Crete is in its natural prime between March and June; the plants and trees bloom with blossom and flowers. The temperature reaches a cosy 20°C by March, and it gets steadily warmer throughout the Summer time with highs of 35°C by the time you hit June. Winter in Crete can be fairly rainy and dull, but once these have passed the land seems to reawaken in fresh glory, with colour everywhere. Due to the variety of the landscape and over 1000km of coastline, Crete boasts a rich variety of cuisine, from freshly caught fish to melt-in-the-mouth cheeses. 

At Pure Crete, we provide charming traditional villas to cater for any group size, so if you’re looking for villa holidays in Greece, you can count on us. A trip to Crete in spring will bring you back to nature, and ensure a refreshing break.

Festivals

Spring is a great time for festivals in Crete. Because Greece is an orthodox Catholic country, Easter is a really big deal. In Crete they mark every stage of Easter, from the beginning of lent (called Clean Monday instead of Shrove Tuesday) to Good Friday, and finishing with massive festivals on Easter day. In Rethymno, they mark the beginning of lent with long, elaborate festivals. These comprise of parades with floats, dancing, traditional music and food. Don’t miss the Rethymno carnivals which will fall between 16th February and 2nd March this year. The Easter weekend is the most important one in Crete’s yearly calendar. Everybody flocks to church on Good Friday and commemorates Christ’s death by burning a bonfire. On Easter Saturday, church services are conducted in the middle of the night, and restaurants stay open into the early hours for families to gather after the service. Easter Sunday is greeted with merriment, a feast of roast lamb and a lot of wine drinking! If you stay in one of our traditional Greek villas alongside the local residents, it’s not uncommon for our holiday makers to be invited to join the party!

Flowers

Crete looks glorious in spring time due to the assortment of flowers that carpet the island. The beginning of March to the end of June is the very best time for plants and fruit trees, so if you want to see Crete at its finest then book early to get your first choice villa. Crete has the largest amount of endemic plant species out of any country or Island in Europe. With over 1,600 different types of flower is truly is a botanists’ heaven! Around the lower levels of the White mountains you can spot Cretan Ebonies and cyclamen. In the centre of the Island, there’s the famous Spili bumps, which are easy climbing hills and in April are covered in orchids and Iris. It’s possible to book spring flower walking tours, or excursions, and you can buy Crete Walking guides. If you’re planning a trip with the whole family, or aren’t keen or walking then there’s always the Botanical Park, situated in Fournes, just 18km from Chania. This delightful park has a breath-taking collection of flowers and plants including 150 different breeds of fruit tree. Tread the paths of natural beauty and get a taste for the botanical variety of Crete in one trip.