Crete in September
September in Crete is the promise of an island at peace. The southern beaches recover their calm, the gorges offer ideal walking conditions, and the light takes on that golden hue which transforms every landscape into a painting. The sea, warmed by summer, reaches 24 degrees: warm enough for a swim after every walk, in coves you have almost to yourself. Discover our trips in Crete, self-guided or guided, at the rhythm of this luminous late season.
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Why Crete in September
Temperatures range between 25 and 28 degrees, a perfect gentleness for wandering without the torpor of summer. The meltemi eases, days remain long and sunny, and the first rains will not come for several weeks. This is the moment when Crete reveals its most authentic self.
The grape harvest is in full swing in the vineyards of the north coast. Olive groves begin to bow under the weight of their fruit, and the markets of Chania and Heraklion overflow with grapes, ripe figs and summer cheeses. In the inland villages, tavernas serve dishes prepared with the produce of the day, in that atmosphere of unhurried conviviality that is the island's charm.
Our suggestions
The southern coast is September's treasure in Crete. The villages of Loutro, Paleochora and Sougia, reachable only on foot or by sea, offer absolute serenity. You sit down to eat facing the waves, swim between walks, watch the sun plunge into the Libyan Sea.
The gorges are in ideal condition. Samaria remains open until mid-October, but it is the Imbros Gorge, gentler and less frequented, that may offer the finest September experience: a peaceful descent between ochre walls, in a silence broken only by birdsong.
The Lassithi Plateau, ringed by mountains and dotted with windmills, invites pastoral strolls between orchards and cultivated fields. Lower down, the Venetian towns of Chania and Rethymno are visited without the crowds, their shaded lanes and colourful harbours returning to their natural rhythm.
Extending the season
- Greece in October: the last gentle days, the olive harvest
- October in Greece: all our autumn destinations
- Autumn: the favourite season of Kelifos travellers