Crete tourist guide

With the beginning of summer, the topic of fire risk in Crete returns. According to forecasts published on civilprotection.gov.gr , tomorrow the entire island will be under an extremely high risk of fire. It is rare for this highest level 5 to apply to the entire Crete, unfortunately tomorrow we will be dealing with such a situation.

Tomorrow (June 29) the trail through the Samaria Gorge will be closed

From July 1, 2025, Greece is introducing a new fee for ship passengers who will disembark in Greek ports. This is important information for tourists planning cruises around the Greek islands. Disembarkation rates will depend on the season and location. The highest fees will apply to Santorini and Mykonos.

The new fee, the so-called "arrival fee", will be charged for each disembarkation at a given port. It will be paid by passengers on all cruises, both those organized by travel agencies and those on individual trips. Only the crew of the ships will be exempt from the fee. Some cruise lines may automatically add the fee to the cost of the ticket - it is worth checking this when booking.

The fee, which will come into force next Tuesday, will be charged per person and per port, regardless of the length of stay or the form of disembarkation (e.g. by support boat).

Although Crete remains one of the most popular tourist destinations, it is clear that the global economic crisis has changed the habits and priorities of visitors. In the past, many tourists came to Greece with a more relaxed attitude towards money, treating their holidays as a time for free spending. A clear change has occurred during the post-pandemic crisis, and thrifty holiday budgeting has become the norm. Tourists are primarily concerned with value for money and are planning their trips with greater caution.

A month ago we reported on the introduction of a large increase in the price of tickets to one of Crete's biggest tourist attractions - Spinlonga, the former leper island. At the beginning of April, tickets went up from 8 to 20 euros, now it turns out that the drastic increase in prices has significantly reduced the number of visitors to this place.

Kedrodasos is, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful Cretan beaches. Although it is located just a kilometer from Elafonissi, it is still a wild place without tourist hustle and bustle and beach infrastructure. Although Kedrodasos is still outside the area of interest of mass tourism, it is impossible not to notice that its popularity is slowly growing.

For more information on this stunningly beautiful place, check out this article . You can also see Kedrodasos in this video by Theofilos Bamboulis on Point of View GR.

From the beginning of 2025 to mid-June, 27 rescues were carried out on Cretan trails. 18 people were injured and 4 people unfortunately died from their injuries. Most of the people who needed help on the trails were hikers who ignored the weather conditions and their own fatigue, or underestimated the difficulty of the route. The majority of rescues took place in canyons, mountains and on isolated trails, and only one incident involved a beach in Crete.