We travelled to Chania, Greece in July 2022. It was our main destination for our (much delayed due to COVID) month-long honeymoon. We know that you could spend months on the island of Crete and not see everything, so we are aware that 4 days may seem laughable. Research told us that the beaches on Crete were some of the best in the world, so decided Crete would be ideal for the “beach portion” of our honeymoon.
We chose Chania to stay in, so this itinerary will be using Chania as a base. There are two other main cities on Crete that you may be interested in visiting (Rethymno and Heraklion), and many other activities you can partake in (hiking, wineries, history). If those are your focus, this will likely not be the itinerary for you (this is a beach-focused itinerary). We have included a map at the end to help visualize your itinerary.
It will be easiest to get around by car (or scooter) but travelling by public bus is possible as well. We rented a car last-minute, which made it much more expensive (aka book ahead of time!).
If you want to see where we ate while in Chania, check out our Gluten Free Guide.
Here’s what we did during our 4 days (5 nights) in Chania:
Arrival Day: Arrival and exploring.
Day 1: Nea Chora Beach
Day 2: Elafonisi Beach and White Lake Beach
Day 3: Falasarna Beach
Day 4: Old Town
Departure Day: Departure
DETAILS
Arrival Day:
Arrival day! You’ll either arrive via ferry at the port or at the airport in Chania, or the ferry in Heraklion. If you arrive in Heraklion, you’ll want to bus to Chania (about a 3-hour ride). If you’re arriving in Chania, you may have transportation provided by your accommodation, or you may need to find a taxi. We took a taxi to our AirBNB from the airport.
After checking into your accommodations, perhaps find a grocery store for snacks during your stay. Wander around the area of your accommodations and into Old Town if you have the energy. Find dinner in Old Town and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the port.
DAY 1:
Today will be your first beach day on Crete. Stick around town today and enjoy Nea Chora Beach. If you head down the beach past the loungers towards the rocks, you’ll find an empty spot that not many people seem to know about. Watch out for the big waves! Also, do not underestimate the importance of sunscreen. We forgot and were in the water for about 2 hours, and ended up the most burnt either of us have ever been. Fun fact: the Greeks use yogurt to calm a sunburn. We tried it. It’s messy, but it works!
Either before or after your beach time, arrange a rental car for the next two days or book bus tickets to the beaches you’ll be visiting (Elafonissi and Falasarna). Eat dinner at a waterfront seafood restaurant along the Neo Chora boardwalk, where you will find many seafood restaurants and beautiful sunsets!
DAY 2:
Drive the 1.5 hours along the windy, mountainous roads to the famous Elafonisi Beach. Famous for its pink sand, this beach is a popular tourist spot. Bring sunscreen, water, and snacks. You can rent lounge chairs and shade, however if you walk to the far corner (turn left out of the parking lot), you can find a quiet spot where not many people will be. The sand is soft, and the water is very turquoise, clean, and clear. We didn’t spend long here because Suzanne was too sunburnt from the day before (so, so sunburnt…like a lobster).
If you’d like somewhere less crowded, make your way from Elafonissi to White Lake Beach. This is a secluded beach with only about 5 shade coverings and chairs, which you do not have to rent. The water is still warm, though not as welcoming as Elafonissi. When we visited, there were only 3 other groups of people here!
Try dinner in Planatias for tonight, which is an area to the east of Chania that is more populated with hotels and restaurants.
DAY 3:
Today you’ll drive to Falasarna Beach, recommended to us by our AirBNB hosts. It is not as far from Chania as Elafonisi is, and it will appear very crowded when you arrive. This is because it is such a big beach and there are beachfront restaurants and rentals. There are plenty of beach rental options – daybeds, loungers, and shade. We paid 30 Euros for a set of beach loungers that had cushions (there were cheaper ones that didn’t have cushions), and shade for the entire day. Each area of loungers is run by separate groups, many of which provide waiter service to bring you drinks or food if you wish (make sure you tip).
Return your rental car at the end of the day before or after you head for dinner.
DAY 4:
Today you’ll have time to explore Chania’s Old Town and Venetian Port. Wander through the alleys, check out local shops, and enjoy a coffee at the port while people watching. The vibe at night is quite different than during the day. Have dinner in Old Town and watch the sunset. Enjoy your last night in Chania!
*A note that there are many hiking, winery, and historical activities you can do in Chania. We were pretty history-ed out by the time we got to Crete, so we did not visit ruins or museums. If you were hoping to hike, try a winery, or see a museum, you would easily have time today to do so!
Departure Day:
This will be the day you depart Chania. If you’ve chosen to extend your stay on Crete, perhaps you’re relocating to another town, exploring more beaches, hiking the Samaria Gorge, or visiting a winery. A note that there is one very famous beach we did not go to, Balos, because we weren’t allowed to take our rental car there (the road is too rocky) and we were just too sunburnt to spend the 8-9 hour stay if you go by public boat (seriously, wear your sunscreen!).
If you’re leaving Chania, you may be doing so by ferry or by plane (ie. back to the airport). If you’re heading out by ferry, you may need to make your way to Heraklion towards the east side of the island, depending on where you are ferrying to. This is about a 3-hour bus ride from Chania (this is what we did).
We hope you enjoyed our “4 Days in Chania” beach-focused itinerary!
HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the Wanderlog logo in the bottom right corner to open the full-size map up in a new tab. There, you can choose to just look at one day at a time or see all of the days on the map at once (click the 3 squares in the top right to choose). You can also export the map to Google Maps, share the map with others, or save the map.
A little helpful tip: Matt Barrett’s page is an excellent resource to help you plan your trip to Greece!