Crete Hotels: Where to Stay Across the Island
Crete's accommodation splits across its four regions — Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion and Lasithi. Chania and Rethymno hold the west, with Venetian harbour towns and villa country; Heraklion holds the centre, the capital and the busiest beaches; Lasithi holds the quiet east. This page orients you and links each region's hotel list; for the wider island start from the Crete travel guide.
- Regions
- 4
- Airports
- Heraklion & Chania
- Ferry ports
- Heraklion & Chania
- Quietest area
- Southeast
Chania: the west
Chania anchors the west of Crete around its Venetian harbour town and the island's second airport and ferry port at Souda. Stay in or near Chania town for a walkable waterfront, or spread west and south to resorts and villages such as Platanias, Kissamos Kastelli, Almirida and the Apokoronas villa country inland from the north coast; the quieter south coast reaches Sougia, Paleochora and Frangokastelo. Browse hotels, apartments and villas on the Chania hotels page.
Rethymno: the centre-west
Rethymno sits between Chania and Heraklion, so it works as a midway base for touring both ends of the island. Its old town gathers below a Venetian fortress on the north coast, while the south coast runs to quieter beach villages such as Agios Pavlos and Plakias below the Psiloritis mountains. See where to stay on the Rethymno hotels page.
Heraklion: the centre
Heraklion is Crete's capital and its main gateway, with the island's biggest airport and ferry port. The central north coast holds the busiest resorts, so many visitors prefer calmer bases nearby such as Agia Pelagia, 22 kilometres from the city, Ammoudara or Ligaria, and mountain villages like Zaros, 45 kilometres inland on the Psiloritis plain. Compare options on the Heraklion hotels page.
Lasithi: the east
Lasithi covers the east of Crete and holds its quietest corners. The southeast is the most peaceful part of the whole island, with low-key coastal villages such as Mirtos, Makrigialos and Analipsi where you can still find an empty beach. Find hotels, studios and apartments on the Lasithi hotels page.
How to choose your base
Choose your region first, then your village. Fly into Heraklion for central and eastern Crete and into Chania for the west, and keep drives short by staying near the part of the island you most want to see. Pick Chania or Rethymno for old-town character and the west, Heraklion for central beaches and the main gateway, and Lasithi for the calm east. Once you have a region, open its hotel page above to compare hotels, apartments and villas; for the sights, beaches and getting around, start from the Crete travel guide.
