourable mention also goes to Valentino Grill House on Dimokratias, where we ate a few times, and the food was impeccable every time.
Hersonissos Nightlife
The nightlife in hedonistic Hersonissos is pretty similar to what you’d find in Malia – a little rowdy and raucous at times, with a bit of nighttime noise around the centre of town. Visitors to Hersonissos come (broadly speaking) from two groups – the 18-30 age bracket, and families with kids.
There are hundreds of bars around the town, and also evening cruises from the harbour around St George’s Bay. We stayed close to the centre of town and experienced little noise disruption. A lot of the younger groups we met were Dutch, German or Brits, all very affable and friendly when they finally emerge for the pool some time after lunchtime!
Places To Visit Near Hersonissos
Malia
Malia is quite different to Hersonissos. It feels more spacious, less hemmed in and confined than its neighbour, which is why we opted to spend longer there as our base for exploring the north coast of Crete.
It attracts similar visitors to Hersonissos, by and large – a mixture of the younger 18-30 party crowd and families with children.
But Malia has a bit more going for it beyond the parties and nightlife. There is more space on its best beaches, especially at Potamos Beach at the eastern end of the town. Malia Old Town is a lovely place to spend an evening and eat out, with similar tavernas and restaurants to the Hersonissos villages, just more picturesque, with flower-decked cafes and squares.
And it’s got another ace up its sleeve in one of the top Minoan sites in Crete. The Malia Minoan Palace, close to Potamos Beach, is one of the most important centres of the Bronze Age civilisation that dominated Crete for around 2,000 years. Much of what you see consists of excavated foundations of buildings, with a few reassembled pithoi, large storage jars used to keep olive oil and wine.
Stalis Beach
Stalis Beach – also known as Stalida – is at the west end of Malia, just down the hill from the eastern boundary of Hersonissos. It’s a family-friendly resort where the party crowd tend not to venture, and its beach is also perfect for families, with a shelf of sand just below beach level giving kids plenty of shallow water in which they can paddle.
Malia and Hersonissos can be quite pricey, but it’s noticeable that Stalis Beach isn’t quite in the same bracket, with a sunbed and umbrella combo often costing 4 less than on the main resort beaches.
Lassithi Plateau
The Lassithi Plateau is hidden high in the mountains to the south of Hersonissos and Malia. This unusually fertile landscape is surrounded by mountain peaks, and they and the plateau often remain snowbound for long periods during the winter. The meltwater from the snowfall keeps the soils fertile and irrigated over the dry summers, and yields some of the best produce in Greece.
At the southern end of the Lassithi Plateau, above the hamlet of Psichro, the cave of Diktaion Andron is the legendary birthplace of the most powerful of Greek gods, Zeus. It’s a popular tour destination, and this Lassithi and Zeus’ Cave tour offers one of the best itineraries, also visiting the Vidiani Monastery, an olive mill and the beautiful village of Krasi.
Some tour companies offer different combinations, including this Lassithi, Cretan villages and Knossos tour.
Water City, Dinosauria Park and CretAquarium
Three of the most popular Crete family attractions are within a short bus ride or drive from Hersonissos, and there’s enough there to spend a full two days.
My son and I spent a day visiting Dinosauria Park, which is on the main Hersonissos to Heraklion bus route. He’s a bit of a dinosaur expert, and was very impressed by the collection of figures around the site.
We also visited CretAquarium, the excellent aquarium showcasing the marine life of Crete. It’s a 15-minute walk from the main road, and close to Gournes beach. It’s beautifully done, right down to the ethereal ambient music played throughout your visit. It’s a great way to spend an hour or two of your time, particularly if your kids love nature and animals. You can also pre-book your CretAquarium tickets here.
Water City is another great place for the family, especially if you can’t get enough of water slides. You can slide down them as many times as you want, and there’s also a lazy river section if you’d prefer to take things at a little more relaxed pace! You can also book your Water City day passes here.
Heraklion
Many visitors don’t tend to spend more than one day in Heraklion, perhaps dipping in and out of the city visiting Knossos Palace and perhaps Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The Cretan capital isn’t the most attractive city (Chania is much more so), but it’s a fascinating place, with layers of Bronze Age, medieval Venetian and Ottoman history to uncover. Not to mention some superb food.
The Minoan palace of Knossos is the obvious starting point, a complex dating back around 4,000 years that likely included a palace but also living quarters and large storage areas. A few parts have been partially reconstructed – though reimagined may perhaps be a more accurate word – by British archaeologist Arthur Evans. He did have something to go on – the many extraordinary artworks, from frescoes to figurines of snake goddesses – to go on. You see replicas of the frescoes around the Knossos site, and the originals can be seen in the Archaeological Museum.
The Old Town of Heraklion also rewards you, especially if you explore the narrow back streets, where you’ll find some beautiful Venetian fountains (especially the Morosini and Bembo). There are also some intriguing churches, including the exotic Agios Titos, which once served as a mosque.
Heraklion is also one of the best places to shop for Crete souvenirs, with some excellent shops on the 25 Agostos street leading down to the Venetian harbour and the Koules, one of the best-preserved Venetian castles in Crete.
Tours: I recommend this Knossos tour which also includes the superb Archaeological Museum and over two hours exploring Heraklion Old Town.
Agios Nikolaos
Agios Nikolaos is capital of the eastern province of Lassithi, a small city in a stunning setting on hills overlooking Mirabello Bay and the mountains to the east. There are several lovely Agios Nikolaos beaches strung out along the inlets of the coastline, and the best of these is Almiros beach, a mile or so to the south of the city, next to the gorgeous estuary of a stream.
There are enough things to do in Agios Nikolaos to make a day of it. Kitroplatia beach is another great spot, in city centre next to several tavernas. Part of the city is clustered around nearby freshwater Lake Voulismeni, an especially pretty spot at dusk when the street lights illuminate the scene.
Agios Nikolaos also makes a useful jumping-off point for further exploration of eastern Crete, with bus connections to Elounda, Kritsa, Voulisma Beach, Sitia and Ierapetra.
Spinalonga
Spinalonga is a tiny island off the eastern coast of Crete, a few miles north of Elounda and Agios Nikolaos. It was one of the Venetians’ main castles in Crete, built to protect lucrative salt works in the bay behind it from Ottoman Turkish raids. And centuries later it was used to confine sufferers of leprosy – which continued until 1958.
It’s one of the most popular day trips from Heraklion, Hersonissos and Malia, and is usually part of a full-day combination trip. This Spinalonga and Agios Nikolaos tour also includes time in Elounda and a swimming break off the peninsula just south of Spinalonga.
This Spinalonga and swim tour is slightly different, with a stop-off at Kolokitha beach for swimming and a barbecue lunch on the beach.
Things To Do In Hersonissos – Final Thoughts
I hope you have found this Hersonissos guide useful. If you’re looking to explore the north Crete coast, dipping in and out of places like Heraklion with a tour or two along the way, it makes a very good base. And in Sarantari and Gefyri, it has two fantastic beaches right on its doorstep.
We have spent over eight months in Crete, and written many articles on the island. Here is a selection for you to peruse:
Things To Do In Chania – discover the most beautiful city in Crete, indeed, perhaps, Greece
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
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