A Crete sunset cruise leaves a harbour on the largest Greek island in the late afternoon and comes back after the sun sinks into the sea. It is one of the twilight cruises in Greece on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Crete sunset cruise includes and which harbours run one. It also covers the coast off Heraklion, Rethymno, Hersonissos and Malia, and the south coast. The night sky, the best season and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Crete sunset cruise or a nearby boat trip that can be booked online.
What does a Crete sunset cruise include?
A Crete sunset cruise runs on a sailing catamaran, a monohull sailing yacht or a Greek caique. Each boat switches on navigation lights defined by international collision rules. Its whistle also gives sound signals from the same rules.
A monohull yacht is a keelboat, with a keel and ballast to keep it upright. A sloop rig has one mast, a headsail and a mainsail.
A Crete sunset cruise boat signals turns with its whistle. One short blast means a turn to starboard, and two mean a turn to port.
Three short blasts mean the engines are going astern. Under Rule 32, a short blast lasts about one second. A prolonged blast lasts four to six seconds.
A Crete sunset cruise boat under engine shows a white masthead light. Rule 21 gives it a 225° arc, reaching 22.5° abaft the beam each side.
Sidelights glow green on the starboard side and red on port, each over 112.5°. A white sternlight shines across a 135° arc behind the boat.
Rule 22 sets minimum light ranges. On a boat of 12 to 20 m, the masthead light shows for 3 miles. Sidelights reach 2 miles.
- Doubt signal: Five or more short, rapid blasts warn of doubt.
- Longer boats: From 20 to 50 m, masthead lights reach 5 miles.
- Coast Guard: It enforces the law at sea and in ports.
A Crete sunset cruise yacht under 20 m can carry one combined masthead lantern.
Which harbours run a Crete sunset cruise?
A Crete sunset cruise leaves from harbours that face the Cretan Sea, north of the island. Departure points include Heraklion, Agia Pelagia, Hersonissos and Agios Nikolaos. Rethymno marina and the seaside village of Bali serve the coast further west.
Heraklion port has a small inner basin and an outer port. A 2,390 m breakwater with a 250 m entrance now shields the outer port.
A Crete sunset cruise shares the port with about 3,000 vessels and 2,000,000 passengers yearly. MedCruise counted 266 cruise ship calls and 518,575 cruise passengers in one year.
The Venetians built 19 shipyards in Heraklion, grouped in three complexes. They went up between the 15th and 17th centuries, and 5 or 6 remain.
A Crete sunset cruise from Agia Pelagia starts 23 km northwest of Heraklion. The village rises around an amphitheatric bay that rock outcrops nearly encircle.
A Crete sunset cruise from Agios Nikolaos uses a marina with 255 berths on permanent and floating pontoons. Its dry dock takes about 165 boats.
A Crete sunset cruise from Rethymno marina uses one of 174 vessel spaces on floating piers. The marina takes boats of 8 to 40 metres.
- Venetian basin: Heraklion’s inner port has a 50 m entrance.
- Psaromoura: This pebbly beach lies 500 m north of Agia Pelagia.
- Ligaria: This coarse-sand beach lies 1 km east of Agia Pelagia.
Crete’s north-west coast is the setting for sunset cruises from Chania.
What does a Crete sunset cruise see off Heraklion?
A Crete sunset cruise off Heraklion faces Dia, an islet north of the city. To the west runs the sandy shore of Ammoudara, a Blue Flag beach. Further west, a Venetian fortress crowns a high rock above the sea at Palaiokastro.
On a Crete sunset cruise, Dia’s south coast shows sheltered coves. West to east, they are Agios Georgios, Kapari, Panagia and Agrielia. Aginara lies further east.
In 1976, Jacques Cousteau carried out underwater exploration around Dia. He found the remains of an ancient port in the waters between Heraklion and the islet.
Dia’s coves, seen on a Crete sunset cruise, have been anchorages since the Minoan period. For centuries, the islet was the principal port of Crete.
Dia was once called Standia, from the Greek phrase “stin Dia”. The phrase means “on Dia”. Seen from Heraklion, the islet resembles a giant lizard.
Ammoudara beach starts at the Giofyros river, 1 km west of the centre. Its fine brownish sand reaches the Almiros river mouth, 7 km west.
Between Dia and Heraklion, a research buoy stands in water 175 m deep. The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research uses it to track waves and currents.
- Small islets: Paximadi lies east of Dia and Petalidi lies west.
- Cape Stavros: A small lighthouse at its tip warns passing ships.
- Palaiokastro fort: Venetians built it between 1573 and 1595.
Only part of the triangular Palaiokastro fortress survives, its walls parallel to the sea.
What does a Crete sunset cruise see off Rethymno?
A Crete sunset cruise off Rethymno passes a sandy beach that stretches 12 kilometres east of the town. The old harbour lighthouse stands at the end of the pier. Skaleta, Panormo and Bali line the coast further to the east.
ARCHELON ranks the Rethymno beach as the third largest loggerhead nesting habitat in Greece. The beach averaged 203 nests a year from 2000 to 2018.
A Crete sunset cruise passes the 9-metre lighthouse at the end of the old harbour pier. Research dates it to 1838, under the Egyptian rule of Mehmet Ali.
The French Lighthouse Company took over in 1864, and the light no longer works. On land, the tower features on tours of Rethymno old town.
A Crete sunset cruise reaches Skaleta about 12 kilometres east of Rethymno. Its three kilometres of sand form the eastern tip of the sandy Gulf of Rethymno.
Further east, Panormo stands on the site of ancient Panormos, seaport of inland Eleutherna. Ruins of an early sixth-century basilica lie south of the village.
Bali lies 30 kilometres east of Rethymno, on ancient Astali, once the port of Axos. Its four beaches sit in sandy coves with greenish water.
- Bali name: Turkish “balli” means honey, after local beehives.
- Talean Mountains: They rise south of Bali, named after Talos.
- Koutsotroulis: The highest Talean peak reaches 1,084 metres.
Daily excursion boats link Bali harbour with Rethymno, on the coast a Crete sunset cruise follows.
What does a Crete sunset cruise see off Hersonissos and Malia?
A Crete sunset cruise off Hersonissos passes the bay of an ancient harbour town. The moles of its Roman harbour lie largely underwater. Along the shore follow the Lychnostatis museum, Stalida beach and the small dunes east of Malia.
The ancient harbour town minted its own coins, and they showed a ship’s prow. Its sanctuary honoured the Cretan goddess Artemis Britomartis.
A Crete sunset cruise passes a pleasure port built over the Roman harbour. Three moles guarded its basin of 270 by 150 metres, with a 90-metre entrance.
Two of those moles lie largely underwater, and a modern mole covers the third. An ancient lighthouse possibly stood where two of the moles met.
Three early Christian basilicas belong to ancient Chersonesos: Agios Nikolaos, Kastri and Piskopiano. A Crete sunset cruise sees the Kastri hill rise above the harbour.
The Kastri basilica dates from the late fifth century and keeps parts of its floor mosaics. It rose over an older temple, possibly of Artemis Britomartis.
A Crete sunset cruise passes the Lychnostatis open-air museum, 200 metres from the Drapanos beaches. Doctor and collector Georgios Makrakis founded it between 1986 and 1992.
- Stalida: Its long, shallow sand runs east to Malia.
- Potamos dunes: White sand lilies appear on them in autumn.
- Malia wetland: Its reeds host bird species and rare coastal plants.
Stalida also keeps a small colony of Cretan date palms.
What does a Crete sunset cruise see on the south coast?
A Crete sunset cruise on the south coast follows the Libyan Sea from Triopetra to Lentas. It passes Agia Galini and Kali Limenes on the way. At Lentas, a lion-shaped cape marks ancient Lebena below the Asterousia Mountains.
A Crete sunset cruise passes Triopetra, about 52 kilometres south of Rethymno, below Mount Siderotas. Its name means “Three Rocks”, for the rocks off its peninsula.
A Crete sunset cruise sees Agia Galini climb a rocky headland above the Gulf of Messara. A breakwater curves east and shelters its harbour from southern winds.
The village stands on the ruins of ancient Soulia, the port of Syvritos. Tradition says Daedalus and Icarus took flight from the rock beside the harbour.
Kali Limenes means “fair havens”, the harbour named in Acts 27. A Crete sunset cruise passes Agios Pavlos islet, or Saint Paul, at its entrance.
Acts says the ship carrying Paul, a prisoner bound for Rome, reached Fair Havens near Lasea. Judging the harbour unfit for winter, the majority sailed for Phoenix.
The name Lentas possibly comes from the Greek word for lion, after a lion-shaped cape. Ancient Lebena, one of the two harbours of Gortyn, stood here.
- Asclepius sanctuary: Gortyn founded it early in the fourth century BC.
- Mineral spring: Sick Romans drank its water near the temple.
- Excavations: Italian teams uncovered the sanctuary in 1900, 1910 and 1912 to 1913.
Behind Lentas, the Asterousia range walls off the Messara Plain from the sea.
What does a Crete sunset cruise see in the sky after dark?
After dark, a Crete sunset cruise sees red Antares in Scorpius and bright Arcturus in Boötes. Sagittarius lies toward the centre of the galaxy. Venus or Jupiter can shine brightly, and the Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August.
Skinakas Observatory stands at 1,750 metres on Mount Ida, or Psiloritis. It opened on 12 April 1986. Its largest telescope mirror measures 1.3 metres across.
The University of Crete, FORTH and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics agreed to build a telescope. Halley’s Comet set a spring 1986 deadline.
A Crete sunset cruise can spot Arcturus by following the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle. It outshines every star in the northern celestial hemisphere.
Antares, Scorpius’s brightest star, glows red. In Greek myth, Artemis and Leto sent a giant scorpion to kill Orion. Zeus raised both to the sky.
Sagittarius, best seen at 21:00 in August, holds the Teapot star pattern. Astronomers tie Sagittarius A* to the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s centre.
- Perseids: This shower from Comet Swift-Tuttle peaks near 13 August.
- Venus: No natural point of light outshines it.
- Jupiter: Only the Moon and Venus outshine it at night.
A Crete sunset cruise near full moon sees the Moon rise around sunset. It stays up all night. A full lunar cycle averages 29.53 days.
When is the best season for a Crete sunset cruise?
Summer gives a Crete sunset cruise the latest sunsets and the longest days at Heraklion. Sunset comes near 20:39 in late June but 17:08 in early December. The June solstice brings 14 hours and 35 minutes of daylight.
The latest sunsets for a Crete sunset cruise come in late June. On 29 and 30 June, the Sun sets over Heraklion at 20:39.
The June solstice falls on 21 June. Heraklion’s sunset comes at 20:39 that evening. Sunrise on 22 June follows at 06:03.
The December solstice falls on 21 December. Heraklion then gets 9 hours and 49 minutes of daylight, with sunset at 17:12.
On the March equinox, around 20 March, sunset over Heraklion comes at 18:32. On the September equinox, around 23 September, it comes later, at 19:16.
When clocks go forward in late March, Heraklion’s sunset jumps from 18:38 to 19:39 overnight. When they go back in late October, it drops from 18:35 to 17:33.
- Earliest sunrise: Sunrise comes at 06:02 around 12 June.
- Summer humidity: Heraklion airport averages 58% in June and July.
- Autumn humidity: It rises to 63% in September.
July logs 384.4 sunshine hours at Heraklion airport, the highest monthly total. Those bright days suit a Crete sunset cruise and catamaran cruises on Crete.
What do travelers ask about a Crete sunset cruise?
Travelers ask about alcohol, smoking, wind, permits, winter and refunds on a Crete sunset cruise. Greek law bans serving alcohol to minors and smoking on passenger ships. EU sea passenger rights exclude sightseeing trips that are not cruises.
Can teenagers drink alcohol on a Crete sunset cruise?
No. Greek Law 5216 bans the sale, offer or supply of alcoholic drinks to minors in any way. Sellers must check a public document showing age, or use the KidsWallet app. Offenders can face up to three years in prison.
Is smoking allowed on a Crete sunset cruise?
No. A Greek law in force since 1 September 2010 bans smoking on passenger ships. It also covers all enclosed public places. An October 2019 amendment added e-cigarettes and vaping devices. It also made the police responsible for enforcing the ban.
Does strong wind stop a Crete sunset cruise?
Greek authorities can ban sailings in strong winds. During one September gale, a ban halted sailings from Piraeus, Lavrio and Rafina. Aegean winds reached force 7 to 8 Beaufort. Authorities planned a fresh decision on the ban at 10 a.m.
What Greek law covers a Crete sunset cruise boat?
Greek Law 4256/2014 calls such boats professional tourist day-boats. Each needs registration with the Ministry of Shipping. A day trip must bring passengers back to its starting point within 24 hours. Every passenger gets one ticket valid for the whole trip.
What is winter like for a Crete sunset cruise?
Winter days at Heraklion are short and damp. The latest sunrise, 07:27, comes on 6 to 8 January. Sunset on those days falls between 17:22 and 17:24. Relative humidity at Heraklion airport averages 71% in both December and January.
What do EU passenger rights say about a cancelled Crete sunset cruise?
EU Regulation 1177/2010 does not cover excursion and sightseeing tours other than cruises. It also skips ships certified to carry up to 12 passengers. It defines a cruise as a pleasure trip with more than two overnight stays on board.