Things to do in Hersonissos

A resort built over a Roman harbour

Hersonissos is a package resort on the north coast of Crete, twenty-five kilometres east of Heraklion. The strip along the water is hotels, bars, rental desks and water parks. Underneath it lies a Roman port.

Rectangular fish tanks are still cut into the rock at the water's edge, where the Romans kept their catch alive. A pyramid-shaped Roman fountain with fish mosaics stands by the harbour. Neither is signposted well.

The hill behind holds the older villages. Koutouloufari, Piskopiano and Ano Hersonissos are stone-built, quieter, and full of terrace tavernas looking down at the coast. They are ten minutes uphill and a different town.

What it is a base for

Position is the argument for staying here, rather than the town itself. The airport is twenty-five minutes west, one of the shortest transfers on the island. Almost everything else runs east or inland.

• Malia — the third-largest of the Minoan palaces, a short drive east and far emptier than Knossos.
• The Lasithi plateau — windmill frames, mountain villages and the Dikteon cave, an hour up the road.
• Elounda and Spinalonga — the sheltered gulf and the fortress island, forty minutes east.
• Boat days — catamaran half-days along the coast, and the fast ferry to Santorini and back inside a day.
• Land days — quad safaris into the hills, horse riding, and balloon flights at first light.

Heraklion and Knossos are half an hour west, close enough to reach by public bus. The town's own trade is the beach, the harbour tavernas and a late strip in high summer. Out of season it goes quiet.

Practical

• Noise. The main road carries the coastal traffic and the bar strip runs late from late June to early September. Ask for a room off the front.
• Quieter months. May, June and September give the same sea at a fraction of the volume.
• Beaches. They are small and turn to rock in places, so reef shoes earn their space in the bag.
• Airport. Twenty-five minutes by taxi, and agree the fare before you get in. The coastal bus costs a fraction of it.
• Quads and buggies. Hire desks are on every corner. You need a driving licence, helmets are compulsory, and the gravel tracks are less forgiving than they look.
• Inland. Buses run along the coast all day, but almost nothing climbs to the plateau, so that day needs a car.
• Sun. There is no shade on a boat deck or a quad track. July highs sit around 30C and the sea stays warm into September.