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Crete Holiday Guide

Crete is one of Greece’s most fascinating and beautiful islands. The popularity of the island as an ideal holiday destination can be gauged from the fact that it annually hosts nearly a quarter of Greek’s tourists. For most tourists, the major attraction of the island is the Minoan palaces that provide an interesting insight into the turbulent history of the island. See fortresses built by the successive invaders and the legendary birthplace of Zeus. For those who wish to be away from the madding crowds, there are endless beaches, numerous villages, remote mountains, caves and gorges waiting to be explored.

Attractions in Crete

• Heraklion:
  Heraklion (Iraklio) the capital city of Crete, is teeming with tourist attractions. The city is also a major cruise destination. You can see the Archaeological Museum, which houses a fine collection of finds from Knossos, Archanes, Phaestos, Zakros and many other archaeological sites. You can also visit the Koules Venetian Fortress, one of the harbour walls built in the early 1500s.
• Archaeological Museum:
  The Archaeological Museum in Heraklion has on display thousands of artefacts depicting the intriguing Minoan culture. Worth seeing are the magnificent bull-headed drinking vessels and the mysterious Phaistos disk inscribed with undeciphered symbols.
• Crete Museum:
  This museum showcases Crete's history from the islanders' long battle for independence and the early Christian times to the present day. Exhibits include some Cretan folk art, and the Medieval and Renaissance collections.
• The Palace of Knossos:
  The Minoan palace is rightly considered to be one of the world's greatest sightseeing attractions. It consists of four wings, arranged around a rectangular central court. The palace, built of ashlar blocks, originally had many storeys.

Dining in Crete

Crete is fiercely proud of its culinary traditions and prides in using fresh ingredients in its dishes. Cretan specialities include local graviera cheese (yellow) and myzithra, creamy white cheese often served instead of feta in the common Greek salad of tomatoes, peppers and onions. You can sample the best wines in tavernas. A must try is raki, the local anise-flavoured firewater also known as tiskoudo and served either neat or with water and ice. The capital, Iraklio has some fine dining options to suit all tastes and budgets. Keep in mind that many restaurants are closed on Sundays.

Spas in Crete

• Six Senses Spa at Porto Elounda:
  This luxurious spa has everything to relax the mind and body. Treatments focus on health, beauty, stress reduction and revitalization using pure, natural and environmentally friendly products.
• Blue Palace Resort & Spa:
  This spa, also located in Elounda, incorporates timeless Greek therapy and beauty secrets to provide an ultimate rejuvenating experience.

Golfing in Crete

• The Crete Golf Club:
  The newest, most challenging and perfectly maintained championship course in Greece is set in the beautiful mountains just south of the favourite tourist destination Hersonissos. This Bob Hunt masterpiece is a desert golf course hewn out of rolling landscape. It boasts a series of memorable holes that will test every aspect of a golfer's repertoire. The course also offers stunning views over mountainous landscape that has hardly changed since the Minoan era back in 2600 to 1100 BC.