Heraklion Hersonisos village

General information

Located 28 km east of the main town, Hersonissos is the most popular resort in Heraklion and attracts a great number of travelers thanks to its pristine beaches and friendly atmosphere.
This lively village is popular for its nice accommodations, restaurants, fish taverns and local shops, while its bars and nightclubs attract young people from all over the continent. Only a small part of Hersonissos remains authentic and untouched by tourism; as for the original Roman port on which the town was built, its ruins can still be discerned under the surface of the sea.

Hersonissos is the ideal destination for families, as it boasts pristine beaches that are sheltered from the north winds. In places, the waters are also shallow enough to be perfectly safe for children. Without a doubt, the most popular ones are Limanakia and Sarantari, which are well organized and will allow you to spend a carefree day by the sea.

 

More about Hersonissos

In the wider area, you will also find two waterparks with an endless array of fun activities (Acqua Plus and Water City), as well as theme parks that are bound to fascinate the entire family. One of them is the Labyrinth Park, where, among others, children can learn about the Minotaur, join a ceramics workshop and have an archery lesson. Another great option is Dinosauria, where a tunnel leads you to a huge area filled with gigantic and realistic dinosaur replicas. The park’s 7D cinema will also take you on a fascinating journey through time. The list would be incomplete without CretAquarium, the largest aquarium in the Mediterranean, where you can marvel at over 200 Mediterranean marine species.

Things to See & Do in Hersonisos village

Check out the things to see & do in Hersonisos village during your stay and explore what the area has to offer.

Top Activities & Tours in Hersonisos village

Experience once-in-a-lifetime moments by participating in well-organized tours related to Hersonisos village.
  • 5 Hours Trip Black Rose Pirate Boat

    Category: Day Trips, Island, Boat Tours

    Board the ultimate pirate boat for a memorable adventure. Sail from Hersonissos to Sissi. Stop to swim and snorkel, and then enjoy a BBQ meal.

    5 hours Map
    from € 59.00
    Book now

Hersonisos village Map

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Reviews

5/5.0
4 Reviews
  • pl98oy09 04 Sep 2009
    Still traditional and lovely
    Two summers ago, we stayed in Chania but this time we chose Hersonisos to spend our holidays. A small, nice village close to Heraklion, but still traditional.

    What I love mostly in Greece is not the beaches, but how (old) people wake up early in the morning and go to the square to read their paper drinking a hot Greek coffee, even in the middle of the summer. How grandpas go their grandchildren fishing in the evening and teach them something important today: to relax and be patient! How a granny with a chief around the head graps a kid by the hand and they go to the kiosk to buy an ice cream! How men talk about politics and football with so much passion.

    These are the moments I miss when I leave Greece, not the long beaches or the good food. You can find that in other countries, too, but the scenes above, you can find only in Greece.

    In Hersonisos, I loved that people are still so cool and relaxing. Only a few bad examples are pressing tourists to eat in their tavern or shop from their store. The rest don't pay much attention to you, as long as you don't spoil their calm. If you make noise or be unpolite, then the Greeks will be aggressive. That's from my experience.

    Hersonisos is such a lovely village to spend your holidays. The beach is nice and warm and there are frequent buses to Heraklion. If you don't want to make excursions in the inland, no need to rent a car. Buses are frequent and go to many other places.
  • melimax 27 May 2009
    Try the legendary Cretan diet
    Hersonissos, where we stayed for two weeks, is a perfect holiday beach location. Also, wonderfully quiet at this time (May) of year. We also spent a week in the mountains inland. My main interest is in wild herbs, for which Crete is famous, but there is so little guidance for the tourist on this. Also Minoan remains, absolutely fantastic- Gortis, Knossos, but best of all Phaestos.

    In Heraklion, food is dreadful, it's so meat-oriented. In the villages, and Hersonissos, good vegetarian food was always available. The Cretan Diet is legendary, but almost no one in Europe seems aware of this: you should market the healthy, vegetable-rich Cretan diet as part of the eco-tourism that is obviously the future for Crete.

    Put up proper signs to help people get onto the National Road, from Heraklion!!!!! It is utterly impossible, what are you thinking of? Everyone I met on this and previous holidays agrees, getting onto the National Road from Heraklion is an utter nightmare- the signs are worse than useless. I spent 90 minutes, yes, 90 minutes, trying to do this, eventually gave up and drove to Giza and got on there: it's appalling!
  • 27uu78i 25 Oct 2008
    Visit the Aquaworld in Hersonisos
    A small village at the east of Heraklion. I thought it would be quieter, but eventually Hersonisos turned out to be very crowded, especially among Russians and German. I was surprised to see many luxurious hotels at the surroundings and the beach of Hersonisos, which were almost all overbooked, so I guess book early if you want to stay there. We went on a daily excursion from Heraklion, where our accommodation was. The beach of Hersonisos was great and very calm. If you have children, be sure they will love the Aquaworld Aquarium: there you can see and touch reptiles, snakes and sea creatures. It is a great opportunity to make your children brave and familiar to nature.
  • nenane 06 Jun 2008
    Hersonisos good but too developed
    Our accomodation was in Hersonisos and we stayed for about 10 days there. It is a nice village, although I personally found other resorts more picturesque. I prefer more quiet places and less touristic. This small resort was full of luxurious hotels, with large swimming pools, enormous parking areas, suites and even golf courses. The taverns and cafes were lovely though, especially in the waterfront. Sit for a meal at the taverns on the beach and try Cretan onion pies, dakos and eggplant salad. Great!

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