Heraklion is the largest city on Crete Island in Greece, which is why it is so vegan-friendly. We were pleasantly surprised that there are special marks in almost every restaurant that tell you if the dish is vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free.
Heraklion has many interesting things to see and do. It is the fourth largest city in Greece. You can stay in the city centre but I recommend staying a few kilometres away so you can enjoy the beach or pool, especially if you are visiting in the summertime.
HERAKLION VEGAN RESTAURANTS
In the city centre of Heraklion, many restaurants offer vegan options, and we tried a few of them. Greece is one of the easiest destinations for vegans because you can find something to eat in almost every restaurant.
Most of the restaurants have Dolmadakia, which is a traditional Greek dish: stuffed grape leaves with rice and herbs.
You can also have potatoes, and to make Greek salad vegan, order it without feta cheese. Most of the restaurants offer stuffed peppers or tomatoes with rice called Gemista – this is also one of my favourite foods in Greece.
Here are some of the best vegan restaurants for your trip to Heraklion:
FAST VEGAN FOOD HERAKLION
It is a small vegan fast food takeaway restaurant. They are offering a lot of fast-food options like pizza, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, and wraps. You can also have milkshakes and pancakes. We tried gyros, and it was our first vegan gyros on our trip to Crete. We loved it!
UMAMI HOMEMADE ORGANIC & VEGAN RESTAURANT
This restaurant in Heraklion offers affordable and high-quality dishes. They get daily supplies of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables from the local certified organic market.
On their menu, you can find fresh cold-pressed juices and salads. You can also have a variety of different delicious vegan meals like mushroom gyros, burgers, chili con Carne, and many more.
CROP – HERAKLION VEGAN OPTIONS
It is a brunch and coffee restaurant in Heraklion where you can find something vegan to eat. You can grab an oatmeal porridge made with almond milk, a vegan burger, salads, and a vegan pancake tower with dips of peanut butter, dark chocolate, and maple syrup.
They also have almond and oat milk for coffee!
CRUMB – HERAKLION VEGAN DESSERT
When you are visiting Heraklion, you have to stop here and have a vegan snack and coffee. They have delicious vegan snacks. This was one of the best desserts I have ever tried.
VEGANATO – HERAKLION VEGAN
It is a healthy vegan street food restaurant. You can try their mushroom gyros.
THE CHICKPEA
It is a small, affordable falafel restaurant. You can have a falafel plate or a falafel wrap with different vegan toppings.
KUZINA IN HERAKLION
It is not a vegan restaurant, but you can find a few great vegan dishes there. You can try a few different dishes made from Beyond Meat, like pasta and a burger. You can find a few vegan salads and side dishes to create your meal.
PESKESI – HERAKLION VEGAN OPTION
It is one of the most famous restaurants in Heraklion on Crete, so we wanted to try it. For starters, we had dolmadakia, which it said on the menu was vegan, but we were served yoghurt beside them.
For the main dish, we had a traditional vegetable dish, which was ok but nothing special. This restaurant is overhyped, especially for vegans; there are many better restaurants in the area.
HOW LONG TO STAY?
Heraklion is a great city to visit and spend a few days in the area. There are many interesting museums and shops that you can visit. You can try a traditional Greek dish called gyros in a vegan way, or just enjoy this beautiful city.
Crete is a very big island, so definitely visit it for at least a week. We stayed only for one week, so we spent three days in Heraklion and the other part of our holiday in Chania.
Most restaurants in Heraklion have vegan options listed on the menu, so you can be a little bit spontaneous on your trip and not check every restaurant up front. Crete is very beautiful and one of the Greek islands that you cannot miss!
WHAT TO SEE IN HERAKLION
Heraklion has many shops and vegan restaurants that you can visit during your stay. For buying souvenirs, the best place to go is the Central Market.
In the Old Town, you will find the Cathedral of St. Mina,s which is the largest church in Crete. When strolling the Old Town, you will most likely come across the Morosini Fountain in Lion Square. The area around the fountain is very lively, and you can find many shops and restaurants around.
Heraklion Archaeological Museum is one of Greece’s most important and famous museums. The museum houses representative artefacts from all periods of Cretan history. The exhibition is really interesting and worth visiting.
When you are visiting the museum, you can buy a combo ticket to visit The Palace of Knossos, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations near Heraklion. You can explore the ruins of the ancient palace and learn something about history. There is also an option to skip the line and get the best tour available. Check it out here.
You can visit Koules Fortress, which is just a short walk from the Heraklion Old Town. It is a Venetian fortress from the early 16th century. You can also explore the newly renovated insides.
If you are not planning on spending every day at the beach, here are also some other recommendations to visit in Heraklion: Natural History Museum of Crete, Historical Museum of Crete
Where to stay? We recommend staying at GDM Megaron, a Historical Monument Hotel. The hotel is amazing and has a great location.
BEACH TRIPS FROM HERAKLION
For visiting the best beaches around Heraklion, I recommend renting a car. Most of them are a few kilometres out of the city.
From Heraklion, you can visit the famous Matala beach if you are renting a car. The ride is around one hour long, but worth it. The most famous attraction of this beach is the caves carved into the rock around it.
The most famous beaches in the area are Theseus Beach, Ammoudara Beach, Amnissos Beach, Paleokastro Beach, and there are many more!
With renting a car, you will have all the freedom. We rented a car with Discover Cars right at the airport and were very happy with the service.