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12 Best Crete Instagram spots – the most instagrammable places you can’t miss

With Santorini and Mykonos pictures all over your Instagram feed, it’s no surprise that Greece is a melting pot of tourists trying to snap those holiday pictures every summer. But, do you need to visit these Islands for beautiful holiday pictures? Heck no! Greece is by far one of the most picturesque countries in Europe, especially when it comes to its Islands. Today, we’ll skip Santorini’s standard sunrise and sunset photos and dive into the best Crete Instagram spots!

Why Crete?

Being the largest island in Greece, it offers an excellent touristic infrastructure for every kind of traveler. In addition, Crete is stunningly beautiful and, even though it is a well-known tourist destination, still offers many hidden gems and quiet places to explore. 

I absolutely adore this island and hope you’ll see its beauty through your own eyes (and your camera lens) one day!

Look no further if you’re on the hunt for instagrammable places for your trip! In this article, I’ll tell you everything about instagrammable locations and provide tips for all the mentioned photo spots. 🙂

Of course, you’ll also find these spots marked on a map down below.

pssst, check out my Instagram account for more photo spots around the world

12 best Crete Instagram Spots

1 | Photo spots on Spinalonga Island

Spinalonga Island is located in the northeastern part of Crete and is known for being Europe’s last active leper colony. The combination of dark history and unique beauty attracts many visitors every year. 

The island is a photographer’s heaven, so I’m sure you’ll snap some amazing images during your stay. 

The most instagrammable spots in Spinalonga are probably:

  • The colorful houses right at the beginning of the circular route
  • The top of the island with the fantastic view 
  • The ruins along the main trail, especially at the beginning.
Sneak into the ruins for some epic viewpoints
On the main path
Make sure to climb to the top for an amazing view
  • Wear proper shoes for climbing up the hills. The top and some ruins are only accessible through detours from the main path, which can get challenging.

For more Information about Spinalonga Island, read my in-depth guide for going on a Spinalonga Tour.

2 | Photo Spots in Matala

Matala is a tiny village on the southern side of Crete. Due to its vivid history as a hippie paradise, it gained a lot of fame over the years. 

The entire city spreads love, peace, and happiness vibes – making it rank high on the list of top Instagram spots in Crete. 

While Matala is the ultimate destination for photos due to the look of the entire town, there are a few specific spots you can’t miss:

  • The famous (hippie) caves and the view of the sea
  • The iconic blue staircase 
  • The beach and its magnificent turquoise waters
A girl sitting on the edge of a stone with the sea in the background
The view from the caves is great
Blue colored stairs with writing on it
The iconic blue staircase
The view through two houses towards the beach, where a girl is standing
Matala has so many cute alleys and unique photospots!
  • The caves will add some extra cost to your budget since they charge an entry fee of 4€. Make sure to (again) wear proper shoes. The rocks and caves are slippery and full of dust. That dust will also be all around your clothes later on… so either make this your last photo stop or carry some wet wipes to clean your clothes 🙂

Are you excited about Matala? I’ve written another guide about the best things to do in Matala you should check out before your trip!

3 | Photo Spots in Rethymno

This city will cross your way once you drive along the northern coast. Besides cute alleys, scenic (and delicious!) restaurants, and the old Venetian harbor, Rethymno is also known for the Venetian Fortezza. 

The colorful streets are unique and stunning, so you’ll find a great place to take pictures once you explore the city. 

Make sure to visit the imposing Fortezza and the magnificent Venetian Rimondi fountain during your stay!

The view from the Fortezza
All the romantic little streets
The alleys are perfect for pictures

4 | Photo spots in Chania

Chania is the second largest city on Crete and, in my opinion, one of the most instagrammable places. It’s the perfect place to spend a day and offers many beautiful sights. 

Some of the best and most popular places for photos would be:

  • The main promenade along the old port. The view of the houses with the mountains in the back is fantastic!
  • The tiny streets in the old town, especially in the Venetian district (“Topanas district”)
  • The pastel-colored Venetian buildings and iconic doors

Many shops present their products and art pieces outside on the walls. Some sellers, especially those who sell their own art, don’t want their samples to be photographed all the time. You’ll see some signs concerning this matter on the respective shop entries. Please be respectful and remain from taking photos.

The perfect spot for pictures!
The different colors and patterns in the old town are stunning
The promenade is not only great to walk but also very scenic when it comes to pictures

5 | Photo spots at Seitan Limania

Seitan Limania is one of the most magnificent beaches on the island. It is one of the hidden gems and very unique. Stunning photos guaranteed!

  • The view from the area next to the parking lot (right-hand side and a few meters down)
  • Down at the beach
You can swim, snorkel and jump from the cliffs
The view from the top
a girl in a flowing dress standing on the edge of a mountain. The sea underneath
Be careful when walking down the path!
  • Seitan Limania is not your typical beach. First of all, it’s located very secludedly and getting there requires a car and some driving skills. Once you arrive, you need to hike down to the beach. This location isn’t safe for kids or those that struggle with heights, narrow streets, or difficulties walking. 

For more information on what to expect, I’ve put my tips in this guide about visiting Seitan Limania Beach. 

6 | Other photo spots in Crete

6.1 – The roads 

Crete is absolutely scenic to drive. No wonder there are multiple parking bays along the streets. 

While there are many great places to stop, stare and snap some photos, there are two specific places I can already recommend.

  • The parking bay along the A90 next to a town called Petres
  • The “mountain” roads, especially 97.
The parking bay along A90
The view of the mountains from the parking bay
The mountain roads

6.2 – Mountain Village(s)

Once you take a detour on your trip to the next sight, you might end up in one of the stunning Mountain Villages. 

The one we visited was “Kastellion” during our trip to Spinalonga. I’ve never had more authentic greek food, and the scenery was beautiful.

Drinking Freddo espresso with a view!
It’s a vibe!
Tiny alleys in the mountain towns

6.3 – Knossos

The Minoan palace of Knossos is one of Greece’s most important archeological sites. Unfortunately, since it’s in the top 10 things to visit in Crete, the place gets incredibly crowded in the summer months. 

So make sure to arrive early if you want pictures without many people in them. 

You don’t even wanna know how long it took to wait for this spot to be empty lol
This scenery is impressing

6.4 – Samaria gorge

This gorge is situated in the Samaria national park in the white mountains in west Crete. A hike through the gorge is one of the most popular activities in Crete and will guide you through magnificent scenery!

Photo by Gunel on Unsplash
Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash
Photo by Kostas Vourou on Unsplash

7 | Famous picturesque beaches in Crete

7.1 – Balos lagoon

Balos beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island due to its unique form, shallow turquoise waters, and fine white sand. This spot is located in the northwestern part of Crete and is quite a trip from most areas. 

However, many tour operators offer boat transfers to the lagoon if you don’t want to drive the narrow roads down to the parking lot. Balos is one of Crete’s most popular places, so it can get very crowded. 

If you want to capture the beach without a mass of visitors, you need to come early and plan the extra minutes for the hike down to the beach itself!

Photo by Arthur Yeti on Unsplash

7.2 – Elafonisi beach

This beach is also known as the pink sand beach. This beach is found on the west coast of Crete and, again, very popular. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there on our trip, so I can’t tell you if the drive is worth it, especially if you’re not staying close to this area. 

However, this beach is unique and probably one of the main beaches that show up when you check beaches on Crete on Social Media.

Photo by Marita Mones on Unsplash

7.3 – Preveli beach

This spot gives tropical beach vibes due to the location in a palm forest. To access this beach, you’d need to go on another adventurous and exhausting hike – many stone stairs included. 

We haven’t been there so I can’t give you a recommendation for this beach either. The reviews are mixed; some love it, and some said it’s not worth the drive and hike. 

For sure, the incredible scenery is an absolutely instagrammable spot! But, you’d need to decide if you’d take the hike and drive just for some cute pictures.

Photo by Dimitris Kiriakakis on Unsplash

The best Crete Instagram Spots on a map

With these spots on hand, I’m sure you’ll create fantastic images during your trip. Is there any other spot you think should be among the best Crete Instagram Spots? If so, let me and others know in the comments down below!

As always, stay happy and healthy.

See you soon,

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Hi there, I'm Julia. I am a german native travel blogger and content creator showing you the world through my eyes. Welcome to the page!

7 Comments

  1. I loved seeing Crete in these photos since Ive never been here! I absolutely love the colors and architecture of Chania!

    Reply

  3. I looove Crete. Kritsa is one of my favorite villages there. Thanks to your guide I found out that I haven’t been to Seitan Limania. Not sure how this happened 🙂 But I’ll need to fix this for sure.

    Reply

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