Creta

Creta lies at the southern tip of Greece, between the Aegean Sea and the Libyan Sea, and it is a large island: about 260 km from end to end, with mountains rising above 2,400 metres in the middle. For that reason you visit it more like a small country than like an island with a single port. The northern coast concentrates the three cities on the itinerary: Heraclião (Heraklion), the capital, Rethymno and Chania, all with Venetian ports, walls and an old town that mixes Venice and the Ottoman Empire.

History is the primary reason to visit. The Minoan civilization, which predates classical Greece, left in Cnossos, five kilometres from Heraclião, the island’s most visited palace, and the Archaeological Museum in the capital houses what came from there: frescoes, the Phaistos Disc and the figurines of the snake goddess. Romans, Byzantines, Venetians (from 1204 to 1669) and Ottomans (until the late 19th century) followed. Creta only joined Greece in 1913, and Cretans make a point of saying they are Cretan before they are Greek.

The second reason is nature. In the west are the beaches of Elafonisi, Balos and Falasarna and the Samaria Gorge, a day hike that crosses the mountains to the sea. South of Rethymno is the palm grove of Preveli. In the mountains are monasteries such as Arkadi and Agia Triada, with olive trees, vineyards and Cretan cuisine, based on olive oil, herbs, cheese and bread: the Mediterranean diet was born, in part, from studying what people eat here.

Distances between cities are short by bus, but beaches and monasteries lie off the regular routes. Summer, from June to September, is hot and dry with a strong midday sun; winters are mild on the coast and snowy in the mountains. Arrival is usually by plane from Athens, or by overnight ferry departing from Pireu.

This destination brings together 3 cities: Heraclião, Chania, Rethymno.