Travelling with kids is all fun until they get bored or the weather is not suitable for a day at the beach (windy, cloudy, rain or high waves).
As I am part of many FB groups where people ask about places they can go to or things to do with kids, I have made a list of such activities and places, grouped by the location (Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, Lasithi).
Disclaimer: this is list is based on my research and places where I have been. You can ask your hotel or your host about other activities 😊
Heraklion area: of course, I will start with the main city and prefecture, as most hotels are located around the capital of Crete.
· Heraklion:
o Archaeological Museum and Knossos Palace
o Museum of Ancient Greek Technology – a hidden gem right in the heart of Heraklion (turn right or left on the street next to Octapous shop). On display there are inventions of the ancient Greeks, some of them the ancestors of modern day technology. Every 30 mins or every hour, the girls from the museum will do a live demonstration of those technologies and if you ask them, they will show you how some of the display object work. Entry fee is 5E/adult and 3.5E reduced. All prices and comb tickets can be found on their official website
o Natural History museum of Crete – located at the end of the Heraklion Seafront, kids can explore the local flora and fauna. The dioramas are open, the museum is kid friendly and interactive, supervising them is required. Also, there are exhibits of live animals (such as snakes or lizards) and at the basement level there is an area where the little ones can be explorers or archaeologists for a couple of hours. If they are a little older, you can also try the earthquake simulator. In a safe environment you can witness two of the most powerful earthquakes in modern history. Trust me, totally worth it. Opening hours, ticket prices and other useful info can be found in their official website
o Luna Park “Katerina” – theme park, right next to Heraklion Port. Worth checking here when they reopen
o Iraklio Bowling Center – across McDonalds and Central Bus Station, the largest indoor sports center in Crete. Bowling, pool, darts, arcade games, foosball, fun is guaranteed
o Go to Jumbo stores. Every kid’s dream, be sure to check if you can pack it in the check-in luggage
· Outside Heraklion: a car is needed, as some points of interest are not covered by public bus or there is only 1 or 2 busses/day
o Finikia Horseriding in Finikia
o Arolithos Traditional Cretan Village in Arolithos
o Riding Academy of Crete, in Karteros. This one is easy to reach by bus, take nr.7 from city center and descend at the stop with the same name “Riding Academy Crete”. The entrance is before (or after, depending where you come from) Faistos Supermarket. They also have ponies for the small ones. You can go to one of the beaches nearby after the ride
o Cretaquarium Thalassokosmos in Gournes, a modern aquarium with over 200 species from the Mediterranean, including sharks. One of the reasons why I avoid this type of places is because the dim blue light and the shape of the tanks give me severe dizziness
o Dinosauria Park in Gournes – located at an old US base (the abandoned barracks can be seen next to it), it hosts over 50 different species of dinosaurs, statues and robotic exhibits. This one and Cretaquarium can be reached by public transport, bust stop nr. 9, from Heraklion to Malia/Agios Nikolaos/Ierapetra.
o Aquaworld Aquarium and Reptile Rescue Center in Hersonissos (bus stop 20) – interactive exhibits of reptiles, you can walk among them (careful, snakes included – not poisonous, of course)
o Lychnostatis Open Air Museum in Hersonissos – a nice depiction of the Cretan culture and rural life
o Kart Land in Hersonissos and Malia – karting
o A boat trip on board of the “Pirate Ship”
o Meropi Aqua Park in Malia
Lasithi:
· Amazonas Park next to Neapoli – some kind of zoo, make sure you are there at 12pm when it’s lemurs’ feeding time, as you can feed them yourself 😊
· Semi-Submarine in Agios Nikolaos, where you can enjoy the Cretan underwater life through the submerged windows of a catamaran
· Ceramic workshops in Lasithi Plateau – Psychro
· Greek Mythology Thematic Park in Psychro – they can discover and learn more about the Greek and Minoan Mythology and be part of Percy Jackson’s world
Rethymno:
· Natural history museum/ Paleontological Museum – it is inside a former mosque
· A boat trip on board of the “Pirate Ship”
· Military museum of Chromonastiri – outside there are tanks, helicopters and planes, canons and old military cars
Chania:
· Minoan’s World 9D experience – the history of Crete through 9D animation (rain and wind included 😊 )
· Maritime Museum of Crete – ships and scale replicas from different times in the history of Crete
· Archaeological Museum of Chania
· Museum of Typography – from ancient press to typewriters and computers
· Greek national team museum
· Chania botanical garden
· War Shelters in Platanias
Of course, there might be other things to do, but like I said, ask your hotel or the host. They know much better than me 😊
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