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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 18 December, 2022
Expert travel writer: Rachel Howard

Seasonal, local, and traditional, Cretan food is phenomenally fresh and tasty. With its balmy climate and diverse landscape, the island produces a vast range of amazing produce, from olive oil, honey, wine, and cheese, to more atypical crops such as avocadoes, bananas, and mangoes.

Grilled, roast, or stewed meat is much loved by locals, particularly goat and lamb, which is often free-range. There’s less of a fishing industry than on smaller islands.

Cretans are generous hosts. Portions are generally huge, and you’ll be offered shots of raki (local grappa) wherever you go.

What to try

Raki, the local spirit of choice (see above), goes well with nubbly graviera cheese, wrinkly olives, and apaki (smoked pork).

A summer staple, dakos is the Cretan version of Greek salad: grated tomato, crumbled feta, olives and capers heaped onto a crunchy barley rusk and doused In plenty of olive oil. Stamnagathi (wilted bitter greens), fried snails, kaltsounia (turnovers stuffed with cheese or spinach), and sfakiani pitta (cheese-filled dough drizzled in honey) are also Cretan delicacies.

Also see our round-up of traditional Greek foods you must try in Greece.

Dialeskari taverna
Experience

Dialeskari taverna

Crete, Greek Islands, Greece

With a terrace overlooking the sea, a wood-fired oven, and meat and cheese from the owner’s own flock of goats and sheep, this lovely taverna on Marmara beach is as authentically Cretan as it gets. Order braised lamb tsigaristo, boureki (baked, layered vegetables with feta), dakos, and loukoumades (honey-drenched donuts) for dessert.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: -

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Blue Palace Elounda

Crete, Greek Islands, Greece

A modern classic on the quieter end of Elounda, with a wealth of facilities and warm Cretan staff. The atmosphere is calm and cossetting, making it hard to venture out and explore the island.

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Casa Delfino

Crete, Greek Islands, Greece

A historic palazzo hidden in the colourful backstreets of Chania’s old town, this family-owned hotel has plenty of personality.  The views from the roof terrace are a knock-out, and breakfast in the photogenic courtyard is a treat.

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Cretan Malia Park

Crete, Greek Islands, Greece

A funky, sustainably minded haven, this 205-key beach resort brings a dash of sophistication to an over-developed corner of Crete.

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Kapsaliana Village Hotel

Crete, Greek Islands, Greece

Once an olive mill owned by the nearby Arkadi monastery, this 200-year-old stone hamlet has been sensitively converted into a secluded hillside hideaway, where nature and traditional heritage take centre stage.

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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Crete

Greek Islands, Greece

Greece’s largest island has something for everyone: ramblers and epicureans, history buffs and beach bums. From jaw-dropping gorges to ravishing beaches, Crete is so much more than world-famous Knossos.

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