By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Crete, with its natural beauty, its shallow waters and sandy coves, its accessible beaches, its theme parks, its culture and history, offers endless possibilities and is a perfect place for an unforgettable family holiday. Modern accommodation facilities guarantee safety and comfort to visitors wishing to spend a carefree family holiday.
Good climate
The climate in Crete is one of the best in Europe. The island’s good weather throughout the year makes it an ideal destination for children and their families.
Crete: Incredible Hospitality from Incredible Crete on Vimeo.
Means of transport
Millions of visitors come to Crete every year from all over the world. The three international airports on the island, in Heraklion, Chania and Sitia are linked to hundreds of other international airports.
Ports also play an important role. The three ports of Crete, Heraklion, Rethymnon and Chania, have dozens of luxury ferry boats linking them with Greece’s largest port, Piraeus, on a daily basis.
For those who don’t have their own means of transport, there is an efficient and cheap network of luxury buses across the island.
Safety
Another important asset Crete has to offer families who want to spend their holidays here is the overall feeling of safety on the island. Crete has a very low percentage of criminality and guarantees a peaceful holiday to its visitors.
A pleasant stay
Those who travel with children in Crete benefit from high quality services and hospitality in first-rate hotels or in on organized camping sites.
Swimming pools in hotels include smaller ones especially designed for young children and trained lifeguards keep constant watch.
Agritourism
Families visiting Crete have the opportunity to bring their children in to contact with a traditional way of life. There is a wide variety of choice for agrotourism accommodation and camping sites in the island’s hinterland.
The ‘return to nature’ that agritourism accommodation has to offer is a unique experience in alternative tourism, regardless of one’s age. In most of those locations children are offered riding lessons and excursions on horseback.
Beaches
The sea is a main attraction for children who can play, run and roll about in the sand to their heart’s content. They make friends and feel the healthy power of nature. Crete has a wide variety of beaches that are safe and ideal for families with children: well-kept, well-equipped, peaceful, sandy beaches with lifeguards next to tourist facilities.
To the south of Chania, our small friends can have the time of their lives on the shallow sandy beaches of Frangokastello, Paleochora, Elafonissi and Falassarna. On the north side, well out of the north wind, there is a choice of beautiful beaches: Marathi, Chrisi Akti and Kalivaki in Georgioupolis.
In the prefecture of Rethymnon children can bathe and play in the wonderful beaches of Plakias and Damnoni on the south coast. The wind protected beaches of Bali and Panormo on the north coast are also ideal.
Moreover, around Heraklion there are many beaches that are greatly appreciated by local families, Keratokambos and Tsoutsouras being two of the most popular ones on the south coast. The well-equipped beaches of Agia Pelagia, Gouves, Chersonissos and Stalida on the northerns coast also ensure an enjoyable swim and much fun to for our little friends.
In Lassithi prefecture, near Agios Nikolaos in the Mirambello bay, there are a number of hidden beaches that are perfect for children, though the longer, wider beaches of Makrigialos, Kouremenos and Chiona have their own charm.
Sea tours
The possibilities for families to explore the coastal regions of Crete are many. Every day small boats take visitors to the most famous remote beaches of the island, among them Balos, Preveli and the beaches around Sfakia.
Most of these excursions take place on board bottom glass boats and place emphasis on the discovery of marine life. These are memories that children will cherish all their lives. The tours are always a lively experience, with music, various on-board activities and food is often provided.
Hiking
Accompanied by adults, children can discover some of the most beautiful places on Crete and enjoy walking in natural surroundings. Many children of Cretan families take walks with their parents to places that are of easily accessible.
Environment and ecology
Environment and ecology are seriously taken into account in Crete and every year a number of clubs, associations and other entities organize educational activities for small children and their families.
City games
All Cretan towns have adequate parks where children can play,get to know each other, and run up and down in safety while their parents have a coffee under the trees.
Places children can visit
The island has a number of museums and places that offer guided tours to young visitors on a regular schedule. However, there are other scientific activities that are open to children on specific days, such as a visit to the Skinakas observatory where children can use the telescope to contemplate the stars.
A must for children is a visit to the Natural History Museum where they can observe the mysteries of nature in an original and instructive way. Among the exhibits there are animals and plants from the Eastern Mediterranean, and in particular a copy of a type of dinosaur once found on the island.
History and Culture
Families should visit the most important archaeological sites in Crete. The Archaeological Museum in Heraklion exhibits the findings from the large Minoan palaces. A visit to the palace of Knossos should follow the visit to the museum. In the palace the children will be deeply impressed by the Throne Hall and thrilled to see where the mythical Minotaur was born and then slayed by Theseus.
The best place for children to discover the history of Crete in all its complexity from the first centuries of Christianity up to modern times is the Historical Museum of Heraklion. Besides a treasure hunt which helps children to learn through play, there are various representations of battles as well as visual and audio documents recording the bombings during WWII.
Fun
Children can have great fun in one of the four water parks on the island. These parks provide activities that range from a peaceful tour on the ‘lazy rivers’ to the spectacular slides and ‘black holes’. Children can play as much as they want and get the thrill of their lives with trained lifeguards in constant watch.
The island also offers a large number of venues where children can enjoy themselves, such as paintball, kart and fun parks.