The largest island in Greece, Crete is renowned for its pin-up beaches, wild natural beauty, exquisite cuisine, and thousands of years of culture and history.
As Crete’s most celebrated author, Nikos Kazantzakis (of Zorba the Greek fame), once wrote: “The mystery of Crete runs deep. Whoever sets foot on this island senses a mysterious force coursing warmly and beneficently through their veins, sensing their soul beginning to grow.”
Unsurprisingly, this mystical, pure, and generous island to the south of the Aegean Sea captures the spirit of Greece and enchants everyone who visits.
Heraklion, Rethymno, Chania, Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, Ierapetra, Malia, Hersonissos, Sitia, Sfakia… wherever you visit, it’s an island of thousands of vibrant images, filled with an open-hearted and vivacious spirit, rich history, world-famous cuisine, and hospitable people. ❤
0:00 Balos
0:30 Beach Almyros
1:00 Elafonisi
1:30 Vai Beach
2:00 Preveli
2:29 Vathí Kritsᾶs
2:59 Voulisma
3:29 Kolokitha Beach
3:59 Istron Bay
4:22 Spinalonga
4:52 Skinaria
5:22 Ammoudi Beach
5:52 Agios Antonios
6:22 Phalasarna
6:45 Ammos Beach
7:15 Agios Nikolaos
7:45 Plakias
8:14 Plaka & Spinalonga (Elounda)
8:34 Frangokastelo
9:04 Beach Vayu (Nisida Kolokythia - Kalydon)
9:25 Elounda
9:45 Dianiskari
10:15 Calypso Beach - Pirate Fjord
10:45 Agia Marina
The most seductive beaches of Crete:
Pictures of the heavenly Balos Lagoon in Chania have been featured in travel guides and glossies all over the world, as have those of the eternally beautiful Falarsana, one of the finest beaches in the Mediterranean. And as for exotic Elafonisi, on the southwestern tip of Chania … seeing is believing.
Episkopi and Petres have fervent young fans, while noteworthy in the south of Crete, Preveli, Plakias, Ligres, Triopetra, and Agios Pavlos, with their huge sand dunes. In Heraklion, the resorts of Malia and Hersonissos attract a young and vibrant international crowd.
Meanwhile, endless kilometers of golden coastline surround Ierapetra, in the Lassithi prefecture to the east. And the celebrated palm forest in Vai is one of the most spectacular sights in Crete, where palm trees embrace the golden sand, while the beaches of Elounda and those around Agios Nikolaos are not to be missed.
A priceless gift of culture and history:
On Crete, you’ll find some of the most significant attractions in Greece: famous archaeological sites such as the Minoan palaces of Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, and Kato Zakros. You’ll also visit important monasteries, some built in the 15th century or earlier, including the Preveli Monastery in southern Rethymno, the monasteries in southern Heraklion, and the historic Arkadi and Toplous monasteries.
You’ll be transported to another time wandering around the castles erected by Venetians and Byzantines. Particularly noteworthy are Kastelli in Chania, the Fortezza in Rethymno, the castle of Heraklion, Frangokastello in southern Chania, the Kazarma Castle in Sitia, and the Monte Forte in Lassithi.
Leave time for the fascinating museums, particularly the Museum of Natural History and the Historical Museum of Crete. In Myrtia, there is also the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum and in Fodele you’ll find the El Greco Museum.
Experience unforgettable Cretan hospitality :
Cretan hospitality displays the same characteristics as the island’s famous landscape: grand, generous, and infinitely welcoming. Families are only too happy to share the island’s many specialties – Dakos salad, free-flowing raki, or the experience of the mantinades, poems often accompanied by a Cretan lyre or lute. Wise old men recount memories of Crete's rich, and often troubled, past or tales of the vendettas between feuding families. And there are also stories of the great loves and friendships that characterize proud and family-orientated people.
A paradise for thrill-seekers and nature lovers:
Crete is the ideal destination for all kinds of sports and nature activities. For canyoning and hiking, the gorges offer unparalleled beauty. The largest and most famous is Samaria, with its world-renowned Portes (Iron Gates). Other noteworthy canyons are Amba, Tripiti, Kourtaliotiko, Kamaraiko (the longest), Ha (the so-called ‘king of Cretan gorges’), and Ethias and Eligas.
The home of the Mediterranean diet:
You’ll eat to your heart’s content in Crete, whether enjoying gourmet gastronomy or a simple homemade rusk salad with sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil, artichokes, and cheese. Discover the secrets of a Cretan diet, considered one of the healthiest in the world.
In Crete, you’re bound to be offered a glass of tsikoudia (schnapps-like firewater), as locals often make their own. At tavernas, they start drinking it early in the afternoon and it flows until late at night.
Rhastafarian by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
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