Campervan Rental in Chania

A compact loop from the meeting point near Chania Airport that strings together western Crete's headline beaches: the long sands of Falassarna, the famous Balos lagoon, the pink-tinged shallows of Elafonisi and the relaxed south coast town of Paleochora. Roads wind through olive groves and small villages, so keep driving days short and unhurried. One honest warning: the final kilometres to Balos are a rough gravel track, best covered on foot from the parking area above Kissamos or with a 4x4, not with the camper.

Big White Mountains scenery and the wilder Libyan Sea coast. Park at the Omalos plateau to walk the Samaria Gorge, a full-day one-way hike of about 16 km down to the coast at Agia Roumeli, open roughly May to October, with a ferry to Sfakia and bus or taxi connections back to your van. Then drive the hairpins down to Sfakia and follow the south coast past the lonely castle of Frangokastello to Plakias and the palm-lined river beach below Preveli Monastery; the roads are narrow and winding, so take the descents slowly.

The full island in one line, built around the two bases: collect the van near Chania Airport and drop it at the Heraklion depot for a 75 EUR one-way fee, so there is no backtracking. Along the way you get Rethymno's Venetian old town, the historic Arkadi Monastery, the seaside caves of hippie-era Matala on the south coast, and the windmill-dotted Lassithi Plateau at around 850 m. The climb to Lassithi is a long run of hairpins on narrow mountain roads, so give it time and enjoy the views.