Sadly, we can’t have everything in life, at least not all at once. Thus, if you’re going to the Greek islands, you’re likely going to have to choose just one for a trip. And which one should you choose? Today, we’ll take a look at Crete and Corfu in particular. Which one has better beaches? Tourist attractions? Clubs and parties? Let’s take a look.
Crete vs Corfu: weather
Crete and Corfu are quite far away from each other, so we can actually observe some differences. Crete is located on a crossroads between Africa, Turkey and Greece while Corfu is right next to Albania, on the other side of the mainland of Greece. In effect, Crete is very, very dry and hot. In both cases, you can expect over 30°C in the summer, though Crete will see absolutely no rain while Corfu may have a few days of respite. While day temperatures will be comparable throughout most of the year, nights will be considerably colder on Corfu and, generally, there’ll be more rain. The trade-off is that Crete is reached by the Meltemi wind, which brings some refreshment from the heat.
In practice, both islands will be plenty warm, especially in summer, though Crete is going to be a tad warmer and drier overall. If high temperatures are your priority, Crete is your winner.
Crete vs Corfu: beaches
Crete is the largest island in Greece, so you can find hundreds of beaches here. More than a third of them are also awarded with the Blue Flag status, meaning they’re among the cleanest and best beaches in the world. The most popular beaches are: Elafonisi with its pink sand, the Balos Lagoon, the Malia Beach and Tobrouk near Heraklion. You can read more about beaches in Crete here.
In Corfu, on the other hand, you’ll find lots of variety – rocky and sandy, urban and wild. One of the most beautiful is La Grotta, a beach nestled between massive cliffs. Here, overtly brave souls hop from the rocks directly into the sea. There are also your traditional silky fine sand beaches like Agios Stefanos.
Generally, you’ll find beautiful beaches on both islands. You can look up the most popular ones we listed and choose based on which ones speak to you more. One thing to mention is that Crete has many, many more beaches. What this means is that, in the high season, there are many more options for you to escape to if the popular beaches get overcrowded. Especially if you can hire a car, there are some real secluded gems that you can find completely empty because of the sheer amount of beaches on Crete.
Crete vs Corfu: tourist attractions
Apart from being a paradise for beach lovers, Crete is also full of ancient monuments and lovely towns. The most popular sites are the ancient Knossos palace, the archeological sites of Phaistos and Gortyna as well as cities of Heraklion and Chania. Crete also has some beautiful hiking trails, like the Samaria Gorge. You can read more about the attractions of Crete here.
Corfu, too, has a lot to offer. The island’s capital is certainly worth a visit, especially the UNESCO-listed old town. Another place of interest is Kerkyra, a fortress town. You also have some gems for nature lovers – the Canal d’Amour and the Peroulades cliffs, for instance.
As such, no matter if you’re interested in traditional exploration or if you just want to hike through some beautiful lands, both islands have got you covered. Once again, the distinction here is going to be two things: taste and time.
If you have more time on your hands, it would be sensible to visit Crete, as it’ll simply have enough to keep you occupied for a long time. If you’re planning a shorter trip, perhaps it would be better to choose Corfu to have a fuller experience – otherwise, you may leave Crete feeling like you should’ve seen more but you couldn’t.
Crete vs Corfu: parties
Despite its size, Crete is not really much of a party-animal place. You’ll, of course, find some clubs in the eastern touristic part of the island, in Mallia, Hersonissos and Stalida especially. Still, we’d say Corfu is a clear winner here. The island’s capital is said to never truly fall asleep, and there are great opportunities for parties in Ipsos, Kavos, Glyfada, Dassia Sidari and Paleokastritsa. You can find venues both in the city and by the beach.
Crete vs Corfu: where should you go?
As you can see, both islands have a lot to offer and, unless you’re specifically yearning for clubs, you’ll find great fun on both. Frankly, we’d recommend you approach it with the taste and time formula: unless one island truly speaks to you, determine which one you want to see first based on how long your trip is going to be. You may also want to take into consideration which part of the year you’re travelling in, as Corfu may be very rainy at that time while Crete may have more favourable weather conditions.
Either way, the one thing we’d say is that it really doesn’t matter too much. Both have practically everything you could need and either one is going to be great. Adjust your choice to the slight variations that we proposed today and we’re sure you’re going to have a great time.
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