Creta, Hotels in Creta, Tours in Creta, Tickets to Creta, Transfers to Creta, Nightlife in Creta, Fun in Creta

Crete is an island with an exquisite 1,000 kilometer-long coastline dotted with numerous coves, bays and peninsulas, which afford a multitude of soft, sandy beaches along the beautifully blue Mediterranean Sea. After all, it's among the finest in the world and has established Crete as one of Europe's most popular holiday destinations. And, of course, the island's historic importance in today's world as the home of the Minoan civilization with important archeological finds at Knossos, Phaistos and Gortys, is evidenced by the tens of thousands of visitors to these sites each year. However, Crete is the largest island in Greece - the fifth largest in the Mediterranean - and, within its diverse area of more than 8,000 square kilometers, there are many other jewels just waiting to be discovered by the more adventurous explorers of holiday treasures.

If you haven’t visited Crete yet, this summer may be the time to come and discover this fascinating Greek island. If it captures your heart, don’t worry. Come back next year and Crete will welcome you once more with its smiling Cretan sun, the sounds of the Cretan lyre, the scents of orange blossom and jasmine, a slice of cool red watermelon and a glass of iced raki.

It is an island that has everything. High mountains (Psiloritis, Lefka Ori, Dikti), beautiful beaches washed by the Cretan and Libyan Sea. Fertile grounds where, the famous cretan citrus fruits are cultivated. The endless olive groves produce the fine cretan olive oil, while also known is the cretan wine from the island's vineyards. Everywhere you turn your sight, you will see historic monuments that reveal the island's history. Administratively, Crete is divided into four prefectures (Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, Lasithi). All prefectures or if you wish, all towns and villages, are ideal for touring. They all have unseen beauties and important sites to see.

Getting to Crete should not be to expensive, look around for cheap plane tickets, and save your money for fine dinning and sight seeing. All around Crete you will find luxurious hotel units, apartments and rooms to let, which in combination to the exemplary hospitality of people, create the idyllic conditions for unforgettable holidays. As for entertainment, all you have to know is that music and dancing have a long tradition on the island. In the homeland of lyre and mantinada (type of singing in rhymes), you will have the time of your life drinking raki (cretan grape spirit)!

Heraklion is the capital of Crete and one of the Mediterranean region's most fascinating and vibrant cities. It is full of places to discover. With the current efforts to open up the wonderful mediaeval city centre, it speaks to us of a past full of history and great events that reflect its location at the crossroads of three continents. The city is also the commercial and technological centre of the island. It has a strategic geopolitical position in the south-eastern Mediterranean Sea connecting three continents and many different cultures. It offers a wealth of museums, a summer-long arts festival, historical sightseeing, amazing nightlife and events throughout the year. Whatever the purpose of your visit, your stay in Heraklion will be one to remember.

The city of Chania is located on the north-east part of the Prefecture of Chania. It is the capital of the prefecture and its administrative, economic, commercial and transportation center. It has a population of over 60.000 residents and is built over the ruins of the ancient city of Kydonia. Since the ancient times, the city of Chania has faced many conquerors and the influences of many civilizations through time, evident on the city monuments. The beautiful city of Chania managed to preserve its original colors and historical character, despite the fast-growing tourist industry. It is considered as one of the most beautiful cities of Greece and the most picturesque city of Crete. The city of Chania is also characterized by a rich cultural life. A plethora of cultural events are organized every year (exhibitions, festivals, theatrical and musical performances, ect.) The city has an airport and the port of Souda, the largest natural port of the Mediterranean. The Municipal Market is one of the most central spots in the city, hosted in a 1913 building. In a short distance from the center, there is the Municipal Garden and next to it, the park "Eirinis kai Filias" (meaning, the "park of peace and friendship. The Municipal Garden is one of the most beautiful in Crete, and it also includes a small zoo with animals of the Cretan flora. The Venetian port provides pleasant promenades through picturesque streets and attracts many visitors throughout the year. There are also many bars and restaurants by the seaside for every taste. The districts of the city outside the walls still preserve their Venetian nobility. Narrow passages surrounded by elegant houses built in different historical periods offer visitors pleasant routes to discover. Many neoclassic buildings are also preserved in neighboring districts, such as in "Halepa".

This region as a whole is rich with ancient history, most notably through the Minoan civilisation centred at Kydonia east of Rethymno.Rethymno itself began a period of growth when the Venetian conquerors of the island decided to put an intermediate commercial station between Heraklion and Chania, acquiring its own bishop and nobility in the process. Today's old town (palia poli) is almost entirely built by the Venetians. It is one of the best preserved old towns in Crete. The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine and Hellenic-Roman remains, the small Venetian harbour and narrow streets. The Venetian Loggia houses the information office of the Ministry of Culture. A Wine Festival is held there annually at the beginning of July. Another festival, in memory of the destruction of the Arkadi Monastery, is held on 7–8 November. The city's Venetian-era citadel, the Fortezza, is one of the best-preserved castles in Crete. Other monuments include the Neratze mosque (the Municipal Odeon arts centre), the Great Gate (Μεγάλη Πόρτα, Porta Guora), the Piazza Rimondi (Rimondi square) and the Venetian Loggia. The town was also captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1646 and was ruled by them for almost three centuries. The town (Resmo in Turkish) was the centre of a sanjak during Ottoman rule. During the Battle of Crete (20–30 May 1941), the Battle of Rethymno was fought between German paratroopers and Australian and Greek forces. Although initially unsuccessful, the Germans won the battle after receiving reinforcements from Maleme in the Northwestern part of the island Today the city's main income is from tourism, many new facilities having been built in the past 20 years. Agriculture is also notable, especially for olive oil and other Mediterranean products. It is also the base of the Philosophical School and the University Library of the University of Crete and the School of Social and Political Sciences having 8.000 students on its university campus per annum at "Galos", where the Academic Institute of Mediterranean Studies is situated. The city has an Archaeological Museum and a Historical and Folklore Museum.