Honeymoon in Crete - Chania or Heraklion Airport?

by RJ
(Washington DC)

We have heard so much about Crete that we want to spend 3 nights in Crete arriving on Sep 17th and departing Sep 20th morning to Athens.

I have read about Crete and after so much reading and trying to figure out which place to select, I am asking for suggestions to help me.

I read that since Crete is so large it is better to divide the vacation to see:

1) Which airport would be the best?

2) Where to stay if most of our vacation plan is to do sightseeing and traveling to the beach?

3) Where to stay so we can explore the best beaches in the island?

Three Special Honeymoon Days in Crete

Hi RJ,

Yes, it is a wonderful large island, therefore, for your three day visit, you will need to choose carefully which part of Crete to focus on. I am sure you have a wonderful honeymoon planned and we are happy to offer a few suggestions here.

The two international airports are Chania and Heraklion. Both will accept flights from Athens, I am guessing you can use either one on your ticket. The choice will coincide with your activities. The beaches in both areas are beautiful.

As you have mentioned no other specific interests, we must make recommendations for both regions and leave you to decide, keeping in mind your wishes for beach visits. We are not sure what style of accommodation you would prefer, therefore we have made various suggestions below.

Here are three options for you to consider...

Option One - if you are young and active and like trekking, you will choose the Chania region which has a beautiful historic township on the Mediterranean, lots of lovely beaches, and the long and stunning Samaria Gorge walk, which is a full day’s tour, taking up one of your precious days, but well worth the effort. In this case you could take a day tour from Chania, picked up and dropped off at your hotel in Chania. In Chania we suggest you take accommodation in the old zone – to make the most of the atmosphere there, we suggest Casa Delfino (luxury), or Mama Nena Charming Hotel, Madonna Studios or Casa Leone, these are all affordable options.

Option Two - if your interests lie more in culture and history, you will choose the Heraklion region, which is home to the famous Palace of Knossos – ancient home to the Minoans – just 5 km from Heraklion town, which is the location of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, holding one of the most fascinating collections of antiquities in the whole of Greece. On this trip you could combine these historical sights with beaches, we suggest Agia Pelagia Beach which is close enough to these destinations to be very comfortable as well as provide wonderful clear turquoise waters and cafe bars and restaurants by the water. Here we suggest your beautiful honeymoon accommodation would be ‘Out of the Blue’ resort, where you will be very well looked after with a honeymoon you will never forget. A more affordable option in Agia Pelagia is the Aquarius Exclusive Apartments.

Option Three - to combine the above, you could choose an accommodation place in the middle of the two regions, enjoy a day tour to each destination, and explore the historic town of Rethymnon instead of Chania. In this way, the distance to the airport would not be an issue and either one would be convenient. Our suggestion of luxury honeymoon accommodation to achieve this is the Grecotel Creta Palace . In this case, your itinerary would be Day One – Samaria Gorge Walk Day Tour – Day Two – rest and explore Rethymnon Town and Beaches – Day Three – Knossos Palace Day Tour.

Information pages are below, to help with your decision.

Which Airport to Choose in Crete

Chania Region

Chania Town

Samaria Gorge

Heraklion Region

Heraklion Town

Knossos Palace

Agia Pelagia

Rethymon Town

Casa Delfino – Chania

Out of the Blue – Agia Pelagia

Grecotel Creta Palace - Rethymnon

We trust that your three days in Crete for your honeymoon will be special indeed.

Bon Voyage! Kalo Taxidi!