Hersonissos
Hersonissos town
Hersonissos is one of the most popular tourist resorts in Crete, just 28km east of Heraklion. Here anyone can enjoy the beaches and the water parks, drink their coffee at the beach, visit the archeological sites of the area, take a walk in the traditional villages of Ano Hersonissos, Piskopiano and Koutouloufari and much more. Hersonissos in the summer is buzzing with youth that comes from all over Europe to enjoy the summer. Many years ago, Hersonissos was a small port, serving only the needs of local fishermen. Over the years the port grew and the village became a small town, living mainly from tourism. To the east of Limanakia there is Kastri hill, west of which the main town actually begins.
On the hill, ruins of an early Christian Basilica with several mosaic floors have been found. Just to the east, there is the picturesque Church of Agia Paraskevi, part of which is built into the rock. The Church overlooks the entire port of Hersonissos with the beautiful lighthouse, which is right next door. Boats depart from the port for excursions to Dia islet, but also to the surrounding areas. At the port also starts the coastal road of the town with its many shops and the beach of Hersonissos below. Here you will see thousands of tourists reveling in the evenings until the morning. If you leave the beach and go a little further, you will come across many alleys with shops and after a while you will find yourself on the main road of Hersonissos. If instead you head east, along the coastal road, you will find yourself in the bustling beaches of Eastern Hersonissos and the large hotels of the area. As you move further east, the buildings thin out and the beaches become calmer. There, before Cape Drapano, you will find the traditional Folklore Museum of Lychnostati.
Sarantari beach
Hersonissos coves are located 26km east of Heraklion and are continuous bays that start from Akrotiri of Sarandari and continue east to the port of Hersonissos. They are truly wonderful beaches with calm waters, as the Sarantari cape protects them from the waves. Access to all of them is easy and the surrounding area is developed for tourism. At the westernmost coast you will encounter that Limanakia is actually not a beach, but a large smooth rock (dock) where you can dive. It is located right on the western rocky coast of Sarandari. Right next to it under the vertical limestone rocks, at the base of the Sarandari Peninsula, a beautiful sandy beach with blue and green waters and in the clay soil a cave is formed. This is also our favorite beach in the area of Hersonissos.
Right next to it is the beautiful beach of Sarandari, as the locals know it. A small path that starts from the main road leads to the beach. There are umbrellas and sunbeds on the beach, while a small canteen also operates. Immediately next to Sarantari and next to the coastal road, there is the organized beach of Giofiri which you will recognize by the high wall that is directly above it. The beach has white coarse sand, it has deeper waters and the bottom has several smooth stones. Here you will find a lot of people, locals and foreigners. The beach offers umbrellas and sunbeds, while you can also do some water sports. From Giofiri and further east, along the coastal road there are very small and narrow coves where the coarse sand combines with the white rocks, giving the sea wonderful blue and green colors.
Analipsi village
The village of Analipsi is located 22 km east of Heraklion and 2 Km away from Intercars car rental's main office. It took its name from the homonymous church of the Ascension of Christ. Located in a fertile valley with vegetable and olive groves, Analipsi is less developed for tourism than the surrounding areas and is a favorite destination mainly for families, as the holidays here are calmer and of higher quality. In front of the village there is a small jetty with a very picturesque church dedicated to Agia Marina. West of the Church, the coast is rocky, apart from a small harbor with sand, while further east is the large beach of Analipsi, which is a long sandy beach, very well organized and open to the north. In the afternoon you can walk through the traditional narrow streets of the old village, with the wonderful gardens and the traditional cobbled square. You can also visit the large church of Analipsi, which is four-aisled and is dedicated to the Entry of the Virgin, the Ascension of Christ, the Holy Cross and Saint Euphrosyne. The main street of the village runs perpendicular to the beach and is full of cafes and shops.
Stalida village
Stalida is located about 30 km east of Heraklion, between Malia and Hersonissos. From a small settlement that served the inhabitants of Mochos until the middle of the 20th century, Stalida today is a popular tourist resort, which has developed so much that it now forms a single residential complex with Malia. The heart of Stalida beats on its coastal road, 5 km long, where most of the area's shops are gathered. A stroll along the promenade in the afternoon is a must. Next to the coastal road stretches the long coastline of Stalida, which stretches to the east and gives way to the beach of Malia. The sandy beaches of Stalida are very well organized, with enough crowding, but, due to the northern orientation, they usually have a wave. In its western part there is also one of the few native colonies of the Cretan palm of northern Heraklion.
Kato Gouves village and beach
Kato Gouves is a tourist resort located 20 km east of Heraklion, north of the small mountain Ederi. Gouves is ideal for quieter family holidays next to all the necessary infrastructure. The beaches of Gouves are well organized with umbrellas, sunbeds, lifeguards, diving centers, water sports, restaurants and bars. They also have fine sand and shallow waters, but are open to the north. For this reason, small harbors and marinas have been built in many places, where you can swim when the waves are strong. The coastal road of Gouves runs parallel to the coast, which makes finding the beach that suits you very easy!
Kokkini Hani beach
Kokkini Hani is located 17 km east of Heraklion, east of Vathianos Kampos and west of Gournes villages. The area is very developed for tourism, while at the same time in the surrounding fertile plain there are many horticultural crops. In the area there are many beaches, which are protected by small artificial breakwaters. The beaches are sandy and have shallow waters. Most are located in front of the big hotels, but access is possible for everyone. The area is full of shops and restaurants, while all the beaches are well organized with umbrellas, lifeguards, water sports and all the tourist infrastructure.
Vathianos Kampos beach
Vathianos Kampos is a tourist resort located 16 km east of Heraklion. It is so named as it is located in the vicinity of Ano Vathia and Kato Vathia villages, which are located a few kilometers to the south. In Vathianos Kampos there is perhaps the most organized beach of Heraklion, Arina, in the Estavromenos area. East of Arina is Kokkevis beach and from there start the small bays of Vathianos Kampos, which are not visible from the main road since there are large hotels in between. These bays are protected by small breakwaters built to break the wave. Few locals know about these small beaches, which continue in Kokkini Hani.
Gournes Village
Gournes resort is located 18 km east of Heraklion, between Kokkini Chani and Kato Gouves. It is the place that Intercars car rental has its facilities and houses over 100 cars and more than 12 different types of vehicles. On the west part of Gournes, you will find the beach area, which is very well-organized with lifeguard and umbrellas. If you walk one km away on the east, you will see the old American Airbase of Gournes, which was abandoned in the 1990s.
Right next to the former American base do not miss visiting the Cretan Aquarium. The visitor can wander through the long corridors of the aquarium and learn by observing with microscopes and reading the informative texts that accompany the sixty tanks filled with 2500 species of marine life. In the tanks the visitor will see from large sharks to tiny seahorses and jellyfish. Cretan aquarium is one of the most important aquariums in Europe.
Malia town
Malia is probably the most touristic town of Crete and is located in a very fertile plain about 35 km east of Heraklion. It is famous for its wild nightlife and the Minoan palace of Malia, the third largest in Crete. Malia could not develop as a tourist destination if it were not for its wonderful beaches. The most central beach, Klotzani, has fine sand and shallow waters, and there is no space between the umbrellas to put even a pin. Here you can really find what you are looking for in terms of amenities. In addition to the classic umbrellas and water sports, here you will find massage services, sand gyms, hotel pool bars and much more.
Across from Klotzani is the most characteristic landscape of Malia, the island with the church of Afentis Christos, which used to be connected to the coast. If you want to avoid the intense crowds of Klotzani, one solution is to head east, towards the harbor and the temple of the Holy Spirit, to Pyrgos, or even further east before the antiquities of Malia, where there is the calm beach of the Potamos river that forms next to the great wetland of Malia.