Crete.
Bookings / month
206
Avg rating
★ 4.7
Verified agents
14
Currency
€ EUR · 1=₪3.41
Time zone
+1 שעה לפני ת"א (בקיץ; זהה בחורף)
Language
יוונית
Plug
C / F · 230V
Visa
ללא ויזה — ישראלים נכנסים חופשי עם דרכון ישראלי (שנגן)
Safety
בטוח מאוד. כרתים היא אחת היעדים הבטוחים במזרח הים התיכון; שמרו על תיקים באזורים עמוסים.
Overview
🇬🇷Crete
🇬🇷Greece
Crete is Greece's largest and most captivating island, where bone-white cliffs plunge into electric-turquoise water and fragrant markets overflow with fresh graviera cheese and cold-pressed olive oil. Beyond the picture-perfect beaches lie Minoan palaces thousands of years old, quiet mountain villages, and a cuisine that puts the rest of Greek cooking to shame. This is not just another dot on the map — it's an experience that changes you.
Vacation packages
Vacation packages to Crete
Flight + hotel in one package
Domes of Elounda, Autograph Collection
Elounda, Lasithi, Crete
06.07 – 09.07 · 7 nights
avg / person from
$2,930
total $5,860
Caramel Grecotel Boutique Resort
Rethymno Beach, Crete
06.07 – 09.07 · 7 nights
avg / person from
$2,245
total $4,490
Lato Boutique Hotel
Heraklion Old Town, Crete
06.07 – 09.07 · 7 nights
avg / person from
$1,060
total $2,120
Sleep
Curated hotels in Crete
Domes of Elounda, Autograph Collection
from
$790
per night
Elounda, Lasithi
Caramel Grecotel Boutique Resort
from
$580
per night
Rethymno Beach
Lato Boutique Hotel
from
$260
per night
Heraklion Old Town
Mythos Palace Resort & Spa
from
$320
per night
Georgioupolis, Chania
Flights from Tel Aviv
Flights from Tel Aviv in Crete
21:55
Tel Aviv (TLV)
00:19
Crete (HER)
05:20
Crete (HER)
07:44
Tel Aviv (TLV)
Per person from
$165
Total $330
08:50
Tel Aviv (TLV)
11:26
Crete (HER)
17:00
Crete (HER)
19:36
Tel Aviv (TLV)
Per person from
$215
Total $430
06:15
Tel Aviv (TLV)
12:21
Crete (HER)
11:40
Crete (HER)
17:46
Tel Aviv (TLV)
Per person from
$150
Total $300
13:10
Tel Aviv (TLV)
15:40
Crete (HER)
19:30
Crete (HER)
22:00
Tel Aviv (TLV)
Per person from
$255
Total $510
Year-round weather
Year-round weather in Crete
Temperature averages
Real climate dataינו
17°
10°
Recommended
פבר
16°
9°
Recommended
מרץ
20°
11°
Recommended
אפר
21°
13°
Recommended
מאי
25°
16°
Excellent
יונ
30°
21°
Excellent
יול
33°
24°
Hot
אוג
32°
23°
Hot
ספט
29°
21°
Excellent
אוק
26°
17°
Excellent
נוב
23°
15°
Excellent
דצמ
18°
11°
Recommended
Best time to visit: מאי · יונ · ספט · אוק · נוב
Based on a 3-year average · measured in Heraklion · Open-Meteo
This week in Heraklion
Measured in Heraklion, Crete
28°
Sunny
Next 7 days
Tap a day for hourly detail
Source: Open-Meteo · updates hourly
What to do
What to do in Crete
Activities loved by thousands before you
Palace of Knossos
$30
Samaria Gorge Hike
$20
Spinalonga Island Boat Trip
$60
Wine & Olive Oil Tour in Krasi Village
$50
Velos Beach & Dikteon Cave
$40
Walking Tour of Chania Old Town
$30
Where to eat
Where to eat in Crete
Restaurants Maya loves
Peskesi
$$$Heraklion Old Town
An iconic Heraklion table dedicated to heirloom Cretan recipes sourced from local cooperative farms. The barley dakos and slow-roasted rabbit in aged olive oil are must-orders.
Thalassino Ageri
$$$Chania Harbour
A family-run fish taverna perched on the Chania jetty with unobstructed views of the Venetian lighthouse. Charcoal-grilled cuttlefish and fresh sea urchin are the menu's stars.
Avli
$$$$Rethymno Old Town
A hidden Renaissance courtyard in the heart of Rethymno's old town, where the chef weaves refined Cretan produce into gently European-inflected tasting menus. The all-Cretan wine list is exceptional.
Nightlife
Nightlife in Crete
Best clubs, bars and events
Privilege Club Heraklion
Fagotto Jazz Bar
Chania Harbour Bar Mile
Envy Beach Club, Hersonissos
Verified suppliers
Verified suppliers in Crete
Experiences, insurance, eSIM, photography — every supplier verified by VAYULOR
Crete Divers
Guided scuba diving & snorkelling at marine sites
Kreta Riders
Motorbike rental & guided motorbike tours
Olive Routes – Agrotourism
Hands-on olive & wine agrotourism tours
Island Hopper Crete
Private yacht charters & day-sail tours to islets
Are you a supplier? Join us
Learn moreInsurance
Travel insurance for Crete 🇬🇷
Full coverage with Hebrew support
Basic
$30
- Medical $250,000
- Cancellation $400
- Luggage $800
Extended
$50
- Medical $500,000
- Cancellation $1,200
- Luggage $1,800
- Light sports
Premium
$90
- Unlimited medical
- Cancellation $5,000
- Adventure sports
- 24/7 doctor
Currency & rates
Live rateCurrency & rates
Quick conversion at today's rate
Convert
You get
341
1 EUR
₪3.41
100 EUR
₪341
1,000 EUR
₪3,410
Source: exchangerate-api · updated Jun 10 · refreshes daily
Visa & documents
Visa & documents for Crete 🇬🇷
What you need before you fly
- ללא ויזה — ישראלים נכנסים חופשי עם דרכון ישראלי (שנגן)
- Passport valid 6 months
- Travel insurance recommended
Local tips
Good to know about Crete
- 🛵Skip the rental car in the small villages of Lasithi district — a 125cc scooter is more than enough, costs around ₪80/day, and gets you to viewpoints no SUV window can match. Roads are narrow, parking is free, and the freedom is total.
- 🫒Buy olive oil directly from a press in the villages of Pomiá or Krouvatsaras — not from the souvenir shops in Heraklion. You'll get wholesale prices, homemade quality, and often a free tasting of fresh-pressed oil with village bread.
- 🏖️Elafonisi's lesser-known rival: Alyos beach near Falasarna requires a 20-minute walk from the car park. Most tourists stop at the main beach and turn back. Bring water and food and you'll have the cove nearly to yourself.
- 🍽️In Crete, you order mezedes — small plates that arrive in waves. Don't ask for the full menu at a lagniaas taverna; just say 'férete mou' (bring me) and let the kitchen lead. You'll get what's fresh that day, not what's being pushed.
מאיה רוזן
Senior agent · Greece for 12 years
"Crete is not a vacation destination — it's an entire civilization that invites you to slow down. I've been working this island for eight years and every visit still reveals a new layer: an unmapped village, a Kotsifali wine no restaurant outside the island serves, a conversation with a Cretan elder who remembers World War II. You don't take Crete home as a photo — you take it home as a feeling."
Loves
My secret is 'I Kouzina tou Stratis' taverna in the village of Kritsa, 12 km from Agios Nikolaos. Stratis doesn't write a menu — he comes out of the kitchen and tells you what he cooked that morning. His dakos with tomatoes picked an hour earlier and cheese from the neighbor's farm is worth the flight all by itself.
Skip
I ask every single client to avoid Korai Street in Heraklion in the evenings. The row of restaurants with waiters calling out from the sidewalk, menus in Hebrew posted outside, food photos on signs — that's a tourist trap. You pay double and get half. A 10-minute walk into the neighborhood takes you to places where nobody speaks English, and that's where it's real.
Boutique pick
My signature package is called 'Crete from Below': six nights split between three zones — two nights in Sfakia (the wild, south-facing half), two in Sitia with a session at a local ceramicist's studio, and two in a small villa outside Rethymno with a private cooking lesson. No chain hotels, no tour buses. Every accommodation has my personal seal of approval. Prices start at ₪8,200 per couple including flights.
Client stories
What returning travelers say about Crete
"We flew to Crete with two daughters (ages 5 and 8) for ten days in September. Maya built us an itinerary that combined beaches with historic sites and we never felt like we were compromising. Her insistence on village stays instead of beachfront hotels changed the whole trip — our girls still talk about the Greek grandmother who let them knead bread."
Noa and Ron Cohen
10 nights, couple + 2 daughters, September, village-and-beach itinerary, Lasithi + Rethymno
"I came alone for a week of hiking — the Samaria Gorge and trails around the Akrotiri Peninsula. Maya booked me a local guide named Manolis who simply transformed the trip. He knew every plant, every wayside chapel, and exactly which taverna to hit after reaching the port of Hora Sfakion. It wasn't an itinerary I bought — it was a journey."
Amir Shapira
7 nights, solo, May, hiking focus + accommodation in Chania and Sfakia
"We celebrated 15 years of marriage with three nights in a private villa between Rethymno and Chania that Maya recommended. Private pool, mountain views, and a loaf of bread with olive oil and honey that someone left on our table the first morning. We did a private cooking lesson with a chef named Maria who taught us to make gemista the right way. We came home with a recipe and a memory that will last."
Michal and Dani Levi
5 nights, couple, October, romantic focus, private villa + cooking lesson
FAQ
Common questions about Crete
Do Israelis need a visa for Crete?
No. Greece is an EU and Schengen member, and Israelis can enter with a valid passport for up to 90 days within any 180-day period without a visa. Make sure your passport is valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure date. Children also enter freely with their own passport.
When is the best time to fly to Crete from Israel?
The sweet spot is May and September through early October. The sea is already warm (22-25°C), prices are 30-40% lower than July-August, and restaurants and markets are fully open without the tourist crush. July-August is very hot (35°C+ inland) and expensive. Winter (November-March) suits travelers who want quiet, green landscapes, and authentic Crete — but some venues close.
How many days do you need in Crete — is a week enough?
A week is enough to explore one region deeply — for example, Heraklion with Knossos Palace, Matala beach, Mount Idi, and the villages of Damasta. If you want to cross from north to south and cover both Rethymno and Lasithi, budget at least 10 days. The most common mistake is over-planning: the island is large (250 km end to end) and mountain roads are slow.
What is a realistic daily budget for a couple in Crete?
A comfortable mid-range trip costs around ₪700-900 per couple per day excluding flights: quality guesthouse or small boutique (₪300-400), two meals at local tavernas (₪150-200), car rental (₪80-120), site entries and coffee (₪60-100). A boutique hotel with a pool and relaxed spending runs ₪1,200-1,500/day. You can drop to ₪500 with an Airbnb in a village, market food shopping, and a scooter.
Ready to fly?
Let VAYULOR build you a tailored package — or talk to an agent right now.