Hersonissos
- Resort energy
- Two towns
- Hidden gems
A lively Cretan resort town split between a charming hilltop village and a buzzing beachfront strip — tourist-heavy but with rewards for those who look past the quad-hire shops.
- Resort energy
- Two towns
- Hidden gems
Old Hersonissos
Old Hersonissos sits 10 to 20 minutes inland on higher ground — the original village, with a genuinely lovely town square ringed by cafés and restaurants. It's charming in the way that old Cretan towns tend to be, and the small local population is still visible: old women in black making their way home with groceries, men drinking Greek coffee at the same café they've been drinking it at for decades. You do wonder, sometimes, what they make of it all.
Dining on the square puts you mostly among tourists, and some restaurants lean hard into that captive audience — more effort into attracting customers off the street than into the cooking. But a block or two back the picture changes. Taverna 1930 is the standout — worth going back to more than once, which is the only recommendation that really counts. Old Hersonissos is also home to the Axel Hotel, the gay-friendly resort brand with a Cretan outpost here — though the overall crowd in this part of town skews toward older couples rather than the queer travel demographic Apollo readers are likely part of.
New Hersonissos
New Hersonissos, officially Limenas Hersonissou, runs along the beachfront and looks out over the Mediterranean with the kind of casual picturesque quality that makes it easy to forgive everything else. It's more upmarket than the old town, with modern restaurants, beach clubs, and a younger tourist crowd. At night the waterfront strips are loud and genuinely alive — this is a known nightclub town, and it earns the reputation. It was home to one of the only dedicated gay clubs in Crete, though that venue is currently closed with some uncertainty about whether it will reopen — something worth watching if the queer nightlife landscape on the island matters to your trip.
Which Hersonissos?
Old and new Hersonissos are connected by a 20-minute walk downhill (easy) or uphill (less so — taxis charge around €10, and they know you're a tourist). Old Hersonissos has the Axel Hotel and the charming square, but attracts a predominantly older, suburban crowd. New Hersonissos has the beach, the clubs, and a younger energy. Apollo's pick is new Hersonissos — stay on the waterfront and make the trip uphill for dinner at Taverna 1930.
What's On
Pictures
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City GuideSheltered turquoise coves with a low-key, flirtatiously free-spirited feelSheltered turquoise coves with a low-key, flirtatiously free-spirited feelBeach
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City GuideBeachside Hersonissos club for cocktails, pools and late-night energyBeachside Hersonissos club for cocktails, pools and late-night energyBar
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City GuideOld-village taverna with Cretan soul and candlelit charm
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