Crete or Santorini: Which Island is better suited for you?

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Crete is the largest island of Greece, far from the mainland, which offers white sandy beaches, sparkling bays, monumental history and gorgeous scenery. Santorini is one of the most famous islands in the world, known for its spectacular views, iconic sunsets and pretty villages. We got a chance to visit both these islands on our 2-week Greece itinerary.

But you may have a week or so in Greece and need to choose amongst Santorini vs Crete. The good part is that you can’t go wrong with either. The 2 islands are quite different from each other. Santorini is part of the Cycladic groups of islands, known for their white-washed pretty villages, blue church domes, and azure waters. Crete is not part of any island group, rather it is the 5^th largest Mediterranean island in the Aegean Sea. Here are some pointers on Crete vs Santorini, to help you decide which island is best suited for you.

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Overview of Crete vs Santorini

Crete offers several activities and varied geography for you to enjoy. We spent 4 days in Crete but you can easily spend a week exploring the largest island in Greece. If you are looking for great beaches to relax on, or are deeply interested in ancient history and ruins, or enjoy driving around on winding roads, or want to add superb hiking to your itinerary, go to Crete. This island has a more authentic feel, it is cheaper and more rustic as compared to the more-known islands in the Cycladic group. It is more suited for family travel amongst Greek islands.

Santorini is one of the world famous islands.

Santorini has a laid-back luxury holiday feel to it. If you are in a romantic mood to sit back and relax, take in the jaw dropping views of the caldera, enjoy the luxuries of your hotel, see some of the best sunsets in the world, sip wine and eat at fine-dining restaurants, head to Santorini. The island with its picturesque villages is an international luxury destination. But don’t scrimp on money if you want a holiday of a lifetime. Indulge in some of the best hotels with glorious views, great food and service, and easy day tours. We based ourselves in Oia village for our 3 days in Santorini.

What do Crete and Santorini offer?

Crete has white sandy beaches

Crete is considered to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the country and one can swim almost everywhere. The island hasa long coastline of about 650 miles and provides hundreds of beautiful beaches. The western part of Crete has the best beaches including the sandy beach of Balos, the famous pink sand beach of Elafonissi, and the long, sandy beach of Falassarna. There is a fantastic beached called Vai on the northeastern side of Crete in the region of Lassithi, and more more around Sitia.

In comparison, Santorini’s beaches are all pebbles and rocks. They are mainly located on the east side of the island: Perissa and Kamari to name a few. These are black sand beaches made of volcanic soil. On the west side, the black and red beach are completely rocky and while they offer dramatic views, it is difficult to reach them. If you are looking for another Cycladic island with sandy beaches, Mykonos is a better bet. It wins big time if you are considering whether to go to Santorini or Mykonos based on beaches.

Santorini has unique topography and stunning views of the caldera

If you are looking for unique views of the caldera, no better place than Santorini. I did the 10-km Fira to Oia hike in Santorini to get stellar views of the island from all different directions. But you don’t need to do an active hike to get these views. Just about any cliff hugging spot, hotel or restaurant in Fira, Imerovigli or Oia village will get you beautiful views of the western part of the island. These panoramic caldera views are one of the best things to enjoy in Santorini.

Santorini has unique topography and geology owing to its volcanic formation. The island is basically the collapsed part of the volcano. The caldera is sunken with high-rising cliffs, and villages built on top of these cliffs. Crete has good views of mountains, gorges, beaches and bays, but no comparison with what Santorini offers.

Crete is a much larger island compared to Santorini

The largest island in Greece is Crete. You can base yourself in the western region: Chania or Reythmno, or the central port and town of Heraklion, or some of the towns in the north-east part. Wherever you do base yourself, you will need to rent a car or take multiple day tours that offers hotel pick-up and drop to explore Crete. We rented a car for the first 3 days in Crete to drive to Lasithi plateau, Elafonissi beach, and even drive from the port to our hotel in Chania.

On the other hand, we didn’t need to rent a car in Santorini. We opted for hotel transfers from Oia to Fira and also from Oia to Akrotiri. Or you can rent an ATV. And within the villages, it was easy to explore on foot. Many people do rent a car if they are based on the eastern part of the island, like Perissa or Kamari for a day or 2 to explore the western part of the island.

The logistics of reaching Samaria Gorge in Crete are complicated, but the hike is worth it.

Crete offers a variety of activities from ancient ruins to hiking, from beaches to exploring natural caves. For hiking in Crete, make sure you pack hiking shoes and sun protection as part of your Greece packing list. In comparison, Santorini is significantly smaller than Crete, and there’s much less to do in terms of activities.

Santorini has picturesque villages

Santorini has photogenic whitewashed hillside villages are delightful to stroll through. There is the capital town, Fira which merges into the tiny villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli on the western side of the island. Akrotiri lies on the southern part while Oia village is located on the northern tip of the island.

This is different from the look and feel of Crete. This large island has the capital city of Heraklion, this is also the largest port and has an airport. On the western side of the island are 2 beautiful Venetian towns, Chania and Rethymno. Chania also has an international airport located not too far from the town. There are many small towns and village in the central part as well as on the northeastern part of Crete: Sitia, Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, Malia, to name a few.

Crete offers cultural immersion into Minoan civilization

Crete has a long and rich history, especially with the Minoan Civilization. If you are a history lover, you will really enjoy a visit the ancient ruins of Knossos in Crete. Knossos is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete dating back 4000 years. The site was a major center of the Minoan civilization – visit the Knossos Palace just outside Heraklion. Knossos Palace was the Minoans’ finest palace and you can still admire the decorative wall art in this grand palace today.

The iconic bull fresco at Knossos Palace.

There are Minoans Palaces in Malia and Phaistos as well. You can also visit the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion. This museum holds may of the important frescoes, artefacts excavated from the Knossos Palace. There are other archaeological sites in Crete: Rokka in the western part, the ancient city of Itanos in Sitia, and Gortyna.

In contrast, Santorini does have ancient ruins though, mostly at Akrotiri, but nowhere as famous as the ones in Crete. You can visit the Akrotiri Archeological site, this was an ancient Minoan city.

Santorini offers spectacular sunsets

All Greek islands including Crete have wonderful sunsets. But there is something iconic about Santorini sunsets. The unique rugged topography and the way in which light interacts with the landscape creates a kaleidoscope of colours each evening in Santorini. There are few very places that can match the nature spectacle and the golden hues draping the beautiful village of Oia in warm colours. We also enjoyed a nice sunset at Akrotiri Lighthouse on the southern side of Santorini.

We enjoyed the sunsets in Crete as well, as you would on any Greek island.

Crete has varied landscape: mountains, plateaus and gorges

There is no dearth of gorgeous landscape in Crete. This island is the most mountainous of the Greek islands. Crete has mountains, valleys, natural bridges, stunning gorges and other features that make this place unique. Although both the islands offers hiking trails, the Samaria Gorge hike in Crete is arguably one of the best hikes on Greece islands.

To do the Samaria Gorge hike, I took a bus tour that got us through the famous White mountains of Crete. Samaria gorge is the longest in Europe (total length of 16km), and one of the most impressive gorges in Greece. In the east, the mountains of Dikty form a continuous chain from one end of Crete to the other.

Another day, we drove through scenic winding roads to Lasithi Plateau, located in eastern Crete. It is famous for the rich agricultural production, windmills and historical caves. The Lasithi Plateau was the center of the Minoan civilization and has been inhabited since the early Neolithic times.

As I mentioned earlier, the topography of Santorini is dominated by a giant caldera. Circular in shape, the caldera is entirely filled with water and is surrounded by gigantic cliffs. It is the only sunken caldera in the world and resembles a lagoon.

Santorini is much more expensive vs Crete, with luxury hotels on offer

If you are figuring Crete or Santorini based on budget, there is no competition. Santorini is one of the most famous islands in the world and is way more expensive than Crete. Oia, Imerovigli and Fira villages have a plethora of high-end resorts and hotel accommodations, fine dining restaurants and trendy bars. You can stay in some of the most luxurious hotels in Santorini, an exclusive travel experience. If you prefer the high life, then Santorini is it. Santorini is a destination visited mainly by international tourists, not so much by local Greeks.

We stayed at a fabulous luxury hotel in Oia.

Crete is amongst the more affordable islands in Greece to visit. Crete’s high supply and high demand keep prices relatively low for hotels, while Santorini’s limited supply and extremely high demand increase rates significantly.

Crete regional dishes will appeal to food lovers

Cretan cuisine is renowned both in Greece and internationally for its unique ingredients and flavours. This cuisine is a celebration of simplicity, where fresh, locally sourced ingredients take center stage. Crete has a bounty of seafood and livestock. It is responsible for a third of Greece’s olive oil production.

I enjoyed Cretan-styled pancake stuffed with cheese.

Cretans adore their cheese and eat it by itself as meze, as an accompaniment, and stuffed in filo pastry. Crete has a traditional way to barbecue meat, Antikristo, which is difficult to find in usual restaurants. Gamopilafo, meaning ‘wedding rice’ is a dish reserved for joyous celebrations. Raki is the national drink of the Cretans. It is served almost naturally after every meal in restaurants.

Santorini has become a gastronomical destination too with many fine-dining restaurants.

Santorini is more suited for island hopping as compared to Crete

The Cycladic group of islands include Santorini, and it is easy to hop on to Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Milos from here. You can opt for taking a regular ferry, or even consider a sailing route that covers several of the Cycladic islands.

Crete, the largest island of Greece, is not part of any island group. If you’re limited on time, you will need to travel to Crete by plane to and from the Greek mainland.

Conclusion: Santorini vs Crete

To summarise, for a luxury international holiday destination, especially suited for couples, head to Santorini. Kick back and see the photogenic villages atop cliffs, admire the unique caldera views and the volcanic geography of Santorini island.

For those looking for an authentic Greek island holiday where locals go, visit Crete. Rent a car, explore this large island and do the various activities on offer. You can laze around on many of its sandy beaches, while your kids are happy in the calm waters. Or immerse yourself in the finest of ancient ruins outside Athens. And do add the Samaria Gorge hike on your Crete itinerary.