From the Palaces and historical places to the dew of the Cretan Sea
From ancient Gortyna to the picturesque village of Sivas, from Sivas to the historic and beautiful monastery Odigitrias and from the monastery Odigitrias to...
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Αncient Gortys
Location 45 km south of Heraklion, next to the settlement of Agioi Deka Sights Roman Odeon, Great Inscription, Church of the Virgin Mary, Roman sculptures,…
Heraklion Archaeological Areas
Kaliviani monastery
Location 60 km on the Heraklion-Tympaki road Altitude 80 m. Central Church A three-aisled church dedicated to the Nativity, Annunciation, and Dormition…
Heraklion Monasteries
Ano Moulia
Location Mountainous village of the Gortyna Municipality, 35 km south of Heraklion Αltitude 640 meters History First mentioned in 1248, with significant…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Agioi Deka
Agioi Deka is one of the most important villages in Mesara archaeologically and the ruins of the ancient city of Gortyna are there. The settlement is built on the…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Ancient city of Gortys
The archaeological site of the ancient city of Gortys or Gortina is 45 kilometers in the south of Heraclion, in the west side of the Agioi Deka settlement. The…
Heraklion Archaeological Areas
Matala
The village of hippies, Matala, is approximately 70 kilometers in the south of Heraclion and is one of the most famous coastal settlements of the southern Crete.…
Heraklion Towns and villages Beaches
Chrisostomo
Chrisostomo is a small coastal settlement, approximately 75 kilometers from Heraclion and 2 kilometers in the east of Kaloi Limenes. According to findings, the…
Heraklion Towns and villages Beaches
Kaloi Limenes
Many beautiful and clean beaches are in Kaloi Limenes. Kaloi Limenes is 77 kilometers from Heraclion and it can be accessed by the asphalted road that goes through…
Heraklion Towns and villages Beaches
Zaros
The beautiful and interesting town of Zaros is built 45 kilometers from Heraclion and is included in the Festos municipality. It is in the southern foot of the…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Alithini
Alithini is a small village in the former district of Kainourgio, in the Gortyna municipality. The settlement is 150 meters above the sea level. 150 people live…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Sternes
Sternes is a village of the Gortyna municipality, 55 kilometers from Heraclion. The settlement is built on the northern foot of the Asterousia Mountain, 310 meters…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Agios Savvas
The Agios Savvas gorge is one of the most beautiful and imposing gorges of the Asterousia Mountains. Its length is 4 kilometers and, then, it is connected with…
Heraklion Canyons
Stavies
Stavies, in the Gortyna municipality, is a settlement where many interesting cultural events are taken place in the summer. Stavies is 60 kilometers from Heraclion…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Faragiani kefala
A small but very beautiful forest is on the hill called Faragiani Kefala, in the Faragiana village, very close to the Sokaras settlement of the municipality of…
Heraklion Forest
Vakiotes
A rock appears between olive trees in the Sokara area and some wine presses and rooms are carved on it. They were used as safe-keeping places and this is the archaeological…
Heraklion Archaeological Areas
Sokaras
The picturesque village of Sokaras is 50 kilometers from Heraclion between olive trees and fertile vineyards and garden produce of the plain of Mesara. Places of…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Rizinia
The ruins of the ancient city of Rizinia are on the Patella hill, 2 kilometers from Prinias. The city flourished as an independent community from the Sub-Minoan…
Heraklion Archaeological Areas
Prinias
Prinias is a village of a high archaeological importance in Crete and one of the most beautiful settlements of the prefecture of Heraclion. It is 25 kilometers…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Platanos
Platanos of the Kainourio district and the Gortyna municipality is 51 kilometers from Heraclion, 100 meters from Mesara plain. Two tombs have been excavated from…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Panasos
Panasos is a small, picturesque village of Gortyna municipality. It is 35 kilometers from Heraclion and 450 meters above the sea level. The beautiful settlement…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Nivritos
“I don’t believe that there is any village like Nivritos in a place full of flowers and near mountains”. The picturesque village is on the foot of the Ampelakia…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Megali Vrisi
Megali Vrisi is about 30 kilometers from Heraclion, in the north side of the basin of the Monafatsi district. The settlement is built amphitheatrically, 620 meters…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Loures
Loures, the village of the Gortyna municipality, is in the northern edge of the Mesara plain, 54 kilometers from Heraclion. Loures are 270 meters above the sea…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Lentas
The coastal settlement of Lentas, of the Gortyna municipality, is built on the ruins of the ancient city of Levin ( «Λεβήν»). Lentas is in the southern sides of…
Heraklion Towns and villages Beaches
Korakies
A Middle and Post Minoan settlement and a Protopalatial cemetery were found in Koumasa, the two-peaked hill of Korakies. There are four tombs (three vaults and…
Heraklion Archaeological Areas
Koumasa
The small settlement of Koumasa is famous for the imposing gorge of Agios Savvas that starts from the southern side of the village and it is 4 kilometers long.…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Kapetaniana
“In Kapetaniana, whoever believes in God, he talks to Him”, Thanos Mikroutsikos. A heaven on Earth is in the holly hill of Kofina and stares the Libyan sea. Kapetaniana…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Path Paranimfi - Koudoumas
A magnificent path starts from the picturesque, mountainous village of Paranimfi and ends in the monastery of Koudoumas. The hiking takes many hours but the exploration…
Heraklion Hiking Trails
Beach of Koudouma
In front of the monastery of Koudoumas is a beautiful and very clean beach. You can enjoy swimming in the cool water of the sea as long as you respect the area…
Heraklion Beaches
Monastery of Koudoumas
The monastery of Koudoumas is very well protected by the imposing Asterousia Mountains, in the south of the cape of Martelos, and by the Libyan sea in the south.…
Heraklion Monasteries
Gorge of Eligia
The entrance of the secured gorge of Eligia is in the dirt road that connects Kapetaniana with the coastal settlement of Agios Ioannis. A few meters before the…
Heraklion Canyons
Dionisi
Dionisi is a small, picturesque village of the Gortyna municipality and 57 kilometers from Heraclion. The settlement is built on the northern foot of Asterousia…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Natural history museum of Gergeri
The Local and Natural History Museum of Gergeri was found in 1996 to record, study and make the characteristics of the natural environment known. Another reason…
Heraklion Natural History Museums
Museum of Elia
The Open Museum of Elia is in the yard of an old mill that is called “Mesakos”, in Gergeri. There are some reconstructed oil presses and presses from the Minoan…
Heraklion Historical Museums
Lakes of Gergeri
The two lakes of the area are about 1 kilometer from Gergeri on a hill with a wonderful view. The one is a man-made water reservoir lake and the other a small,…
Heraklion Lakes
Gergeri
Gergeri is a large village in the southern foot of Psiloreitis and is built between impressive and steep cliffs. The wonderful forest of Rouvas is above the village.…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Vasiliki
The Vasiliki village is near the Asterousia Mountains, 260 meters above the sea level and 56 kilometers from Heraclion. The Vasiliki community includes Vasiliki…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Vagionia
On the foot of the Asterousia mountains, from where the Xilvestra torrent of the Geropotamos tributary is, the village of the Gortyna municipality, Vagionia…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Asimi
Asimi is in the Gortyna municipality and a modern town that serves the commercial, banking and other needs of the residents of the area. It is on the watershed…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Ano Akria
Ano Akria is a village of the Gortyna municipality. The settlement is 40 kilometers from Heraclion and built on the semi- mountainous area of the hummock of the…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Cave of Agios Antonios
The cave of Agios Antonios is in a lonely area at about the middle of the path that connects the settlement of Agios Ioannis with the monastery of Koudoumas. If…
Heraklion Caves Beaches
Path Agios Ioannis - Koudoumas
The path which connects the monastery with the coastal settlement of Agios Ioannis is in the west of the monastery of Koudoumas. The route is easy and lasts about…
Heraklion Hiking Trails
Agios Ioannis
The settlement of Agios Ioannis is a few meters from Kapetaniana, after a winding, dirt road. It its built along the Ponta peninsula . A wonderful beach with blue…
Heraklion Towns and villages Beaches
Melissa fortress
The Melissa fortress in near the settlement of Agios Thomas, on the top of a hill with a magnificent view. It is one of the largest fortifications of the inland…
Heraklion Historical Sites
Agios Thomas
Agios Thomas is a place with an imposing landscape, dense vegetation and a magnificent view. The carved winepresses, the Roman tombs, the Melissa fortress, the…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Agia Varvara
Agia Varvara, of the Gortyna municipality, is the longest village in Crete. The village is built along the road of Heraclion to western Mesara. The distance between…
