Holidays in Crete GREECE - Discover the island ...
It's a huge island with bags of character, we know you'll just love holidays in Crete. It's got everything from gorgeous sands to pebble coves and dramatic cliffs. It's steeped in legend, soaked in sunshine, and littered with little villages, romantic retreats and perfect places to party. And its long, long summers promise sunshine whenever you've got a week to spare. So whether you're planning well ahead or looking for last minute holidays, in Crete there'll always be something to suit your style and budget. And that's just for starters … Once you're there you'll find watersports galore from lively beaches, and peaceful bays for snoozing in the sun. There's fast food, fine food and fresh fish dishes in a feast of bars, restaurants and traditional tavernas. And summer holidays in Crete can be as lively or leisurely as you like. Walkers will love the wild and rugged Samaria Gorge – a sturdy hike from the hills to the sea. Shoppers are spoilt for choice for stunning jewellery, leather bags, boots and belts, and arty studio ceramics. And if sightseeing is more your thing, you won't beat the island home of the Minotaur for Roman ruins, Minoan palaces and beautiful Byzantine churches. With family fun hotels in Rethymnon and Hersonissos, a night scene in Malia that's stamina-testing, a honeymoon haven in Koutouloufari, and 5-star service in Elounda and Aghios Nikolaos, you'll find Crete on the cheap, holidays lavish with spoil-yourself luxury … and everything in between. Travel to Crete and your choices have just begun.
Information about Crete beaches
Crete has some fantastic coastal scenery ranging from rugged inlets to long sweeps of golden sand. Matala boasts beautiful golden sands backed by cliffs whose caves housed free-spirited hippies back in the sixties. Vai beach in Sitia is consistently voted one of the top ten beaches in Greece and as such is extremely popular. The picturesque sandy stretch is framed by a palm forest, providing welcome shade from the baking sun. Georgopoli, in the west, boasts a breathtaking beach shelving gently into shallow waters. Sun Beach, near Malia, is a popular choice for families, with plenty of facilities and a full range of watersports, and Rethymnon Beach is another family-friendly sunning spot. Here, the wide, sandy beach is backed by a palm-lined promenade, and shops, bars, tavernas and hotels are just a short stroll away. Malia Beach is popular with the younger crowd. It's backed by funky bars so you can listen to the latest sounds as you soak up the sun.
Crete sites and attractions - Crete highlights ...
With so many resorts, Crete really does have an enormous selection of beaches all around the island, from sheltered sandy coves to busier, lively resort beaches with lots of watersports on offer. Do try and venture outside of your resort as you're sure to find much quieter beaches away from the crowds.
# Knossos: A must-see for anyone who visits Crete, this incredible Minoan archeological site lies in the north of the island near Heraklion and is said to be the palace of the legendary King Minos, who lived 4,000 years ago. Discovered by archeologists in 1878, the ruins include the main Royal palace, with its labyrinthine rooms and corridors, where the Minotaur, a man-eating monster that was half bull, half man, was reputed to have been imprisoned. Here you can see the original six-feet tall storage jars used in the palace, as well as fascinating ancient chambers, courtyards, stairways and even frescoes that once adorned the palace walls. A fantastic day out for history lovers and anyone keen to learn more about Crete's colourful past.
# Samaria Gorge: One of Europe's most spectacular National Parks, a walk through the island's immense Samaria Gorge is an unforgettable experience. Located near Chania, this amazing 18 kilometre canyon is open for walkers between May and October. First, you take a zigzagging path down to the gorge floor amid scented cypress forests and then follow the stream along the bottom enjoying dizzying views of the canyon and sky above. The highpoint of the excursion is when the gorge passage narrows to around 10 feet, with the soaring, steep canyon walls bearing down on you from both sides. It's an arduous but exhilarating walk - most trips start at dawn to combat the heat - and there's no turning back, so ensure you're well kitted out with strong shoes and bottled water.
# Frangokastello and western Crete: The western end of Crete is wonderfully scenic and untouched, with towering mountains, craggy cliffs, remote sandy coves and arid plains ablaze with wildlife and flowers. A main attraction here is the stunning, honey-coloured Venetian castle of Frangokastello, a huge 14th century fortress overlooking the Libyan sea. Now an empty shell, the castle still make a dramatic sight and is said to be haunted by the ghosts of 600 Cretans who were massacred here by the Turks in 1828. The sleepy hamlet of Frangokastello set around the crumbling ramparts has a beautiful beach with calm, shallow waters and nearby are the picturesque villages of Chora Sfakion, Plakias and Agia Galini with their inviting tavernas and shops ranged around their harbours.
# Rethymnon: This beautiful, Venetian-style harbour port on Crete's northern coast is a real delight whether you want to shop, sightsee or simply take your time strolling around. The heart of the town is its much-photographed picturebook harbour, crammed with waterside fish tavernas and dominated by a grandiose 17th century Venetian fortress. Beyond, you'll discover an atmospheric Old Town, honeycombed with narrow, shop-filled streets, ornate fountains, romantic architecture, flower-laden balconies and little mosques and museums. Once you're done with meandering around and shopping in the cute craft, jewellery and lace shops, you can head for the town's beach, a long stretch of pale sand and pebbles, which will make an ideal finale to your day.
Getting out in Crete: Nightlife, Clubs, Cafes & Restaurants
Crete has one of the most vibrant night scenes of all the
Greek islands.
There's a huge amount and diversity of nightlife ranging from brash Brit bars
and frantic foam parties to more traditional evenings of Cretan music and
dancing. Head for the big package holiday centres for all-night anything goes
partying in high season or join the locals in the more sophisticated night
scene of the main north coast towns. The twin resorts of Hersonissos and Malia, east along the coast from
Iraklio, are the two main hot spots for package holiday party animals. Both
resorts are awash with bars and discos catering for young, foreign visitors
hell bent on serious round-the-clock revelling. The drunken antics of foreign
clubbers (mainly British) have prompted a police clampdown in recent years but
you'll still find a wild, on the edge party scene here. Sexily-clad nubile bar
staff do their utmost to encourage outlandish behaviour from their
co-operative clientele of drunken youngsters who frequent aptly-named clubs
such as "Orgasmic" and "Corker's".
It's not worth hitting the clubs much before 1am and the serious stuff
doesn't take off until much later. Then the drinking, dancing and degenerate
behaviour continues till dawn. New pubs and clubs, many of them British owned,
come and go but there's always a plentiful supply of sports bars, theme bars,
cocktail bars, Irish nights, techno, trance and whatever else you want from a
wild night out. The main towns of Iraklio, Hania and Rethymno all have a lively nightlife
with numerous music bars and dance clubs where you can take your pick of
international chart music, Greek pop or traditional Cretan entertainment.. In Chania, which must rank as one of the most beautiful towns in the whole
of Greece, you can join the locals in their early evening " volta " (a stroll
with no particular aim or destination in mind) before relaxing over a
sundowner or taking a ride in a horse-drawn carriage down at the harbour.
Most
bars and discos here are gathered around the inner harbour and scattered
throughout the old quarter. The town has a thriving gay scene and from July to
September there's an arts festival with various events including classical
music concerts, jazz and traditional music and dancing. Open-air film
screenings (often in English) are often held in the public gardens. The capital Iraklio also hosts a big arts festival in the summer with
various entertainment ranging from ancient Greek and renaissance dramas to
ballet and Greek music, both modern and traditional. Most of the events take
place either on the roof of the Koules Venetian fort or at the Kazantzakis
Garden Theatre and the Hadzidaksis Theatre. There are also three outdoor movie
venues in town. You can savour traditional Cretan cooking and fresh fish grilled al fresco
at one of Iraklio's good quality but inexpensive ouzeris. For Cretan music and
dancing head for Aposperides on the road out to Knossos or Sordina, five
kilometres south west of the city centre.
Rethymno holds a Renaissance Festival in July and August with ancient Greek
dramas, folk and rock concerts, films and art exhibitions. Many of the
performances take place in the magnificent setting of the town's 16th century
Fortezza - the massive Venetian fortress dominating the headland at the
western edge of Rethymno. The town's annual wine festival takes place in the
Public Gardens and involves music, dancing and sampling the local wines. The attractive town of Sitia in the eastern corner of the island holds a
Sultana Festival every August in honour of its prime local export. Locals and
tourists alike dance and down copious quantities of locally produced wine. Agios Nikolaos, overlooking the beautiful Gulf of Mirabello, holds an arts
festival from late July until early September with traditional Cretan dance
troupes and musicians. The locals sometimes throw parties for visiting
foreigners who favour a night out at the festival over the clubland cacophony
of nearby Malia.
Climate and weather in Crete GREECE
Crete has the earliest and the longest summers in
Greece. In spring the island is awash with flowers many native to the island. By July the days are extremely hot and often blighted by the north-westerly meltemi wind which can make making beach sunbathing uncomfortable and the north coast seas fairly rough. Rainfall is virtually non existent between mid-May and the end of August - in 2000 it did not rain from April until the end of October. Autumn storms can last a week or so and it is often a better idea to go for a two week break at the end of the season. November can be a warm, balmy month and the big tour operators have ended their seasons by then. The long, high mountain ranges down the backbone of the island can result in marked regional variations and fierce storms in the north may never reach the sheltered south. In general the south is hotter than the north and the west wetter than the east. Crete's mountain regions are always cooler and are often covered in snow well into the spring.
Getting to Crete - flights & ferries - Getting arround the island ...
There are many scheduled flights to Crete throughout the year from
Athens,
Thessaloniki,
Rhodes and European airports (charter flights). The price of airplane fare to Crete depends on the season and the period of booking. It is possible to find cheap flights if you can book you flight well in advance. More people fly from the Athens Airport with
Olympic Airways, that has cheap, fast, domestic flights from Athens to Sitia on the east, Heraklion in the center, and Chania on the west. Reservations are necessarily in the High Season.
Crete has
two airports. A third one in Sitia (eastern Crete) should become operational for charters soon.
Heraklion airport is the largest and is located about 5 km east of the city of Heraklion. Heraklion airport has far more passenger traffic than Hania airport so you may have to fly to Heraklion even if your final destination is West Crete. You will then have to travel either by taxi or public bus to the West of Crete, a trip of about 2 to 3 hours depending on where you are going and your mode of transport.
The airport of Chania is a much better option if you are heading for the West of Crete. It is located on the peninsula of Akrotiri, about 14 km from the city of Hania. There is no public transport from the airport to the city. The airport of Chania is smaller than Heraklion and generally less crowded although it can get a little chaotic if several charter flights arrive (or depart) around the same time. Both airports have a taxi stand and you rarely need to wait for a taxi. It occasionally happens that taxi drivers try to charge more than the normal prices. Both airports have a list of prices for common destinations displayed at the taxi stand so make sure that you have a look at it before getting into a taxi. Bear in mind that there is a small airport surcharge (which is also displayed on the price list).
Most Travelers arrive in Crete by boat. During the summer the island has frequent connections to Athens (Piraeus Port), Thessalonica and sometimes in high season occasional international ferries to Ancona in Italy, Cesme in Turkey, and Halifa in Israel. The journey from
Piraeus,
Athens port to Crete take about 9 hours on standard ferries, and 6 hours on the high-speed fleets ( Knossos Palace and Festos Palace - of the Minoan Lines). On the Athens - Crete route, overnight ferries arrive at their destination between 5.00 and 6.30 in the morning. Thessaloniki to Heraklion sailing (with the Minoan Lines El Greco) takes approximately 22 hours. On the route to and from Heraklion in Crete, the Eleftherios Venizelos on the ANEK fleet is one of the biggest ships of its kind. Public areas and cabins are all of high standard. The new Knossos Palace (Minoan) was put in service at the end of 2000. It includes amongst its facilities a cinema, internet cafe as well as a swimming pool and music club. Food on the ships is satisfactory. There are both self service and full service restaurants - pricing in each is similar. The ferries to Crete sail when the weather is considered suitable and stable conditions are predicted. If the weather is bad, sailings will be cancelled (not often - but there are a few such days every year), and you should be accommodated on the next available sailing. Allow flexibility in your schedule when traveling by ferry as part of an ongoing journey. If delayed, see some of the sights of interest you may have missed! The shipping companies are prone to changing which ships they use on any given route - so as always, call to check if you want to book on a particular ship.
Crete is a deceptively big island and a drive east west can take the best part of a day. Most visitors stay in resorts on the north coast and drive east/west along the recently built main highway or south over the mountains and through the gorges. The main highway is not dual carriageway but it is wide, well maintained and well signposted making driving easy but a trifle boring. Traffic police are much in evidence though that does not stop local drivers ignoring the 60 km speed limit with reckless abandon. Off the main road the going is usually pretty good though lanes can be narrow and potholed. Roads over the mountains are generally excellent and improving all the time; some even seem absurdly good given the amount of traffic on them. Wherever you go it is difficult to avoid taking your eyes off the road to enjoy the jaw dropping scenery, especially in the mountains. There are buses every 30 mins on the highway between Rethymnon and Chania
Quick facts - Crete overview
Crete is
Greece's largest island at 250 km wide and between 14 km and 38 km wide and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean. Mountains cover two thirds of the surface area with three main ranges forming a backbone along the island punctuated by plateaux and occasional north south ravines including the Samaria gorge, the longest in Europe at 18 km There are 57 peaks over 2000 metres with the highest mountains in western Crete. The population of 600,000 lives mainly on the north coastal plains and in the west there are only two cities of any size, Chania and Rethymnon. Staple crops are the same today as they have been for centuries; olives and grapes. There are an estimated 13m olive trees on the island which also exports around 10,000 tonnes of sultanas annually. But no other Greek island is as agriculturally diverse with potatoes, cereals, walnuts, chestnuts, tomatoes and citrus fruits all produced in abundance. High temperatures and guaranteed summer sunshine are characteristic with subsequent water shortages and there are only five rivers that do not dry up in summer. Crete island is notoriously windy in July and August especially in the north. Crete boasts more than 1,500 varieties of wild flowers including twenty species of orchid and the hills are known for their scent from heathers and wild herbs. Crete is also a staging post for migratory birds to swell extensive local birdlife. The mountains are mainly limestone which has helped the formation of more than 2,000 caves many with archaeological or historical interest.
# Scuba Diving: With a variety of sites around the coast of Crete, there's plenty of opportunity for scuba diving and snorkelling around the island. Several schools around the island offer excursions and courses for both beginners and certified divers, giving visitors the chance to view the magnificent underwater scenes found here in the Mediterranean.
# Walking & Hiking: Visit in the springtime when the island is awash with colour and the weather is perfect for hiking and rambling. A real walkers' paradise, Crete offers enormous choice for those keen to head for the hills and discover the real
Greece. Boasting an extensive network of trails and ancient paths, the island is ideal for coastal and country walks with stunning views and amazing scenery (including the most famous walk on Crete - the Samaria Gorge - a challenging but rewarding trek which takes most of the day).
# Horse Riding: Saddle up and explore the island, with its beautiful countryside, on horseback. The spectacular landscapes and dramatic backdrop provide the perfect setting for a scenic ride, whether it's through olive groves and vineyards, along deserted beaches or past unspoilt villages. Follow the many hidden paths, trails and ancient donkey routes to see Crete at its best
# Ancient Crete: Known as Zeus' birthplace, the island of Crete is steeped in ancient history and mythology. Archaeological sites abound here, with the most famous being the impressive Minoan Palaces of Knossos and Phaestos, as well as Malia, Gortyn and Zakros. The islands' many museums, including the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, one of the most important in Greece, offer a fascinating insight into the islands' past.
