It's a huge island with bags of character, we know you'll just love holidays in Crete. It's got everything from gorgeous sands to pebble coves and dramatic cliffs. It's steeped in legend, soaked in sunshine, and littered with little villages, romantic retreats and perfect places to party. And its long, long summers promise sunshine whenever you've got a week to spare. So whether you're planning well ahead or looking for last minute holidays, in Crete there'll always be something to suit your style and budget. And that's just for starters … Once you're there you'll find watersports galore from lively beaches, and peaceful bays for snoozing in the sun. There's fast food, fine food and fresh fish dishes in a feast of bars, restaurants and traditional tavernas. And summer holidays in Crete can be as lively or leisurely as you like. Walkers will love the wild and rugged Samaria Gorge – a sturdy hike from the hills to the sea. Shoppers are spoilt for choice for stunning jewellery, leather bags, boots and belts, and arty studio ceramics. And if sightseeing is more your thing, you won't beat the island home of the Minotaur for Roman ruins, Minoan palaces and beautiful Byzantine churches.

Sun, sea, sand and culture are the essence of Crete, a captivating island full of charm and appeal. Combined with countless mythological sights to explore, splendid rugged mountains and ancient olive groves topped with its unwinding soft golden sands, watersports, sapphire blue seas and tavernas it's perfect for a relaxed break. Sophisticated, lively resorts, lovely beaches and numerous watersports will keep you occupied during the day and when the sun sets, bars and discos hot up for the night. Crete is hundreds of holidays rolled into one.

Like on other Greek Islands holidays, holidays in Crete often take on an air of magic. The myths and legends of Ancient Greece seem to pervade the whole island, so you'll need to strike a balance on your holiday in Crete between total relaxation and feeding your mind with its treasures. A holiday in Crete is good for the soul, whereas a cheap holiday in Crete is good for the soul and the wallet too! If you travel out of high season you'll find that the weather remains remarkably good throughout the season making it even easier to find bargain holidays in Crete. Book with Cosmos and you'll find cheap holidays to Crete backed by nearly half a century of experience in creating some of the best holidays around. Our dedication to bringing our customers great value for money means that our bargain holidays to Crete really are just that, bargains!

Crete is a walker's paradise. The geographical diversity and wild beauty of the island are gradually making it into a choice destination for walking and hiking. The whole island is criss-crossed by trails, most of them now disused except by shepherds. It is possible to walk all day without meeting a soul and still reach a village where you can eat and sleep in relative comfort. If you're a true hiker as opposed to a rambler, you can discover areas that are practically unknown and totally uninhabited, with undisturbed flora and fauna, be it in deep gorges or high up on the mountains.
As you'd expect on an island like Crete, water plays an important part in anybody's holiday so there is just about every watersport you can think of (and probably a few you haven't). Most beaches will provide you with sailing, water skiing, parasailing, bananas, ringos and pedalos. But if you get your kicks underwater, Crete has some of the best scuba diving there is with good dive centres all over the island ready to help you enter the wonderful undersea world that surrounds the island. One of the best ways to appreciate the island is get on a bike and travel the country roads that cross the island. Spring is a particularly good time to do this as it's not too hot and the countryside is just beginning to blossom with the sights and smells of flowers and herbs. You can either join an organised bike tour, or simply go it alone.
With so many resorts, Crete really does have an enormous selection of beaches all around the island, from sheltered sandy coves to busier, lively resort beaches with lots of watersports on offer. Do try and venture outside of your resort as you're sure to find much quieter beaches away from the crowds..