holdall · Heraklion, Greece

Heraklion

Mar 2023

1 month

Summary

Summary

After a bitterly cold couple of months in Tbilisi, I was on the search for warmer pastures and having never visited Crete, a month in it's largest city seemed to tick a lot of boxes.

Accommodation

Bad

Good

Great

If you are visiting out of the main tourist seasons (before May) you should have your pick of a vast array of options for a great price.

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New legislation

Recent changes introduced by the Turkish government has made short-term rentals for under 100 days more restricted. Keep an eye on Reddit threads for up-to-date assessments of how the new legislation is impacting short-term rentals in practice.

Places to work

Bad

Good

Great

Not an enormous selection of options, but I particularly enjoyed my time at Comeet, situated just out of the historical centre. There are an absolute glut of coffee shops dotted around all areas of the city if you are just passing by.

Value

Bad

Good

Great

Eating out is good value but being such a tourist hotbed, probably not as good value as Thessaloniki and Athens.

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The yen is currently at a 34-year low

While this is undoubtedly a negative for the Japanese, it makes for an exceptionally good time to visit Japan from abroad. Although this trend is unlikely to reverse significantly in the short term, it's still worth checking before visiting.

View cost of living

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Excitement

Bad

Good

Great

While technically a city, the centre of Heraklion feels more like a large town in the UK, with very little going on during the week. This may change during the peak of summer, but visiting out of season, it felt noticeably sterile with a lack of real excitement in any area.

Working hours

Greece is based in Eastern European Time, perfect if you are used to working in European hours, one hour ahead of CET.

🇪🇺 Consider working European hours from Asia?

I've written a guide on how to structure your day to get the most out of the time difference.

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Do you need to speak Spanish?

Without doubt, being able to speak Spanish with a degree of fluency is a huge asset when visiting South America. I had always put off visiting the continent due to my Spanish skills not extending beyond requesting a "cerveza grande".

But even with my incredibly primitive linguistic capabilities, it was not in any way to the detriment of the trip. English is spoken sparsely, but armed with a few phrases, some polite enthusiasm and a translator, it shouldn't deter you from visiting.

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Where to stay

Heraklion is a small city and easy to get around on foot. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on staying in the immediate centre.

Would avoid

Recommended

Old Town

The venetian walls form the perimeter of the old town where most of the town's food and drink options are.

Would avoid

Recommended

Leof. Ionias

If i was to return I would consider staying in this area just south of the old town which has a great selection of cafes and brunch spots. Only a 10 minute walk to the centre of town.

Where to work

Comeet

Top Choice

☕️ Good Coffee

📍 Top Location

🥗 On Site Cafe

🧍Community Focused

⭐️ Quality Fit Out

🌳 Outdoor Space

Situated just a 10 minute walk from the boundaries of the City Walls, Comeet provides a peaceful and calm location to work from with both fixed desk and hot desking options. I opted for a fixed desk on the first floor where you have access to the meeting room downstairs for calls if required.

A fully stocked kitchen as well as an espresso machine is provided, with numerous lunch options and grocery shops available close by. A great option if you are looking for a peaceful and professional working environment whilst working from Heraklion.

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Remote work visa

Remote work visa coming soon

A dedicated remote work visa is available for this country.

This country is actively working on a visa support for remote workers.

There is currently no remote work visa available for this country.

Greece introduced a Digital Nomad Visa in 2021, allowing remote workers to reside for up to two years. From January 1, 2024, applications must be submitted through Greek consulates abroad, not in-country. The visa provides access to 26 Schengen countries but requires spending at least six months in Greece. Digital nomads can bring family members.

Visa length

Visa cost

Earning requirements

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To the best of my knowledge this information was correct as of October 2024. If you notice something has changed drop me a message and I'll update it!

‍Citizen Remote is a great source of up to date knowledge for everything to do with remote work visas.

Safety

Off work

Walk the Venetian Walls of Heraklion

The ancient city walls actually falls well short of what they could be with some extra investment but still provide a great (if not interrupted) unique skyline walk around the perimeter of the city.

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Take a day trip to Rethymno

Nearby Rethymno is only an hours drive away by bus but features an old town bustling with tavernas and bars. I found it a more of an interesting destination than Heraklion and would consider retiurning there for a short stint.

Hike up Mount Juktas

Visible from anywhere in the the city centre, this mountain is reachable on foot by just walking straight at it for a couple of hours. The village of Archanes is worth a pitstop to refuel before or after the ascent.

Visit Malia

The coastal walk from Heraklion takes you through several beachside towns and resorts, finishing up in the former British party retreat of Malia. No longer littered with British 19 year olds necking Jägerbomb, the town was surprisingly pleasant and easily reachable via bus from the city centre.

Duration & season

Even with it's southernly positioning, Crete is not immune from the rotations of the seasonal calendar with temperatures routinely dropping under 10 degrees throughout winter. During March it was pleasantly mild, with some stand out days of heat in the mid 20s. Sunshine and high temperatures is of course assured during the summer months.

If you are looking for beaches, the city itself wouldn't be my number one pick, with the better beaches to be found to the East of the city towards Malia.

Food & drink

City Walls Run

Run

Could be an amazing route but the path is incredibly disjointed and poorly maintained forcing you up and down at various points. Still well worth checking out.

Heraklion - Rethymno

Cycle

Achievable in a morning, the ride out of Heraklion offers several challenging climbs. Some small towns for coffee en route.

Heraklion - Malia

Walk

Coast line walk which takes you to the next major town along the coast to the West. Lots of opportunities for swimming stops.

People

The demographic make up of the city is likely to swing massively depending on the time of year you visit. In the off season you're likely to see predominantly locals with the swathes of tourists making their presence felt from April onwards. The coworking space was mainly Greek's from either Crete or the mainland, with a few international remote workers present.

I stayed for one month which was plenty and one of the rare occasions where I would have been happy to have moved on early.

Exercise

City Walls Run

Could be an amazing route but the path is incredibly disjointed and poorly maintained forcing you up and down at various points. Still well worth checking out.

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Heraklion - Rethymno

Achievable in a morning, the ride out of Heraklion offers several challenging climbs. Some small towns for coffee en route.

keyboard_arrow_down

Heraklion - Malia

Coast line walk which takes you to the next major town along the coast to the West. Lots of opportunities for swimming stops.

keyboard_arrow_down

City Walls Run

Could be an amazing route but the path is incredibly disjointed and poorly maintained forcing you up and down at various points. Still well worth checking out.

Heraklion - Rethymno

Achievable in a morning, the ride out of Heraklion offers several challenging climbs. Some small towns for coffee en route.

Heraklion - Malia

Coast line walk which takes you to the next major town along the coast to the West. Lots of opportunities for swimming stops.

Verdict

Positives

A very relaxed feel.As to be expected from a touristy destination out of season, there was a very calm ambience across the entire city.
Moderately priced.Whilst it's not particularly cheap, eating out is relatively inexpensive compared to many other destinations.
Very safe and secure.In part due to how quiet a season it was.
Great value accommodation in the off season.Airbnbs in the run up to the summer months were some of the best value I had seen across the whole of Europe for that period.
A good base to explore the rest of the island from.It is easy to get around to the other towns via public transport, making them ideal for day trips.
Great for cycling.The quiet mountain roads are ideal for weekend rides, with no shortage of elevation.

Negatives

A distinct lack of ambience around the city.Even though it is the largest island in Crete and 4th largest in Greece, it doesn't feel like it. I've mentioned in other articles some cities being a pleasure to simply walk around. The opposite was true in Heraklion.
Not the widest array of international food.Whilst I love Greek food the Taverna and Meze culture isn't particularly ideal for a grabbing a quick meal by yourself.

Tips

Consider incorporating Heraklion into a wider tour of the island.There wasn't quite enough for me to justify spending a month in Heraklion, but it would be ideal for a week long trip as part of visiting the other cities on the island like Chania, Rethimno & Agios Nikolas. If i had to pick any of them for a return trip, it would be comfortably Chania.

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