Winter holidays on Crete are unusual. No one tour operator will offer you a complete package tour, at best, a personal tour. Therefore such holidays are for people with planning and organizing skills for it. If you are weary of artificial Christmas trees and your choice is not Turkey or Emirates, then you are welcome to Crete!

Will it be snowing? It is certainly not summer, when you can lie on the beach the whole day, but you can visit many interesting places not wearing of tourist crowds and enjoy relaxed driving or just take a calm walk. Crete is very quite and calm in the winter but has a very diverse weather. Of course, do not expect the summer heat, but sunny days with temperatures of 15° C are particularly frequent. Your also need to be prepared for rain and wind. If you are going in the mountains, have warm clothing. You will find there snow and freezing temperatures.

Cool weather will not give any possibility to swim. The water temperature rarely drops below 16° C, but many beaches do not lose their welcoming appearance, and some daredevils can try to dive after a glass of Raki (local moonshine made with grape mash), especially on the south coast where it is much warmer than at the north and less windy in the winter. We recommend that you have a jacket as well as a swimming suit because the weather can not be guessed.

How to pass the time? It is a great time for sightseeing: there are few tourists, it is quite and calm. Most such places are open for public access, especially in cities like Heraklion or Chania. Usually all the municipalities organize their winter holiday programs, which begin in mid-December. In cities, there are exhibitions, concerts and theatrical performances.    

How to get to the island in winter? There are no direct flights to Crete in winter, and one needs multiple flights. You can get tickets for a scheduled flight to Athens or Thessaloniki. Aeroflot, Aegean Airlines or Lufthansa are the best. Then you can use a domestic flight to Crete or ferry from Athenian port of Piraeus.

Where to live? Large hotels are closed in winter. Despite this you will find a residence to suite your taste in any part of the island. It may be also small and family apartments or beautiful villas (villa-wild-pear.com, mamalaroosavilla.com), and hotels in cities if you want to be closer to civilization and festive decorated streets.

It is off-season. Almost all the little tourist shops and cafes will be closed, but you can enjoy authentic Cretan cuisine in the taverns for the natives, and always bay honey, olive oil, local wine in any village.

If you rent a car (we recommend you thenewrentcar.com), be careful when choosing a route. The serpentine road can be unsafe in winter.

January 2017