Panigiri of the Transfiguration, Myrthios
The balcony village above Plakias celebrates the Saviour with music and food in the square.
Add to calendarNightlife in Crete
Bars, pubs, clubs and beach bars, from the harbour of Chania to the strips of Hersonissos and Malia.
Going out in Crete
Crete has nightlife for every taste: lively bar streets in the resorts, cocktail bars by the Venetian harbours, student bars in Heraklion, beach bars at sunset and Cretan nights with live music in the villages.
Where to go
Hersonissos and Malia on the north coast are the busiest resort areas, with bars and clubs that stay open late in summer; the hill villages above Hersonissos, like Piskopiano and Koutouloufari, are quieter with bars and tavernas. In Chania and Rethymno the bars are in the old town lanes and around the harbour. Heraklion is a university city with cafes and bars that are busy all year. Agios Nikolaos has bars around the lake and the harbour.
When
Greeks go out late: bars fill up after 23:00 and clubs after midnight. The resort season runs from about May to October, and many resort bars close in winter, while the cities stay lively all year.
Must do's
Hersonissos Nostos Irish Cafe Bar
An Irish style pub with Greek hosts in the hill village of Piskopiano above Hersonissos, open every season since 2001.
Chania Chania Old Venetian Harbour
Crete’s most atmospheric waterfront: lighthouse, mosque and Venetian arsenals.
Rethymno Rethymno Old Town
Venetian lanes, a fortress and a long beach.
Bars, pubs & clubs
See the full agendaAugust 2027
Transfiguration of the Saviour
Summer feasts in Zakros, Tymbaki and the pottery village of Margarites.
Zakros · Tymbaki · Margarites · Xirosterni and 4 more
Add to calendarDormition of the Virgin Mary (Panagia)
The "summer Easter" of Greece: almost every village celebrates the Virgin Mary with a feast.
Chrissoskalitissa monastery · Theriso · Meskla · Fres and Kefalas (Apokoronas) and 20 more
Add to calendarPanigiri of the Dormition, Atsipopoulo
The big village just above Rethymno throws the town's best-known glenti on the night of 15 August.
Add to calendarPanigiri of the Dormition, Lampini
A frescoed Byzantine church and a valley-wide glenti south of Rethymno.
Add to calendarAugust panigiri of Eleftherna
The day after the Dormition, Eleftherna holds its own glenti next to the archaeological museum.
Add to calendarAdult clubs (18+) (1) Adults only. Shown only in their own list.
Good to know
- Take a taxi or arrange a lift back: never drink and drive, and not on a quad or scooter either.
- You must be 18 to buy alcohol in Greece.
- Opening times change with the season; check the bar's own page before you go.