Crete
(Piraeus 174 nautical miles). The largest and most southerly Greek island, despite a busy tourist industry concentrated along the north coast, Crete has preserved its unspoilt nature, local traditions and ancient monuments. The Minoan culture, Europe’s first advanced civilisation, developed here between 2800 and 1000 BC. When Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453, many artists took refuge on the island, founding the renowned ‘Cretan School’ of painters.
The capital and main port, Heraklion (Iraklio) offers a variety of cafes, restaurants, nightlife and sightseeing opportunities. The old town lies within the 16th-century Venetian city walls, while the harbour is protected by Koules, an imposing Venetian Fortress. The National Archaeological Museum is one of the country’s top museums, displaying finds from the Minoan era, and the History Museum tells the island’s story from Byzantine times up to the present day. Close to town stand three wonderful Minoan sites – Knossos, Phaestos and Malia. The palace at Knossos, founded in 2000 BC, was a vast city of 50,000 inhabitants, destroyed around 1600 BC by earth movements provoked by the volcanic eruption on Santorini. The highlights here are the frescoed sanctuary and the royal apartments. Another palace, built on an identical plan around a central courtyard, can be seen at Phaestos, though the frescoes here are not so well preserved. The remains of yet a third palace can be seen at Malia.
East of Heraklion, Agios Nikolaos, one of the island’s best-known holiday resorts, overlooks the Gulf of Mirambello and several fine beaches. East from here stands Sitia, another popular resort with bars, restaurants, hotels and a Venetian fortress. West of Heraklion, the well preserved port town of Rethimno is made up of narrow winding alleys conserving a number of 16th-century Venetian stone buildings and 19th-century Turkish houses with traditional wooden balconies. At the western end of the island, Hania has a mixture of modern, neo-classical and Venetian architecture, plus a Naval Museum and good beaches.
South of Hania, the beautiful Samaria Gorge, declared a National Park, is the longest gorge in Europe. Keen hikers will be able to walk the 18km (11.2 miles) length in a day, while the less sporting can join an organised tour, departing from Hania.
The only major resort on the south side of the island is the small port of Matala, offering good sandy beaches and excellent fish restaurants.
Crete can be reached by ferry from Piraeus. There are airports at Iraklio, Sitia and Hania, with regular flights to Athens and several other Greek islands, plus a number of European cities.
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