Crete Itinerary: How to Spend 2 Days In Hersonissos!

A relaxing Crete itinerary in the Hersonissos area! Crete is the largest Greek island and there are a MILLION ways to spend 2 days there.

For background, we spent one week in Greece visiting Athens, Santorini and Crete. It felt like the perfect mix of history, beauty and relaxing for our first time in the incredible country!

Athens is great for the history and Santorini is great for the incredible views, but spending 2/3 of your week in those places requires a lot of walking! It was great to end our week in Crete where we could slow down a little, enjoy some beach time and get a little more small town Greece vibes.

Here is why Hersonissos is good for 2 days in Crete, what you should do with your two days, how to get around the area and more!

An important fact to know is that Crete is giant (compared to the other Greek islands). You can EASILY spend a fantastic week or two in Crete and not see everything it has to offer.

So, if you are combining Crete with other islands and only have a few days (we had a little over two days after spending one day getting from Santorini to Crete) then you need to pick somewhere in Crete that is easy to get to, easy to get around to maximize your time and know that you won’t be able to see and do everything.

Chania and the west side of Crete is definitely the most popular area to stay in Crete (and for good reason!). However, I think that area of Crete REALLY needs more than 2 days.

With 2 days in Crete, a good option is to stay in the Hersonissos area.

Hersonissos is located only about 30 minutes from the main port of Heraklion, which makes it super accessible in a short amount of time. It also has a mix of traditional villages, beaches, shopping and nightlife.

Technically the Hersonissos area has two areas: the old town Hersonissos and what is considered Limenas Chersonissou, which is on the coast.

Old Town Hersonissos is one of the oldest villages on Crete and home to more traditional architecture, old taverns and a quieter atmosphere.

Limenas Cheronissou on the coast has more of a beach vibe with several beach bars, shopping and the Port of Hersonissos.

Additionally, there are several other charming places within a a 7-15 minute drive from Hersonissos. You can find a couple of traditional Cretan villages, Piskopiano and Koutouloufari, and several coastal town options as well such as Stalida, Analipsi, and Anissaras.

With only 2 days in Crete, you won’t be able to see all of the towns near Hersonissos, so you’ll have to pick a couple that will suit you best.

Day 1: Explore Hersonissos old town and Limenas Chersonissou

Day 2: Explore another beachside town; I recommend Stalida and the beach near it

Where we Stayed & Why

Again, we were visiting Greece for the first time and opted to visit Athens and Santorini and then found a good deal on a 5 star resort found on Crete, so decided to spend our last couple of days relaxing on the slower-paced island of Crete.

Village Heights Resort is a 5 star resort located southwest of old town Hersonissos. Though, I’ll admit, we don’t stay in 5 star resorts a lot, we found a good deal at this one that included breakfast and dinner. This hotel has a pool, entertainment and a free shuttle to nearby Limenas Chersonissou as well as Stalida Beach.

So, we took advantage of the resort entertainment as well as the free rides to the Crete coast!

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Village Heights Resort is located near Hersonissos and is a BEAUTIFUL resort with lots of entertainment and free transportation to nearby beaches.

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Morning: Old Town Hersonissos

Start your day exploring old town Hersonissos. If you are styaing in Limenas Chersonissou, you can get to the old town via bus easily.

The old town of Hersonissos is drastically different from the coastal part.

It is full of traditional Cretan architecture and streets and though it is known for its traditional taverns, they are quieter establishments.

Most of the highlights in old town can be found within walking distance of the main square. The square is full of cute shops and many restaurants and, of course, taverns, so I recommend having lunch in the old town!

The old town of Hersonissos is quaint and easily exploring in just a couple of hours.

Don’t miss the the church located toward the end of the main square before heading out!

Afternoon: Limenas Chersonissou

Following lunch, take the bus (or drive if you prefer!) to the coast to Limenas Chersonissou, which is only about a 10 minute drive.

Limenas Chersonissou is honestly known for its vivid nightlife, so you’ll see many beach bars and clubs along the promenade. However, during the day (especially when we visited in May) it was quite relaxed and quiet.

This town is also rather quaint and has a couple of streets that follow along the entirety of the area.

Along the oceanfront street to you can find many restaurants and bars with great views and then a street over you will find several shops. So don’t worry about getting lost and take your time exploring the coastal part of Hersonissos!

Continue down the oceanfront walk toward the Port of Hersonissos, which is a highlight of Limenas Chersonissou (and probably what you’ve seen the most photos of.)

I really loved the architecture around the port and if you walk to the far side of the jetty you can get a great view of Limenas Chersonissou and the Crete mountains behind it!

Many of the beaches in this area are pebbly which really keeps the water clear and blue!

Evening: Sunset Sail

End your day on the waters! Hersonissos may not have the best beaches of Crete, but it certainly has INCREDIBLY blue and clear waters. These are most prominent from a boat and along the shores that are less inhabited.

So the best way to see the best of the Hersonissos waters is on a catamaran or boat!

Sail on a catamaran with DanEri Yachts, a highly-rated company that sails right out of the Port of Hersonissos (where you will already be!).

This tour includes unlimited white wine and beer and provides snorkeling equipment and plenty of entertainment! It is about 3.5 hours and gives you a good amount of daylight hours and then ends with a sunset sail back to the port.

Spend your second day exploring a different oceanfront town. As I mentioned, there are several that are within a short drive of both old town Hersonissos and Limenas Chersonissou.

We opted to go to Stalida (often called Stalis) because it has a great stretch of beaches and we had free access to beach chairs at the Beachcomber in Stalida.

Morning: Explore Stalida

Before it gets too warm, spend the morning exploring the town of Stalida. Again, Stalida is quite quaint and has a main street that can take you from one end to the other.

A great way to see the promenade efficiently is to rent a bike at Sakis!

The main street is lined with shops, restaurants and bars, many of which have great views of the ocean.

There are a couple of cute, small churches on the coast but they are about a 50 minute walk from each other. With the bike, you can visit both of them and see more than just the central area of Stalida!

Afternoon: Enjoy the Beachcomber

After getting some walking (and/or biking!) in, spend the afternoon at Beachcomber (or whichever beach bar you choose).

Beachcomber is located on the east side of downtown Stalida and has everything you need to spend hours relaxing and enjoying the beach.

Beachcomber is both a restaurant and bar and also has private chairs on the beach for rent (free if you are staying at Village Heights Resort.)

If you aren’t up for only lounging, you can also find water sports nearby. Skyride Watersports is located JUST west of Beachcomber. It offers jet skis, paddle boards, parasailing and more!

Alternative Beach Day Towns

As I mentioned, there are several beach town options, with Analipsi and Anissaras being two of the closer ones.

Anissaras– Located just northwest of Hersonissos with several beaches located close by due to its proximity to the corner of the north and east coast

Analipsi– Another town with a traditional village and sandy beach just north of it. Located west of Anissaras (and doesn’t have quite as pretty beaches)

If you have an extra day in Crete, I suggest getting out of the Hersonissos area for a more unique experience.

Near Heraklion you can find one of the most popular historical sites on Crete, the Palace of Knossos. This is an archeological site of one of the main palaces of the Minoan civilization. There are several bulls depicted in the castle, so some say there is a connection to the Greek Minotaur.

With Hersonissos’ proximity to Heraklion, you can easily take a day trip from the Hersonissos area. However, it doesn’t take a long time to see the Knossos Palace, so if you want to fill your day, you should consider combining the palace with other sites that are close to Heraklion.

Crete is also well known for its wine and olive oil production. A perfect way to maximize your day and to get to see a little more of the island of Crete outside of the beach is to take a guided tour to Knossos, a winery and an olive farm!

If you’ve seen the photos of the beautiful white and pink sand beaches of Crete, they are not here. Both Balos Beach (white sand lagoon) and Elafonissi Beach (pink sand) are located on the FAR WEST side of Crete.

The beaches in the Hersonissos area are going to be either pebbles or, if sandy, will be brown. And though the water can still be super clear (especially on the pebbly beaches near Port of Hersonissos), the beaches with brown sand just don’t make for super bright blue waters.