There are many ways to travel from the Peloponnese to Crete, but one of the most fun has to be taking the ferry that shuttles people and cars from Gythio to Kissamos and then heading up into the mountains. My sister and I decided to make two full days of this adventure, complete with a beach visit, taverna stops, and a road trip.

Journey by Sea

We set out on our journey in our trusty (if horribly colored) ochre beast.

Our ferry left from Gythio, a lovely port town (for any Trojan War fans out there, Paris whisked Helen here for a honeymoon en route to Troy).

The Gythio-to-Crete ferry only runs on Wednesdays, so if you want this as your departure point, you have to do some careful planning.

We had an easy ride, largely because we chose to spend a few extra Euros for the nearly-empty business class cabin.

It was great to kick back on comfy sofas and get some rest, though it was impossible to engage in any business: the business class section offers neither outlets nor Wif-Fi.

To get to Crete, the ferry stops at Kythira, an island that is near and dear to our hearts …

… and Antikythera, a tiny island that one map calls “spot of wild goats.”

The Golden Sands of Falassarna Beach

We arrived at Kissamos, Crete, at about midnight, and drove about 15 minutes to Falassarna Beach. This was our view when we awoke.

Falassarna is a true beach-lover’s beach: soft, golden sand, waves that are fun but don’t feel dangerous, and a shore that goes on for a full one and a half kilometers.

Everyone is here: it’s a see-and-be seen beach, a family beach, a volleyball beach, a beach with cabanas (40 Euros per day) and umbrellas (20 Euros for the front row; 10 for the back) that seem to stretch on forever. If you want a true vacationer’s beach, this is your spot.

A Warm Welcome in Kissamos

For lunch, we drove into Kissamos and ate at Plaka, a tavern that looks out over Plaka Beach:

Everything we ate was fantastic, but the mussels in ouzo and white wine were the star of the show. We also had our first introduction to Cretan salad, which is essentially a Greek salad with soft mizithra instead of feta. We’re both big fans.

We ran errands in Kissamos, which has to be one of the friendliest towns in Greece. The guidebooks tell you to avoid it because it’s not architecturally or culturally interesting, but it’s a wonderful place to go if you need to see a Greek doctor about an allergic reaction (who charges you nothing for the consult) or stop by a pharmacy or a grocery store.

The Road to the Mountains

Our drive into the mountains took us through hundreds of acres of orange groves, so we were excited to find a taverna selling bottles of brightly-colored fresh orange juice.

The road then wound up, up, up, passing through small villages and more groves of oranges and olives. We wished we’d had more time to visit the enchanting town of Lakki:

We did stop to take a picture of this unusual statue of three warrior generations of Crete:

Our final stop was an Airbnb in the vicinity of Omalos, a mountainous region filled with goats and sheep.

It’s so beautiful here! And it’s a great mountain base for trips to the Botanical Garden of Crete, the Samaria Gorge, and the beaches of Paleochora.

For more on visiting Crete, check out my guide to the island’s geography and travel realities.