Highlights
Spinalonga Island
Just across from the bay of Elounda, visit the fascinating island of Spinalonga, which translates to ‘long thorn’. Controlled by the Venetians until the 17th century, it then fell to the Ottomans, before becoming a leper colony. The island has been uninhabited since 1957, but today you can visit and walk around the ruined fortress, emblematic churches and colourful reconstructions of store fronts. The tiny island also inspired author Victoria Hislop, along with her own family connection to the island, to create the 2005 bestselling novel, The Island.
Cuisine
Foodies will be in heaven in Crete! Olives and olive oil are a staple part of any Cretan dish, so visit one of many Olive Oil producers and see how the liquid gold is created. The mountains above Neapoli open onto the enormous fertile Lasithi Plateau, where family farms produce the rich Greek yoghurts that enliven Cretan cuisine. Pair your meal with brilliant local wine from the region beyond Sitim, covered in vineyards that produce highly commendable wines - especially whites. Whatever you decide to sample, flavoursome Cretan cuisine does not disappoint!
Landscape
Crete is well known for its lovely beaches - ranging from small stone shingle coves, to long sandy stretches, accompanied by stunning gorges rising dramatically from the sea. Perhaps less frequented, the island’s interior landscape is just as beautiful; mountainsides are populated with vineyards, olive groves and fields of artichokes, whilst other areas are densely forested and even desert-like, filled with cacti and palm trees. If you’re a keen walker, you may wish to attempt the Samaria Gorge walk within the Samaria National Park, surrounded by the canyon’s undeniable raw beauty. Generally, the gorge is open from May to October and is approximately sixteen kilometres from the starting point.
Incredible Archaeological sites
There are scores of monasteries, churches and archaeological sites on Crete. Just a few kilometres outside the town of Agios Nikolaos, discover Crete's greatest ecclesiastical treasure, the 13th-century church of Panagia Kera. Head to Knossos, just outside Heraklion, to discover a complex of Minoan ruins, unearthed by the British Archaeologist, Sir Arthur Evans, in the early 1900s. There isn't much left of Phaestos, one of Crete’s most important sites, but the stone foundations are largely intact and allow you to vividly picture the layout of this ancient Minoan palace.