We could write 20 pages probably with all the places we love.

If you have Facebook, we welcome you to visit our facebook pages, search for ‘Villa Olof Palme apartments Crete’ to find it. We keep track of our favorite places there, together with photos and the distance from Mochos.

But to get you started, here are some of our favorites! We sorted it by distance, close-by first.

In 2014 the Aposelemis dam was built, which flooded the town of Sfendili. Sfendili is now a ghost town, where all houses are completely under water. Only the church tower is visible. Depending on the season you can see more or less of the village and the ruins.

Officially this is a forbidden area because it’s dangerous. On the road to Potamies you have multiple viewing points of Sfendili. If you decide to visit the village, be aware that first of all it’s illegal, but also that it’s dangerous. The houses are now ruins, some roofs came down, stones may still fall down on you, and you can fall through floors. Don’t enter the houses for your own safety!

Krasi, 7 kilometers

Krasi is a neighboring village of Mochos. You can find a very old aquaduct here, the ancient fountains, and 3 very big and old trees, the biggest one is a 2400 old plane tree near the fountains. There’s also a hiking trail at the foot of Mount Selena.

It has traditional narrow streets full of restaurants.

Lassithi Plateau, 13 kilometers

Perhaps our personal favorite place to go. The mountainous area of the Lassithi Plateau. All villages here are very traditional, most people live off their farmland and/or sheep herds. You will see many shepherds with their sheep, the ruins of ancient windmills, farm land and beautiful nature that changes every season. This is the area where you will have the best chance of still seeing elderly women still riding on donkeys, and men in their traditional Cretan clothes. The cave of Zeus and Lasinthos Eco Park can be found here.

Cave of Zeus (Dikti cave), Psychro, 16 kilometers

The myth says that Zeus, the Greek God, was brought up in this cave. It has a long history of cults and worshipping. It’s one of the most beautiful and most well known caves of Crete, and well worth the visit. You do have to climb an ascending path to get to the entrance of the cave, so we recommend you to wear some good shoes, and perhaps bring a sweater since it can be a bit chilly inside the cave.

Lasinthos Eco Park, 16 kilometers

Together with the cave of Zeus, this is the only bigger tourist attraction of the Lassithi Plateau. Here you can see old crafts like pottery and weaving, find a small farm and church, and a rather big souvenir shop where they sell many raki flavors among other items. You can also have a drink here on their colorful terrace.

Sisi, 20 kilometers

The village of Sisi is a picturesque coastal town. It has a small harbor and beaches, and is less touristic than Chersonissos, Stalida and Malia. Especially the harbourage is a beautiful sight. You will also find many birds here.

Agios Giorgos monastery of Selinari, 20 kilometers

The monastery of Saint George Selinaris is built in the heart of the gorge Selinari, near Vrachasi village and Neapolis. Next to the monastery passes the National Road connecting Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos, which is the main reason why Selinaris receives many visitors daily. For the Cretans it is considered bad luck to cross the canyon without stopping at St. George. This has prevailed since the past, when the travellers stopped here to rest with their animals. It is worth stopping at the monastery and admiring the beauty of the lush canyon and cool off at the local spring. The monks are very friendly and ready to tell you about the history of the monastery.

Amazonas Park, Neapoli, 25 kilometers

This small zoo isn’t as much a zoo as it is a breeding program for tropical animals. It is rather small, you won’t spend more than 1 or 1.5 hour here, but it’s worth the visit if you’re fond of animals. You can walk around the (big and clean) cages filled with tropical birds and parrots, and every hour or so there’s a tour inside the cages of the macaque monkeys and the lemurs. You can buy treats for the macaques and lemurs to feed them, and the lemurs will sit on your shoulder.

Anopolis WaterPark - 30 kilometers

Want a day full of waterslides and pools? This is your place to go.

Heraklion, 40 kilometers

The capital of Crete. You can find everything here, from museums to cinemas, from shops to restaurants. Well worth a visit! The old Venetian harbor is always a treat.

Agios Nikolaos, 40 kilometers

This coastal town has a beautiful lake in the middle of it, which makes it one of the most picturesque places of eastern Crete. Around the lake are many restaurants and shops.

Elounda and Plaka, 45 kilometers

Another picturesque coastal town with a beautiful harbor. From both Elounda and Plaka you can take the boat to the island of Spinalonga. You can also find many fishing trip boats here.

It’s recommended to take the Old National Road to here, from Neapoli into the mountains. This is a beautiful road to Elounda.

Spinalonga, Elounda, 45 kilometers

Spinalonga is a small island near Elounda in East Crete. Spinalonga is also known as the Leper Island, as that is where lepers from Crete and the rest of Greece were quarantined until 1957. Today thousands of tourists visit Spinalonga each summer by boat from Agios Nikolaos, Elounda and Plaka, for a tour of its ruined buildings, which the Archaeological Service is laboriously trying to maintain.

Voulisma Beach, 50 kilometers

We find this the most beautiful beach in our area. There are some great beaches near Chania too, but that is just too far to drive for one day. Voulisma beach near Istron is in a bay with white sand and turquoise water. Because it’s in a bay the water is never wild here. There are beds and umbrellas for rent. Our favorite beach when we want to have that ‘vacation feeling’!

Archanes, 50 kilometers

Archanes lies south of Heraklion, and the area here is known for its wine. The landscape has a very different feel from the rest of Crete, with lots of wine orchards and lush green fields.

We especially recommend you to visit Archanes around the grape picking season (september).

Faneromenis Monastery, 62 kilometers

There are many monasteries on Crete, and most, if not all, are worth a visit. We want to mention this one because it’s build inside a cave, which makes it a breathtaking church. The monks are very friendly and have a lot of stories about their monastery.

Monastiraki, 65 kilometers

Monastiraki can be found between Agios Nikolaos and Mochlos (further down the list). It’s an incredibly scenic, picturesque village, which mostly consist of houses built upon a mountain, and one small path/stairs as main road. You can find some small traditional tavernas here, and enjoy the view over land and sea. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area!

Anogia, 70 kilometers

Anogia is a small traditional village southwest of Heraklion in the mountains, near the Psiloritis (the biggest mountain of Crete). 24 kilometers from Anogia is the Ideon Cave, where according to the legend Zeus was born. The village itself is small and traditional, where many people still wear their traditional Cretan robes, and the women weave on the streets.

Anogia and Mochos have a special bond, because the winters get too cold in Anogia for the sheep, so the sheep come to Mochos for grazing. Quite some locals from Mochos married people from Anogia, and they hold a strong bond with this town.

Rethymnon, 75 kilometers

One of the big cities of Crete, west of Heraklion, with a beautiful old Venetian town center and harbor.

Mochlos, 75 kilometers

Mochlos is a coastal village between Agios Nikolaos and Siteia. It’s an idyllic place right at the sea, and well worth to stroll around and have drink or meal at one of the restaurants at seaside.

Zaros, 85 kilometers

Zaros lies in the heart of Crete, and has a spring where the Zaros water comes from. There’s a big lake surrounded by grass and trees. It’s one of the more lush and green areas of Crete.

Mirtos, 90 kilometers

Mirtos is a traditional village on the south coast of Crete. It’s the warmest place of Europe, and has some restaurants at the beach with a beautiful view of the Libyan Sea. When exploring the south coast, this is a nice village to make a pitstop!

Matala, 100 kilometers

Matala is known as the ‘hippie village’. Its on the southern coast, and is quite touristic. It’s an artistic village, with many art and murals. Even on the roads you will find chalk-art. It has a beach surrounded by caves.

Vai Beach, 130 kilometers

Vai Beach is the only palm beach on Crete. It’s found on the far east corner of the island. It’s quite touristic in the summer season, but if you happen to be near, it might be worth a visit if you want that tropical vibe!

As you can see, there are many, many places to visit. We hope you found some inspiration here! We have many, many favorites, too many to write down, we could fill 10 more pages.

If you feel like doing something specific (hiking, beaches, cities, nature, photography, wildlife, fishing, etc.), please just ask us and we will be happy to share our favorite places and best routes with you!

Personally, we like the smaller roads a lot because it brings you to villages and places that the highway won’t show you. But always be aware of bad roads, don’t take any risks if you see the road is bad. Better safe than sorry! Even the Cretans still get stuck from time to time, it’s not worth to spend the day next to a broken car in the middle of nowhere.

Always keep a map with you and your cell phone, and it’s advised to always keep a bottle of water and perhaps a sweater or jacket in the back of your car. Also bring your swim gear, you will pass some amazing beaches around the area.

An adventurous spirit combined with common sense will get you far, and you will see many hidden (and less hidden) gems!