Top 10 Tavernas in Crete
Ten kitchens where the lamb is local, the oil is from the family grove and the bill still surprises you.
Updated June 2026 · 13 min read
greecetop.com / crete
Crete
Not an island so much as a small country. Sixteen ranked lists, split by region, because nobody sees all of Crete in one trip and you should not try.
- 16
- top lists
- 240
- ranked places
- Apr–Jun
- best months
- 50 min
- flight from Athens
Start here
The lists most people read before they book anything.
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Top 10 Beaches in Crete
Elafonisi and Balos get the crowds; the south coast gets the swimmers who did the reading.
Updated May 2026 · 10 min read
All Crete lists
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Top 10 Hikes & Gorges
- Top 10 Minoan & Ancient Sites
- Top 10 Mountain Villages
- Top 10 Boutique Hotels in Chania
Where things are
Chania in the west, Heraklion in the middle, Sitia in the east — three airports, three very different weeks. Pick a third of the island and stay there.
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Chania & the west
The Venetian harbour, Samaria, Elafonisi and Balos. The prettiest base.
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Rethymno
Old town without Chania's prices, and the closest thing to a middle ground.
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Heraklion & Knossos
The museum and the palace. Worth two days, not a week.
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Lasithi & the east
Quieter, cheaper, and where the palm beach at Vai actually is.
Map unavailable
- Chania & the west
- Rethymno
- Heraklion & Knossos
- Lasithi & the east