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Travel Guide to Crete island, Greece - Explore Crete island
Crete island (Kreta) is the biggest, arguably the most beautiful and certainly one of the
most fascinating of all the Greek islands. Small wonder it accounts for a
quarter of the entire tourist trade of Greece. It's the birthplace of European
civilisation - an island practically sinking beneath the weight of its
world-famous historic sites. Even if you're not the slightest bit interested
in archaeology or history the ancient treasures of Crete island are guaranteed to
blow your mind. But if all you crave is a gorgeous sun-drenched beach, a cheap
souvlaki dinner and an all-night disco.well, you'll still come away satisfied. It's the most southerly island in Greece, bordered by the Sea of Crete to
the north and the Sea of Libya to the south. You can reach it by ferry but
it's a gruelling 14-hour journey from the mainland port of Piraeus. Most
package holidaymakers fly into one of the two international airports - at
Iraklio (Heraklio), serving the east of Crete island, and Chania in the north western
corner. There's a smaller airport at Rethymno, at the centre of the northern
coastline, which has domestic flights to and from Athens, Rhodes and
Santorini.
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Your holiday here can be whatever you want it to. There are monasteries,
unspoilt mountain villages, stunning gorges and magnificent scenery enough to
satisfy the hardiest hiker and most avid explorer. Despite the arrival of the
package holiday industry in force on Crete, there are still lovely
isolated spots to tempt the independent traveller. Some budget backpackers
brave reprisals from the local police and camp out on Crete island's more remote
beaches. Wealthier visitors wing their way here by private helicopter for some
serious self-indulgence at one of Crete island's many deluxe hotels.
Whatever category you fall into - self-sufficient "Lonely Planet"
backpacker or money-to-burn "can't last a minute without my laptop"
businessman - the highlight of your holiday will undoubtedly be a visit to the
breathtaking Minoan Palace of Knossos. The secrets of the ancient but highly
sophisticated Minoan civilisation lay hidden for nearly 3,000 years until a
British archaeologist started excavating the palace site in the early 1900s.
The treasures uncovered by his team together represent one of the most
important archaeological discoveries the world has ever seen. Where else can
you see Europe's oldest throne, still in its original place, and the en-suite
bathroom of a Minoan queen who had the honour of gracing the world's first
ever "flushing" toilet? The biggest sceptic and hardest heart couldn't fail to be moved by this
island where myths, legends, recorded history and fairytales have merged into
one giant Disney-style world of irresistible fact and fiction. Only on Crete is it possible to visit the reputed birthplace and hideout of Zeus, the king
of the greek gods. The package holiday industry has well and truly zapped Zeus in terms of
being the island's dominant force these days. Modern hotels, apartment blocks
and every imaginable tourist facility have sprung up along the northern
coastline to the east of the capital Iraklio (Heraklion). But Crete's island ancient history and the extraordinary beauty of Crete's diverse landscape have their own special magic which will cast a spell over
you despite the increasing ravages of mass-market tourism.
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