Day 1 - 1 Sep 2017
Content: This itinerary is based on my 2017 trip to Crete, Greece. Since it's not always possible to fly directly to the island, you might end up in Athens first. From here you can either fly to Crete or board a ferry. We chose the 2nd option and I recommend you to ride a ferry while in Greece at least once. In my opinion it's part of the greek experience. Depending on when your flight arrives and considering that the ferry leaves late at night you can visit beautiful Acropolis in Athens.
Day 2 - 2 Sep 2017
Content: The ferries to Crete are leaving from the Pireus Port and they are usually sailing at night, so you'll arrive early in the morning on the island. To get to Pireus fron the airport you can use the subway.
Day 2 - 2 Sep 2017
Content: Our accommodation for the first few nights of our Crete vacation was in Palaiochora, so we had to take a bus from Chania to get there. We stayed at Oasis Studios and it was a good value for money, close to the beach and to the town center. We chose Palaiochora because it had a boat shuttle to Elafonisi beach.
Day 3 - 3 Sep 2017
Content: Pachia Ammos is the main beach in Palaiochora: is a long, sandy beach with sunbeds and umbrellas. There's also a beach bar that serves food and cocktails.
Content: During the evening we explored Palaiochora some more: we saw the sunset, then we climbed up to the ruins of an old Venetian fortress and we ended the night at one of the restaurants in town.
Day 4 - 4 Sep 2017
Content: Elafonisi is a beautiful beach and lagoon located in south western Crete. It is often listed as one of the top beaches in Europe and a must-visit. We took a boat from Palaiochora to get here (journey time was around one hour).
Day 5 - 5 Sep 2017
Content: No trip to western Crete is complete without a visit to Chania. Its old Venetian harbor is stunning no matter if you visit it during the day or during the night.
Content: Chania has some unique restaurants. Mesostrato is located inside a ruined building and in my opinion it's very romantic. The food was also good.
Day 6 - 6 Sep 2017
Content: The easiest way to visit Balos lagoon is to go by boat from Kissamos port. To get there you can take a tour or a local bus.
Day 6 - 6 Sep 2017
Content: The boat also makes a stop at Gramvousa. Here you can relax on the beach or climb up to the old forteress for an amazing panorama of Balos.