Crete. Greece has over 3,000 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Crete is one of the best holiday destinations in Europe. Beginning from beautiful beaches - with crystal clear waters, some with sandy beaches, others with pebbles, picturesque traditional villages as well as the secret beauty of the land to the rich natural environment and monuments worth visiting. Traditional local cuisine is one of the most famous in the entire Mediterranean Basin.
Heraklion, the largest resort in Crete. this city is located in the center of the island's north coast and occupies a strategic position in the southeastern Mediterranean, thus connecting three different continents and cultures. Thanks to its magnificent historical and cultural monuments, it maintains vitality and beauty, pleasantly surprising visitors. The powerful Venetian walls of the XIII century surround the old port of Heraklion. They offer the best view of the small fortified fortress of Koule.
Chania is the other beautiful city. Its old part is full of synagogues, mosques and churches, as well as beautiful buildings of Turkish and Venetian origin, gathered around the coastal port road. There you will find modern boutiques, bars and taverns on the waterfront, next to the dome of the Hassan Pasha mosque and the Great Venetian Arsenal. You myst not to forget to cross the Samaria Gorge! Visit Spinalonga. The barren island Spinalonga was a leper colony until 1957. It is uninhabited now, but you can visit it by boat from Elounda. The deserted streets of Spinalonga, old stone houses, fortifications and the cemetery all have terrible and tragic beauty when they slowly fall into ruin. One of the well-known beaches in Crete, Matala, became famous in the 1970s, when stunning hippies came to the island from all over Europe. The sandy beach offers a honeycomb-like surroundings, many caves and a quiet village with lots of seafood taverns.
Suggested tripsThe Minoan palace of Knossos presents the ruins of one of the first sophisticated civilizations in the world, a city that flourished for thousands of years as the biggest trading power in the Eastern Mediterranean. The monuments of the Neolithic and Bronze Age are the most impressive in Crete. Despite the fact that some of the villas and parts of King Minos' giant palace were originally built around 2000 BC, were unfortunately renovated in the early 2000s.
Rethymno – prides itself on a rich cultural history of 4500 years, one of the best preserved Renaissance cities in all of Greece. You can find there numerous Byzantine churches, monasteries, beaches, caves and canyons and, of course, an unforgettable experience that offers its guests.
Trip to the island of Spinalonga. On the island you can see the residential area of the former leper colony, as well as the church of St. George, the cemetery and, of course, the Venetian fortress, which towers over the entire land.
Balos Lagoon is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Crete. Water here is crystal clear, transparent at the shore, and then the colours mix to form a beautiful turquoise and sapphire collage. The lagoon is often compared to the Caribbean. It is on the list of the most beautiful beaches in the world, because of the sand with an unusual white-pink colour.
Gramvousa is an island situated near the lagoon. The legend says it that she was a hideout of pirates. At the top of the hill, 140 meters high, there are ruins of a XVI century fortress built by the Venetians living on the island. An additional attraction is the rusty shipwreck lying on the beach, which ran aground at the beginning of the 20th century. It has remained there, contributed to the character to the island.
Samaria Gorge. Samaria is 18 kilometers long and is the longest dry gorge in Europe. The expedition begins in the village of Omolos, which lies 1227m above sea level. From the main gate, going down the so-called "wooden stairs", it descends down through the pine forest, to a level of about 600m above sea level. From this place the journey begins among the impressive size of the rocks, which slowly begin to approach each other, up to a width of 3.5 m in a place called the Steel Gate. In the course of crossing the gorge, we can meet a wild kri-kri goat and visit the abandoned village of Samaria, whose inhabitants were displaced in 1962, during the creation of the National Park here. The majority of tourists come to the gorge to admire the majestic rocks and beautiful Cretan nature. At the end of the gorge there is the picturesque village of Agia Roumeli from where a ship leaves to Chora Sfakion. Agia Roumeli makes an amazing impression. It is isolated from the world by the sea and mountains. You can get to it only through a gorge or by sea.
AcquaPlus Water Park. AcquaPlus is the most popular water park in Crete. It is situated on a hill, among beautiful gardens, only 5 km from the town of Hersonissos. In adult section you will find lots of extreme slides, such as tsunami, black holes, wild river, kamikaze, tornado, spacebowl, hydrotube and many others. The children's pool possesses a great number of colorful slides and attractions for the whole family, e.g. a lazy river.
Cretan evening. Therefore the Cretan evening is a great party that is a perfect way to taste regional dishes, as well as getting closer to Greek tradition and culture. The highlight of the evening is of course dance and live music played by Cretan artists. Professional dancers will present dances not only from Crete, but also from other parts of Greece, and then teach basic steps all those who will be willing to learn them
