Five days is the sweet spot for Chania. It is long enough to walk Samaria Gorge, spend proper days at Elafonisi or Falassarna and Balos, and still have time for the Old Town, without feeling rushed. Three days feels too short. Five gets it right.
This plan is for a first visit, with a mix of nature, history, food and beaches. You will need a car from day 2, or organised tours for the big days. Some days are busy. Some are deliberately slow. In a place like Chania, that balance matters.
| Day 1 | Old Town and harbour, on foot |
|---|---|
| Day 2 | Samaria Gorge (full day) |
| Day 3 | Elafonisi or Falassarna |
| Day 4 | Balos and Gramvousa |
| Day 5 | Akrotiri Peninsula and a last evening in town |
| Car needed? | From day 2, or use tours |
| Best season | May, June, September, October |
Day 1: The Old Town and the Harbour
Arrive, drop your bags, and walk. That is the whole plan. Chania’s Old Town is one of the best-preserved Venetian harbour towns in the Mediterranean, and it is best absorbed slowly, without a map.
Start at the Venetian harbour in the morning, before the heat and the tour groups, and walk out along the breakwater to the lighthouse. Then spend the afternoon in the back streets: the leather street, Skridlof, and the quieter Splantzia quarter to the east, built around a square with a huge plane tree, cafés and a real neighbourhood feel.
Note: Many older guides send you to Chania’s covered market, the Agora, for breakfast and souvenirs. It is still closed for a long restoration. For olive oil, honey and cheese, use the small food shops in the Old Town or a weekly street market (laiki).
For dinner, eat late, like the locals, around 9pm. Have a drink on the waterfront, then walk one or two streets back into the Old Town to eat: harbour-front restaurants charge for the view, and the quality does not always match the price.
Day 2: Samaria Gorge
Day 2 is the big one. Samaria Gorge is a 16km walk downhill from the Omalos plateau to the sea at Agia Roumeli, through pine forest, an abandoned village and the Iron Gates, where the walls close to three or four metres apart and rise around 300 metres overhead. It takes five to seven hours. From Agia Roumeli there is no road: you take the ferry to Chora Sfakion or Sougia, then a bus back to Chania.
The easiest way is an organised tour, which handles the early bus, the ferry and the ride back. If you drive, remember your car will be at the top of the gorge when you finish at the bottom.
Warning: The gorge is usually open from early May to the end of October and closes at short notice for rain or high wind. Check the official national park site the evening before. Wear proper hiking or trail shoes: every summer people try it in sandals and do not enjoy the result. There is no exit along the way, so be honest about your fitness and your knees.
Day 3: Elafonisi or Falassarna
After the gorge, your legs will want a beach. Choose one of the two great beaches of the west.
Elafonisi, about 90 minutes southwest, is a shallow, warm lagoon you can wade across to a small islet, ideal for children. The pink sand is subtle, a tint along the waterline. In July and August, leave Chania by 8am: by 10am the parking is filling and the beach is crowded. The road there runs through Topolia Gorge, worth a short stop.
Falassarna, about an hour west, is long, wide and west-facing, with real swimming and the best sunset in Crete. It is open sea, so on windy afternoons the waves can be big: swim in the morning, stay for the sunset.
Warning: Neither beach has natural shade. Bring an umbrella or rent sunbeds early. By noon in midsummer, a beach without shade is genuinely uncomfortable.
Day 4: Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa
Balos is the lagoon on every Crete poster, and it lives up to it. Two ways in: the ferry from Kissamos port, which also stops at Gramvousa island and its Venetian fortress, or the 9km dirt road from Kaliviani followed by a 20 to 30-minute walk down. A normal small car can manage the road, but most rental insurance does not cover unpaved roads. The ferry is easier; driving lets you arrive before the crowds.
The lagoon is very shallow, more for wading and lying in the water than for real swimming. Stop in Kissamos on the way back for seafood on the harbour.
Day 5: Akrotiri and a Last Evening in Town
Keep the last day easy. The Akrotiri Peninsula is 20 to 30 minutes from town. Start early at Gouverneto Monastery, then walk down the stone path through the Avlaki Gorge to the Bear Cave and the abandoned monastery of Katholiko above the sea, about 45 minutes each way. Most visitors never do this walk. Then swim and eat at Stavros, the calm bay from the final scene of Zorba the Greek.
Local tip: The monasteries enforce a dress code: shoulders and knees covered, for men and women. Carry a light scarf. Gouverneto is closed on Wednesdays and Fridays and closes for a few hours in the middle of the day, so check times before you go.
Spend your last evening in the Old Town. Walk the breakwater again after dark, when the lighthouse is lit. Eat somewhere new. If you want to take olive oil or thyme honey home, buy it from a small producer’s shop in the Old Town rather than a souvenir stall.
Getting Around
Most visitors pick up a rental car at Chania Airport. Compare prices before you travel, as they vary a lot. There is no Uber or Bolt in Chania, and buses, while cheap and fine on main routes, do not work well for Balos or Akrotiri.
If you would rather not drive, organised day tours from Chania cover Samaria and Balos well, and they solve the gorge logistics completely.
Warning: Parking in and around the Old Town is difficult. If your accommodation has no parking, use a paid car park on the edge of the Old Town and walk in. In July and August, temperatures regularly pass 35°C: plan outdoor time for mornings and late afternoons.
Where to Stay in Chania
For a five-day trip, staying in Chania town for the whole time works well: you can reach most of western Crete as a day trip and come back to the harbour each evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Samaria too hard for average fitness?
For most reasonably healthy adults who walk regularly, no. It is long, and the first part is steep and rocky, but it is not technical. Good shoes, plenty of water and an early start make the difference.
Does this work with children?
Mostly. Elafonisi, Balos and the Old Town are great for families. The full Samaria walk is too long and tough for young children. Swap day 2 for a shorter walk or an extra beach day.
What will it cost?
The main costs are accommodation, car hire, food, the Samaria ticket (€10) and the Balos ferry (roughly €30 to €40 per adult). Prices vary a lot by season, and eating away from the harbour front makes a real difference to your daily budget.
Before You Go
- Car hire: book ahead for June to September.
- Samaria: check the gorge is open the evening before. Trail shoes, water, an early start.
- Balos ferry: book ahead in high season.
- Cash: useful for small tavernas and beach parking.
- Monasteries: a scarf or layer to cover shoulders and knees.
If You Have More Time
Sfakia and Imbros Gorge on the south coast make a great sixth day: a shorter, quieter gorge and seafood by the harbour in Chora Sfakion.
Lake Kournas, Crete’s only natural freshwater lake, combines easily with the beach at Georgioupolis.
Apokoronas, 30 minutes east, has olive groves, quiet hill villages and often better-value accommodation than the Old Town.
Local tip: On your last night, walk out along the harbour breakwater after 9pm, when the day-trippers have gone. The lighthouse lit at the end, the fishing boats tied up inside the wall, the Old Town glowing behind you: that view has hardly changed in centuries.
