Crete may be known the world-over for its incredibly beautiful beaches, but there’s another side to Crete you may not be aware of – it’s also an amazing hiking destination! With sparkling turquoise waters surrounding the island, and towering, lush green mountains inland, there are no shortage of family-friendly hiking trails on Crete.
We enjoyed many excellent family-friendly hikes on Crete during our 5 day stay. Here are the kid-friendly Crete hikes we enjoyed:
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3 Fun Family-Friendly Hiking Trails on Crete
1. Imbros Gorge Hike
The best known hike in Crete is the Samaria Gorge, but given our family trip to Crete was in April, it was still closed for the season. Thankfully, there’s another excellent year-round gorge hike on Crete that is fully open in April – the Imbros Gorge hike.
This excellent family-friendly Crete hike is located in southern Crete, about an hour away from Chiana. It runs about 7 km / 4.3 miles one way in-between the mountain villages of Imbros and Komitades. One of the reasons this scenic hike is so popular is that it is downhill all the way, and there are an army of taxis waiting in Komitades to take you back up to Imbros!
It’s not just the fun downhill hike that makes the Imbros Gorge so popular with families – the scenery is pretty spectacular as well. Nearly the entire way, you’ll be walking along the bottom of a well-treed, spectacular gorge. At times the gorge walls tower over 300 m / 985 feet overhead, while some of the slot canyon sections are less than 2 m / 6 feet wide!
Our kids loved listening for, and then spotting, the daredevil goats who are grazing on the plants growing on the impossibly steep cliffs overhead! You can hear them by the bells they are wearing, and once you spot them, you’ll gasp at the scary places they are so comfortable grazing in!!
We also really enjoyed the ever-present sound of birds throughout the gorge, and the multitude of spring flowers growing along the way, especially the red poppies.
Do yourself a favor and wear good hiking shoes. Most of us wore hiking sandals, and we found they were not robust enough to hike through the gorge. The riverbed rocks are quite uneven and better hiking shoes would have served us well.
View the Imbros Gorge Trail Map
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There is more to Crete than family-friendly hiking trails. If you visit this amazing Greek island, you can’t miss these incredible family-friendly beaches on Crete.
2. Cave of Agios Ioannis the Hermit and the Katholiko Fjord Hike
Another outstanding hike we enjoyed during our family vacation in Crete was the hike to the Cave of Agios Ioannis the Hermit and the Katholiko Fjord. Located on the Akrotiri Peninsula, about 30 minutes outside Chania, this short but dramatic hiking trail leads you through an ancient, almost mystical landscape.
The hike starts at the historic Gouverneto Monastery, which we wanted to visit, but we were dressed for hiking and didn’t meet the dress code requirements.
The trail begins along a cobblestone path at the top of some rocky hills with views of the Aegean Sea below. After about 1 km / 0.6 miles, we reached the Cave of Agios Ioannis the Hermit, an amazing site where the 7th-century hermit lived in solitude. The cave still contains remnants of a small chapel built into its mouth.
Continuing downhill, sometimes steeply, the trail eventually brings you to the haunting ruins of the Katholiko Monastery, believed to be the oldest monastery in Crete. Its stone bridge and abandoned stonework, surrounded by wild cliffs and goats clambering on the rocks, create a striking and atmospheric scene.
There’s a beautiful, tall bridge over a gorge next to the monastery, and we had a lot of fun exploring the many rooms, trying to find where the hiking trail continued below, under the bridge. There’s a bit of a scramble here to get down, but most people should be able to manage.
At this stage, the hike enters a deep gorge and becomes incredibly beautiful. The towering rock cliffs overhead create a striking scene – one you won’t soon forget. Out kids loved all the big rocks at the bottom of the gorge as they were able to climb on and jump off many of them on the way.
It’s worth it to keep on going to the far end of the hike, where you’ll reach the Katholiko Fjord – a narrow inlet of brilliant turquoise water beneath steep cliffs. It looks like an amazing place for a swim, but the monastery requests that no one swim in the fjord. It’s stunning and is well worth a visit, even if you can’t swim.
This is one of the most beautiful, and interesting family hikes we’ve ever done. There’s plenty of natural beauty and cultural interest, making it a well-rounded family adventure. The only downside is that the hike is all downhill to the Katholiko Fjord, meaning you have to climb back up on the way back. Trust me – it’s a small price to pay for such a beautiful hike!
View the Cave of Agios Ioannis the Hermit and the Katholiko Fjord Trail Map
3. Mili Gorge Hike
Just 15 minutes away from Rethymno, the Mili Gorge hike is one of Crete’s hidden treasures! Coming in at under 5 km / 3.1 miles, this short, easy hike is a perfect choice for families looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the beach towns down below.
The Mili Gorge hike follows a small river, in-between the ruins of two once-thriving towns. Today, the hike through a narrow valley is filled with old stone bridges, crumbling watermills, and the ruins of many old houses. We loved how nature is reclaiming the land – many houses you enter have tree roots, vines, etc. growing all over the walls, windows and doors.
The forest around the hiking trail is lush and full of life. Butterflies fly all around and the sound of birds fills the air. We even had fun trying to spot the big frogs singing for us as we crossed over the little creek.
All told, this was a really fun and scenic family hike on Crete.
View the Mili Gorge trail map.
How We Got to Crete
We began our family trip to Greece with 3 days in Athens with kids. At the end of our first day, we took an overnight ferry from Athens to Heraklion. We chose to travel with Anek Lines as they offer rooms with four beds, which was a perfect fit for our family!
I expected the 4-bed family room to be tiny, but we were pleasantly surprised at it’s size. The beds were also comfortable and we all enjoyed a good night’s sleep.
I love overnight travel as it’s a fun way to get to your next destination, plus it saves you the expense of a night at a hotel. Taking an overnight ferry to Crete is much cheaper than staying in a hotel, plus airfare. Or, even worse, if you take a daytime ferry to Crete, you’ve wasted an entire vacation day traveling.
Once we arrived in Heraklion port, we rented a car from Avis Budget, which had a location right next to the port.
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Traveling to Greece with a picky eater? First, check out our guide to kid-friendly Greek food. Then pick up a copy of our printable Greek Food Scavenger Hunt, to make mealtimes easy & fun!
Where we Stayed on Crete
Crete is a really big Greek island, so the adventures we had planned for our family vacation to Crete were spread out quite a bit. I like to minimize the amount of driving I do in a foreign country, so we stayed in three different family-friendly hotels on Crete.
We used the Kostakis Beach Hotel as our base for exploring the many amazing beaches of northwest Crete. It’s an excellent family-friendly hotel on Crete with a big outdoor swimming pool and a beachfront location.
We stayed in a two-bedroom apartment, which is our favorite hotel room configuration. Separate bedrooms not only gives everyone some privacy, but it really helps the kids sleep better vs a traditional two queen bed hotel room.
Next, we stayed at the Steris Elegant Beach Hotel in Rethymno. It too has an excellent beach-front location along Rethymnon Beach. We stayed here primarily due to the fact that it had a 1-bedroom family room, with 4 twin beds.
Our final night on Crete was in Heraklion, allowing us to be close to our ferry to Santorini the next morning. We chose to stay in the Candia Suites & Rooms as they were close to the ferry port and offered a 1-bedroom suite with four beds.
Follow Along on our Family Trip to Greece
After beginning our family vacation to Greece with three amazing days in Athens with kids, we spent 5 days on Crete enjoying the best beaches and family-friendly hiking trails we could find. Next up, we took a quick ferry ride to an iconic Greek island where we spent two days on Santorini with kids. We finished up with even more excellent hiking with two days in Meteora with kids.
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
Dan Brewer is an intrepid family travel blogger with a passion for exploring the world's most captivating destinations. With 62 countries under his belt and a sense of wanderlust that knows no bounds, he has made it his life's mission to share his travel experiences and insights with fellow families who love to travel.
When Dan isn't traveling with his wife and kids, he's either out enjoying the Canadian Rockies he calls home or working on one of his three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Travel Banff Canada and Ultimate Sports Road Trip).