Christmas in Crete: Things to Do and Traditions You Will Love

Christmas in Crete: Everything you want to know

By the end of October, the island starts to look more lonely, with fewer tourists flocking to the beaches of Crete, but also fewer flights and almost no cruise ship arriving on the island. And although there are still many visitors in popular areas, live in the main cities have a more relaxed rhythm as children go back to school and days get shorter.

As November arrives, locals seem to conquer back their towns. Traffic is less intense, parking is easy again, and finding a good place to eat is not as overwhelming. Skies are often cloudy, it rains a few days each week, and it’s often windy.

Finding where to stay can also be easier. Although many beach resorts close during the cold season, many city hotels, mountain resorts, and vacation homes remain open all year round (and fees are very convenient).

By the first weeks of December, cities are already dressed in thousands of Christmas lights and decorations. Across the island, squares display a huge Christmas tree or a big karavaki, the lightened Christmas boat, one of Greece’s most heartfelt Christmas traditions.

Markets start offering seasonal produce for delicious Christmas dishes and the atmosphere is kind of Christmassy.

Let’s see what people do around Christmas in Crete’s different regions.

Christmas in Heraklion

Since Heraklion is the capital and biggest city in Crete, you can expect to find dozens of Christmas events everywhere in town.

There is a popular Christmas Market that’s set up in central Eleftherias Square, where it’s possible to buy gifts and traditional decorations. 

However, this Christmas market is better known for the festive atmosphere given by small wooden houses where you can purchase delicious treats, including Heraklion’s famous custard bougatsa, but also taste local spirits and even mulled wine. 

This market resembling Santa’s village is a great place to purchase original crafts made on the island and taste roasted chestnuts, and it’s a perfect place for children to have fun too as there are ice skating rinks, workshops, music events, playgrounds, and dozens of other entertaining activities.

Heraklion’s cathedral is another place worth a visit, here, locals gather to participate in the different liturgical services that take place during the whole month of December.

On Christmas Eve, all churches on the island have a special service, but Saint Minas Cathedral’s nativity liturgy is the most remarkable of them all, receiving people from all over the island.

Christmas in Chania

The prettiest town in Crete gets even more beautiful during the festive season. You will find lights and Christmas decorations all over town, with specially designed photo spots for a Christmassy snapshot of the whole family.

The Old Venetian Port area looks magical with all the colorful buildings decorated with hundreds of lights. Near the Mosque of the Janissaries, right opposite the Egyptian Lighthouse, the city hall sets up a big Christmas tree while there are a few stalls selling sweets and Christmas decorations in the area as well.

Although it could not be described as a full-size Christmas market, kids can enjoy the Christmas train ride or have a delicious sugar candy treat.

During the days leading to Christmas, locals love to gather at any of the port bars and restaurants for festive dinners or just a coffee but also to exchange Christmas and New Year’s wishes with family and friends. Besides, at the main 1866 Square, several Christmas stalls sell local wines, pastries, and tree decor.

The week after Christmas, usually on the 26th of December, Chania’s traditional Christmas appointment is Santa Run, a massive gathering of people often dressed as Santa (or even elves), that run this Christmas Marathon (although many people simply walk and have fun) for charity purposes. This is one of the most traditional events during Christmas in Crete!

If you’re staying in Chania during Christmas, do not miss the Christmas mass in the cathedral of Chania, at Trimartyri Square. For a more solemn experience, check out the service on the Eve at Agios Nikolaos Church in Splantzia, or visit the nearby Agia Triada Monastery.

Christmas in Rethymnon

Lively and buzzing with its huge University population, this young Cretan town is a great Christmas destination if you happen to spend the holidays on the island.

The third city in Crete is home to dozens of bars and pubs that get especially decorated during the merry season adding to the festive atmosphere. Most of these places host their special Christmas events starting from mid-November until the first week of January. Pubs such as Fraules or Queens Rooms, opposite the sea, have popular seasonal events

Christmas-related activities are available all over December, including small street markets, Christmas bazaars, artistic performances, and music festivals.

Kalanda (which is the traditional name that Christmas Carols receive in Greece) are particularly popular in Rethymnon, where there is even a dedicated event featuring the Municipal Philharmonic playing popular Greek Christmas songs.

The city of Rethymnon proudly displays a myriad of Christmas lights and decorations on every corner. Particularly beautiful Christmas sights can be enjoyed along the Venetian port and the old town. Moreover, in every square of the modern city, it is possible to have a seat inside these immense illuminated Christmas ornaments.

There is also a lot to do in the rest of the region too. Reach the Psiloritis Natural Park for a weekend away in the traditional village of Anogeia, where it’s possible to live a truly white Christmas as snow is not odd up in the highest peak on the island.

Foodies will be happy to know that many of the city’s best restaurants and hotels offer Christmas dinners that feature our delicious roasted lamb. Besides, dinners often end with a tasty sampling of Greek Christmas honey cookies – melomakarona and kourabiedes, but also with local Rethymnian wines and tsikoudia!

😉 CRETE INSIDER TIP
→ Some local boutique hotels that are open also in winter, offer special Christmas packages, this is one of them.

Christmas in Agios Nikolaos

Another coastal town worth visiting all year round, the capital of the Lasithi region, Agios Nikolaos, is a magical corner in Crete to celebrate Christmas.

However, the city starts getting festive from the beginning of the month when, on December 6 the city (and the whole island) celebrate Saint Nicholas, its patron saint.

The celebrations are impressive, including music and fireworks. Being the patron saint of Agios Nikolaos, but also of fishermen, sailors, the Greek Naval Forces, and Coast Guard as well as the patron saint of the country, everyone gathers and celebrates on this special occasion.

Just as you’ll find in every port on the island, the small port of Agios lightens up during Christmas with dozens of fishing boats decorated with lights and other ornaments. This is a wonderful, purely magical sight when the sun goes down and the water shines reflecting the colors of Christmas. 

The main area where locals gather is around Lake Voulismeni where a huge Christmas tree with colorful lights and decorations is a must-visit sight in town.

But for a more traditional flavor, pay a visit to the villages nearby, such as Mochlos or Neapolis, for a unique Christmas spirit. The small mountain settlement of Kritsa is also a great place to visit. Choose the small local chapels for the Christmas liturgy, the spiritual atmosphere of the holidays feels more authentic, different from the more commercial areas on the island.

Christmas dishes to eat in Crete

Crete is a place where food is often one of the main reasons for travelers to visit, and Christmas could not be any different.

Apart from sharing dozens of tasty Christmas dishes from the rest of Greece, some recipes are especially treasured and enjoyed on the island, including dishes made with pork, as well as different varieties of Christmas cookies, Christmas bread, and more.

Christmas Cookies: Melomakarona and Kourabiedes

There are two different cookies you can enjoy in Crete at Christmas: Melomakarona, a honey-glazed cookie, humid, very sweet, and sprinkled with crushed walnuts, and kourabiedes, a kind of shortbread or butter cookies with toasted bits of almond. You can learn how to make these cookies here.

Christmas Bread

In many different areas of Crete (as well as in other areas in Greece), housewives cook Christopsomo, which translates as the bread of Christ.

When it comes to New Year, Greeks cook Vasilopita. The traditional version of this dish is more or less a special New Year cake bearing a lucky coin inside, the flouri.

It’s customary for families to divide and serve the Vasilopita in equal portions for everyone attending the dinner, and of course, whoever lands the slice with the flouri will be the lucky one for the coming year! 

Christmas Pork

Another staple dish that won’t be missing on any Cretan table during Christmas is pork. Pork cooked with celery is one of the local favorites.

However, you can also find other dishes made with pork, including pork cooked with tomato sauce, lemon sauce, grilled, and many varieties of sausages as well. This culinary staple comes from an old tradition in Crete where, in the past, every family in the village used to raise a pig which was slaughtered on the night of the Eve in order to serve as the main Christmas dish.

However, once the celebrations were over, the rest of the pig was cooked and prepared in a way that it would feed the household for months to come. Families would cut the pork to prepare unique dishes including rich-in-fat dishes such as tsilada a dish prepared with the head and feet of the pork, siglina, omathia, and tsigarides, a typical Christmas snack made with the fat of the animal as well as the more common village sausages and smoked pork or apaki.

As you can see, despite the quiet vibe, the island shines with Chrismas lights and decorations, making it a fantastic place to spend the merry season in Europe if you’re looking for mild winter temperatures, and delicious food. Are you planning to spend Christmas in Crete?

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