For couples · Crete · Greece
Romantic things to do in Crete
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
Quick answer
Crete suits couples who like variety: sunset harbours, secluded south-coast villages, wine country and boat days to turquoise lagoons. Couples tend to stay in Chania Old Town.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 5
- Area for couples
- Chania Old Town
- Best months
- May and October
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset at Chania's lighthouse
Walk the breakwater as the harbour lights come on.
2.A night in Loutro
Stay in the car-free village and swim from the rocks after the boats leave.
3.Early boat to Balos
See the lagoon before the crowds arrive.
4.Wine tasting near Archanes
Taste native grapes such as Vidiano and Kotsifali in the hills south of Heraklion.
5.Sunset at Matala
Dinner on the beach as the sun sets behind the cliffs.
Sights couples love
Waterfront · Chania Old Town
Chania Old Town and Venetian Harbour
Walk the breakwater to the lighthouse at sunset for the view back over the harbour and the White Mountains.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Couples
- After dark
- Photo spot
Beach · Plakias
Preveli Beach and palm forest
The path down from the car park is steep and takes about 15 minutes; boats from Plakias or Agia Galini are an alternative in summer.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Free
Beach · Messara plain
Matala
Visit the cliff caves in the morning, then swim and stay for sunset at a taverna by the beach.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Couples
- Views
Neighbourhood · Sfakia
Loutro
Stay a night or two to enjoy the silence after the day-trippers leave.
- Time needed
- Full day or overnight
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
- Nature
Waterfront · Agios Nikolaos and Elounda
Agios Nikolaos and Lake Voulismeni
Climb the steps above the lake for a view over the water and the harbour.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Views
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples, food lovers and culture
Chania Old Town
Chania's old town wraps around a Venetian harbour with a lighthouse and the domed Küçük Hasan mosque, and its Topanas and Splantzia quarters are full of boutique hotels, tavernas and craft shops. It is the best base for western Crete, with buses to Balos, Elafonisi, Falasarna and the Samaria Gorge.
- Good
- Beautiful, walkable old town; Excellent restaurants; Bus links to western beaches and gorges
- Watch out
- No good beach in the old town itself; Busy and pricey in July and August
- Nearby
- Venetian Harbour, Splantzia, Nea Chora beach, Akrotiri
Romantic day trips
- Santorini (About 2 hours each way by high-speed ferry) — Seasonal fast ferries from Heraklion make a long day trip to Santorini's caldera villages possible, with time for Fira and Oia; organised tours handle the transfers on the island.
- Chrissi island (About 1 hour by boat from Ierapetra) — A protected, uninhabited island off the south-east coast with shallow turquoise water, shell-strewn beaches and an ancient juniper forest growing on sand dunes.
- Archanes (About 25 minutes by car from Heraklion) — A restored wine village of neoclassical houses below Mount Giouchtas, with Minoan sites nearby, wineries in the surrounding hills and village tavernas around the square.
- Zakros and the Gorge of the Dead (About 1 hour by car from Sitia) — A walk through a gorge whose cliffs hold Minoan burial caves leads down to Kato Zakros, a Minoan palace site beside a quiet pebble bay with tavernas.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Dakos, Wedding pilaf and Staka with eggs. Dinner starts late in summer; tavernas fill from about 9pm.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Crete romantic?
Crete suits couples who like variety: sunset harbours, secluded south-coast villages, wine country and boat days to turquoise lagoons.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Crete?
Sunset at Chania's lighthouse: Walk the breakwater as the harbour lights come on.
+Where should couples stay in Crete?
Chania Old Town: Venetian harbour, lighthouse and lanes of restored mansions in the west.