Crete

Crete is Greece’s largest island, with enough variety for weeks of budget travel: mountain gorges for free hiking, village tavernas serving cheap traditional food, and beaches that range from organized to wild and empty. Key cities include Heraklion and Chania, both walkable old towns where wandering the harbors and lanes costs nothing. Overnight ferries from Athens are often cheaper than flying and double as a free night of accommodation, and the spring and autumn shoulder seasons bring lower prices and emptier trails than the summer peak.