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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Lappa ancient
The Lappa ancient city was one of the most important cities in Crete that, according to the Mycenaean traditions, was founded by Agamemnonas. Lappa was in the place…
Rethimno Archaeological Areas
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
Ancient Lato
The ancient Lato city was about 3 kilometers in the north of Kritsa of the Agios Nikolaos municipality, in Lasithi. It was protected due to its geographical position…
Lasithi Archaeological Areas
The Legend of the Minotaur
Knossos was the centre of one of the most potent ancient civilisation of the entire world. The king of this period, Minos gave his name to this civilisation. Minos…
Crete Cretography
The healing herbs
The flora of Crete is very important due to the mild and hot climate. There are 2000 different plant species and 160 of them are indigenous. The large number of…
Crete Cretography
Custom of Klidonas
The custom of Klidonas is rooted from the ancient times and mentioned in various texts of the ancient historians. The word “Klidonas” came from the ancient word…
Crete Culture
Tsikoudia -the medicine
The alcohol extracts were used in medicine and perfumery, in the ancient Greece. The traditional Cretan tsikoudia is a very famous product of the vineyard as, apart…
Crete Cretography
Honey, the liquid medicine of our diet
The Cretan honey was famous in all over the world from the ancient times due to its taste and its thyme (honey with thyme). Beekeeping in Crete has been popular…
Crete Products
Cretan wines
“The wine makes the poor rich in imagination and the rich poor in reality” Plato The wine in Crete has been produced since the Minoan Years. The Minoans cultivated…
Crete Products
Cretan cheese
The value of cheese has been appreciated by the ancient Greeks. The first references of goat and sheep breeding in Crete have been in the Greek mythology. Chased…
Crete Cretography
“Mantinada: The Cretan Heart”
Mantinada is words combined in order to create a couplet with fifteen syllables and rhyming expressing feelings, thoughts or even the everyday life of the Cretans.…
Crete Culture
Cretan diet: the treatment on your plate!
The pure ingredients, produced by the fertile land of Crete combined with a fabulous way, are the feature of the Cretan diet that is famous for its wonderful tastes…
Crete Culture
Cretan dances
The dances of Crete are danced by men and women and remind the imposing and dynamic presence of the people of the island. The Cretan dances are divided into two…
Crete Culture
The dialect of Crete
The Cretan dialect includes words that came from and were influenced by the various nations inhabited in Crete that were adapted and changed in order to have the…
Crete Culture
Vendetta, a negative feature
A negative feature of the Cretan customs is vendetta, the revengeful murder that sooths the retributive justice. The law of retribution started to take place in…
Crete Cretography
Chania
Chania is a modern city that coexists with the magic of the past. Wandering in the city, you can find buildings of the Venetian, Ottoman and traditional style.…
Chania Towns and villages
Maritime Museum of Crete
The Maritime Museum of Crete is near the port of Chania, next to the entrance of the Firka fortress. The museum was founded in order to preserve the naval traditions…
Chania Other Museums
Αncient city of Falasarna
The ancient city of Falasarna or Korikos was very developed commercially and its port was the main of Polirinia. The city flourished in the 4th and 3th century…
Chania Archaeological Areas
Falasarna
Falasarna with its awarded beach is about 60 kilometers in the west of Chania, in the western part of the Gramvousa Cape. The area is under the protected Natura…
Chania Beaches Towns and villages
Palaiochora
Palaiochora is a small coastal town about 70 kilometers in the south-west of Chania, built on a peninsula and between two bays. The settlement is on the ruins of…
Chania Beaches Towns and villages
Kourna lake
The Kourna Lake is the unique natural fresh-water lake of Crete, 4 kilometers in the south of the coastal Georgioupoli settlement and 2.5 kilometers from the Kournas…
Chania Lakes
Georgioupoli
The coastal settlement of Georgioupoli is about 40 kilometers in the east of Chania and 20 kilometers in the west of Rethimno. Georgioupoli is under the Chania…
Chania Beaches Towns and villages
Loutro
The picturesque, coastal Loutro village of the Sfakia province in the Chania prefecture is not related to the heavy tourism, the luxurious hotels and the endless…
Chania Beaches Towns and villages
5. Sougia - Agia Roumeli
The fifth route of the E4 European Long Distance Path in Crete is 20 kilometers long and lasts 8 to 9 hours. You should follow it from April to September and the…
Chania E4
4. Palaiochora - Sougia
The fourth route of the E4 European long distance Path is about 14,5 kilometers and lasts about 4 and a half hours. The ideal time of the year in order to visit…
Chania E4
1. Kasteli Kissamou - Sfinari
The E4 European long distance path of Crete starts from Kasteli Kissamou of the Chania prefecture. The total length of the Kasteli Kissamou-Sfinari route is about…
Chania E4
Gorge of Agios Antonios of Patsos
One of the most beautiful gorges of the Rethimno prefecture, the Patsos gorge or the gorge of Agios Antonios of Patsos, is about 3 kilometers from the Patsos settlement…
Rethimno Canyons
Platis river
The Platis or Amarianos River is supplied from the Amari valley and ends to the eastern side of the coastal settlement of Agia Galini. Platis was thought as the…
Rethimno Rivers
A walk in the narrow streets of the Rethimno city can travel the visitor to other epochs. Buildings of the Venetian style, tiled streets and smiling and hospitable…
Rethimno Towns and villages
Argyroupoli
Argyroupoli is one of the most beautiful villages of the Rethimno prefecture, on the hill between the springs of the Petre and Mousela Rivers after which the names…
Rethimno Towns and villages
Panormo
Panormo is a traditional, coastal settlement of the Milopotamos municipality and the Rethimno prefecture. The picturesque village is about 22 kilometers from Rethimno…
Rethimno Beaches Towns and villages
Mpali
Mpali in the Rethimno prefecture is one of the most beautiful tourist places of the northern beaches of Crete. The coastal settlement is 32 kilometers from Rethimno…
Rethimno Beaches Towns and villages
Idaion Antron cavern
The Idaion Antron is near the picturesque town of Anogeia with the important history and the impressive myths. The cavern is 1500 meters above the sea level and…
Rethimno Caves
Sachtouria
The picturesque settlement of the Agios Vasileios municipality in the Rethimno prefecture, Sachtouria, is in a very beautiful area, in the north-western side of…
Rethimno Towns and villages
Agia Galini
Agia Galini is a very picturesque coastal settlement, 60 kilometers from Rethimno and about 70 kilometers from Heraclion. It “hangs” over the beautiful small port…
Rethimno Beaches Towns and villages
Avli
The picturesque Avli village of the Minoa Pediados is 35 kilometers from Heraclion. The Kassanoi settlement is under the Avli district. According to the 2011 census,…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Ano Viannos
“Passers-by, when you go to Viannos, don’t walk on graves in order not to be burnt. Brothers were buried there that were fighting for freedom. They killed mothers,…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Fourni
A walk in the beautiful, man-made small wood next to one of the most important archaeological sites in Crete would be a very good idea. Fourni is on a hill full…
Heraklion Archaeological Areas Forest
Archanes
“The other day, the three friends went a trip to a fine village known for its vineyards, about two hours from Kastro. It was on the foot of the Holly Mountain,…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Tsoutsouras
Sea, entertainment, archaeological sites, myths and legends are all in the coastal settlement of Tsoutsouras. The settlement is divided into two, Tsoutsouras and…
Heraklion Beaches Towns and villages
Fodele
The picturesque Fodele settlement is on the 25th kilometer of the Heraclion- Chania national road, built in a very colorful landscape. Large trees, flowers, the…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Palaiokastro
Palaiokastro or Paliokastro of the Malevizi municipality is a very interesting area, about 8 kilometers from Heraclion that combines the beach with the history…
Heraklion Beaches Towns and villages Fortresses
Agia Pelagia
Agia Pelagia is a coastal tourist resort, built amphitheatrically, in the west side of a large and beautiful peninsula, in which wonderful bays are shaped. It is…
Heraklion Beaches Towns and villages
Psari Forada
The Psari Forada village is 90 kilometers from Heraclion and its natural extension is the Sidonia settlement. The rich valley that is divided in two parts with…
Heraklion Beaches Towns and villages
Keratokampos
Keratokampos is a coastal settlement in the Viannos municipality. Apart from the beach of the settlement, that is 7 kilometers long, the Kavousi gorge also ends…
Heraklion Beaches Towns and villages
Kato Simi
One of the most beautiful villages of the Viannos municipality, built in a very green area, is the Kato Simi village. Simi has the largest forest in the Heraclion…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Afrati
Afrati is a small traditional settlement of the Viannos municipality, 45 kilometers in the south-east of Heraklion. 175 people live in the beautiful village with…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Knossos
One of the most important centres of the ancient civilization is 5 kilometres to the south-east of Heraklion in a green area with olive trees, vineyards and cypresses…
Heraklion Archaeological Areas
Festos
Festos was the second most important city after Knosos during the ancient years. The ancient city was built on a hillock and supervised the whole Mesara plain.…
Heraklion Archaeological Areas
Kalamaki
The coastal Kalamaki settlement is 67 kilometers in the south of Heraclion, near Matala and ancient Festos. The longest beach of the south Crete is in Kalamaki…
Heraklion Beaches Towns and villages
Ano Moulia
Ano Moulia is a picturesque, mountain village, built amphitheatrically, with a panoramic view to the Mesara plain. The village of the Gortyna municipality is 35…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Spiliotissa monastery
The picturesque Panagia Spiliotissa monastery is between Agios Vasileios and Choudetsi and 22 kilometers from Heraclion. In order to reach the monastery, you have…
Heraklion Monasteries
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
Gorge of Venerato
The gorge of Venerato is a very small gorge, 500 meters long and with a natural beauty. The gorge is between Venerato and the Paliani Monastery and 17 kilometers…
Heraklion Canyons
Ano Asites
Ano Asites is a settlement of the former Malevizi district of the Heraclion municipality. It is a village of a high environmental, cultural and archaeological interest.…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Agios Mironas
The Agios Mironas settlement is exquisite for its architecture and its cultural activities. Administratively, the village is under the former Malevizi district,…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Tilisos
Tilisos is built on the ruins of the ancient city of Tilisos and is in the eastern foot of Psiloreitis. The name of the settlement has been used for over 3.400…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Pompia
Pompia is one of the most beautiful and important villages in the Festos municipality. It is in an area full of olive groves and vineyards, next to the imposing…
Heraklion Towns and villages
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
Kastelli
Kastelli, in the former district of Kainourrgio, in the Festos municipality, is in the southern foot of Psiloreitis, very close to the fortress of Castel Nuovo.…
Heraklion Towns and villages
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
Monastery of Agios Nikolaos
The small temple of Agios Nikolaos from the 14th century is only preserved today from the important Zaros monastery. The church is 900 meters from the southern…
Heraklion Monasteries
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
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
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
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
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
Monastery of Panagia Kardiotissa
The old monastery of Panagia Kardiotissa is in a magnificent and verdant area. Some kilometers before the village of Agios Thomas (coming from Heraclion), in the…
Heraklion Monasteries
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
Roman tombs in Agios Thomas
The most impressive tomb of Crete is in Agios Thomas, in Gria Mantra. The monolithic Roman tombs are preserved in a very good condition. The path in the south of…
Heraklion Other 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
Tefeli
Tefeli is about 12 kilometers from Pirgos and, administratively, it comes under the Archanes- Asterousia municipality. Aposelemi and Pirathi fall under the local…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Pretoria
Pretoria is a beautiful traditional village with paved alleys and yards full of many different flowers. The village is in the rich plain of Mesara between olive…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Kounavoi
Kounavoi, the traditional village of Archanes-Asterousia Municipality, is where the Minoan city of Eltinia was. The settlement dominates in a small plain in the…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Paths of Achentria
In the Achentrias settlement, in the Archanes-Asterousia municipality of the prefecture of Heraclion, there are many hiking options. You can either wander in the…
Heraklion Hiking Trails
Astritsi
In Kato Vrisi, in Astritsi, someone can find a forgotten part of the paradise. Administratively, Astritsi belongs to the Archanes- Asterousia Municipality,…
Heraklion Towns and villages
Minoan and Roman Mansions of Makris Gialos
A Minoan and a Roman mansion have been found in the south-eastern coastal Makris Gialos settlement of the Lasithi prefecture. The Minoan mansion was found in Plakakia.…
Lasithi Archaeological Areas
Plateau of Lasithi
The picturesque Oropedio (i.e. plateau, in Greek) of Lasithi is the largest and the most fertile plateau of Crete and one of the most important places of Crete…
Lasithi Plateaus
Minoan Palace of Zakros
The Minoan Palace of Zakros is the fourth largest ancient palace in Crete after those of Knosos, Festos and Malia. It is 500 meters from Kato Zakros, 8 kilometers…
Lasithi Archaeological Areas
Zakros
Zakros is one of the most picturesque villages of Crete that combines the natural beauty with the alternative activities and the important archaeological sites.…
Lasithi Towns and villages
Archaeological Museum of Ierapetra
The Archaeological Museum of Ierapetra has been working since 1986 in the Commercial Ottoman School in the center of the city. The exhibits concern the area and…
Lasithi Archaeological Museums
Ierapetra
The awarded city for its wonderful beaches, Ierapetra, is the unique city in the southern Crete and the last city in the southern end of Europe. Ierapetra is about…
Lasithi Beaches Towns and villages
Spinaloga
The island of the tears and the island of the leppers are some of the characterizations of the beautiful and historical Spinaloga. Spinaloga is in the north of…
Lasithi Archaeological Areas Historical Sites
Kritsa
The picturesque and beautiful Kritsa village with important archaeological findings is in the Agios Nikolaos municipality of the Lasithi prefecture. The village…
Lasithi Towns and villages
Elounta
The amazing and magnificent Elounta is known for the powerful and famous people from all over the world that visit it. Its beaches, its clean, blue sea, and the…
Lasithi Beaches Archaeological Areas Towns and villages
Agios Nikolaos
Agios NIkolaos, the beautiful capital of the Lasithi prefecture, is in the west side of the Meramvelo peninsula. The Voulismeni Lake in the center of the city is…