Explore holidays in Chania & West Crete
The soaring White Mountains, known in Greek as the Lefka Ori, are at the heart of West Crete’s dramatically beautiful landscape and the villages in their foothills offer traditional Cretan fare in glorious abundance – that’s if Chania’s twinkling harbour lights and waterfront dining don’t entice you first. Spring brings an abundance of flowers, turning hiking trails and gorges into welcome destinations for walkers, and in summer, the many beaches offer sun worshippers a choice of scenic locations to spread their towels.
Visit our collection of handpicked villas, Simpson Hotels and boutique hotels in Chania and West Crete to complete your luxury holiday in West Crete.
Explore our pre-bookable experiences in Crete
A selection of our holidays in Chania & West Crete
* Prices include seven nights’ accommodation, flights and transfers/car hire, based on the lowest rate for maximum occupancy.
Our guide to Chania & West Crete
Overview
Introduction to Chania & West Crete
Ancient cities and villages
A walk through Chania, the former island capital, is to experience a city much as it was in the 14th century, when the Venetians created it – and the locals remain fiercely proud of their home. It possesses what is quite possibly Europe’s most scenic harbour and a crumbling fortress best admired at night, when it provides the perfect scenic accompaniment to dinner on the waterfront.
Plenty more architectural treasures await your discovery outside the city too. In this, the greenest part of the island, Minoan and Ottoman Turkish treasures are secreted away in sleepy little villages, where shepherds herd their sheep along crooked lanes and goats amble between olive groves.
Exotic or traditional – pick your perfect beach
For those seeking their own slice of turquoise paradise – from the wild and rugged to the pretty and peaceful – look no further than the west coast’s beaches. The most popular bays are often the longest, widest stretches of sand so, even in the height of blazing August, there’s more than enough room to luxuriate on your beach towel in a setting that lives up to all the postcards. One of the most exotic is the offshore bay of Elafonissi, whose blend of pure white sand and pink coral shingle makes it something of a pilgrimage for seaside lovers.
Gorge on spectacular scenery
Western Crete is home to some of the Mediterranean’s most magnificent gorges – towering granite cliff faces, limestone peaks and dizzyingly deep crevices that provide an exhilarating experience (and some remarkable photo opportunities) for the ambitious hiker. The Samaria Gorge is the longest and best known; but others include Lissos, Topolia, Asfendou, Kambos, Sirikari and Sassalos.
However, if flip-flops are your holiday footwear of choice, a coastal drive is a wonderful way to take in the region’s kaleidoscopic beauty, with its ever-changing valleys, coastline and the majestic White Mountains, snow-capped in spring, and tinged pink at dawn – a magnificent reward for the early riser.
Nature’s grand paradise
From the heart of West Crete soar the dramatically beautiful White Mountains, so called for their snowcaps in spring and appearance of snow in summer when the sun reflects off their limestone summits. Surrounded by oak and cypress woods and steeped in myth and legend, they provided retreat for Cretan resistance fighters during the German occupation of WW2.
Just as impressive on a smaller scale are the olive trees in Kavoussi and Ano Vouves, near Chania. The world’s oldest, these 3,000-year-old wonders were used to make the crowns worn by 2004’s Olympic champions in Athens.
Turning spring into a celebration
As Cretan springtime explodes into an abundance of wild flowers and migrating flocks of birds make their annual appearance along the south coast, preparations are already underway for highlight of the island’s festival calendar – Greek Easter, a moving spectacle celebrated with just as much gusto here as anywhere in Greece.
However, the village of Vamos, nestled at the foot of the White Mountains, offers front row seats to the welcoming – and often highly competitive – festivities. You might see children building bonfires and mothers and grandmothers dying eggs a distinctive blood red. Though church services are packed out, holidaymakers are always welcome.
