For us, it was the stuff of legend, until we completed this incredible mission. Now, it isn’t to be just another day in the scenic Cretan Landscape, but an incredible time we won’t soon forget, for sure.
Paraphrasing the California Double, we dare to propose “the Crete double”. The Crete Double can be an ideal moto for a winter tourism campaign, and undoubtedly is an amazing premise: walk on the snowy slopes in the morning, then head to the coast before the sun sets! Crete is one of the few places in the World where you can both walk on snow and swim, or even surf and ski / snowboard, on the very same day! Cretan mountains located less than a couple of hours from the beach. You have however to plan it right.
Our suggestion: Probably the most iconic place to start is the Idaean Cave, where you may find it snow-covered even in July! The Idaean Cave is around 1,30h from Heraklion by car. From there you can follow the E4 trail to Timios Stavros, the summit of Psiloritis mountain (around 5h walk – the one way), On the way you may find some small snow concentrations until July too. Otherwise, you can go to Lakkos of Mygerou, and follow the “Strata of Psiloriti” trail to the summit of the mountains (around 3h walk – the one way).
Then return and start going to a beach. The closest ones are Ammoudara and Pantanassa, west of Heraklion, but off course beaches at Agia Pelagia or Kokkini Chani are still an easy option. On the other hand you go as far as Plakias or Matala!
The success of it depends on the available time you have, and the only period to achieve is in the shoulder season between April and mid June, when there are longer days and still snow on the mountains! However, you may find small snow concentrations even in July! Be aware of course that they are very slippery and the slopes steep.
🔃 What do you think about these places? Feel free to leave a comment or visit our Instagram account and share your favorite ones!!