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Crete information | tourist travel guide |
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OVERVIEW CRETE HISTORY |
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| Although Neolithic sailors first arrived on Crete around
8000 BC it is the Minoans for which the island is famously known - the
first modern civilisation ever on European soil. The Minoan period but
it is now thought to have lasted from 2,600 BC to 900 BC and falls into
three periods punctuated by cataclysmic earthquakes. During the early Minion period ruling classes lived in large palaces with red plastered walls. Archaeological finds include fashioned gold and semi precious stones and the first signs of writing in ideograms. By 1900 BC there was a huge concentration of power and wealth with palaces built at Knossos, Malia, Phaistos and Zakros. Lavish frescoes and pottery artifacts depict bull worship the arts reached new heights with beautiful works in gold and ceramics. Lack of city fortifications indicated a peaceful existence dominated by the arts but recent evidence suggests that a large navy may have been instrumental in keeping the peace. 1700 BC brought a devastating earthquake that reduced many of their fine buildings to rubble. The middle period saw Minions rebuilding and by 1450 BC some remarkable palace complexes had been built and rebuilt. Centralised farms and densely populated towns added to their wealth. Impressive ports testify to great trade with Cyprus, Egypt and Greece and a flourishing artistic tradition which ended with the volcanic eruption on Santorini in 1450 BC and a massive tidal wave that swept away many buildings for a second time. The late period saw the rebuilding of the great palace at Knossos and the gradual take-over by the Mycenaeans. In 1100 BC the Dorians invaded and by 900 BC the Minions civilisation had been wiped out to be followed by a Cretan version of the Dark Ages. In 68 BC Rome subdued the island and the population soared to around 300,000. Christianity arrived with the first church at Gortyn in 58 AD. By 823 the Saracens had conquered Crete and in 961 it fell to the Byzantine armies who dominated Crete for 300 years. It was the fall of Constantinople in 1204 that saw the island sold to the Venetians who occupied until 1669 when the Ottomans sacked Heraklion. Cretan revolt against Turkish rule brought many battles and severe reprisals until Britain, France and Italy took a hand in Cretan affairs following the killing of British consul and soldiers after Greece declared war on Turkey in 1898. British occupation was a disaster that led in 1905 to a revolt led by the island's favourite son Eleftherios Venizelos, later to become Prime Minister of Greece and secure Crete's union after the Balkan War in 1913. In 1941 the island was unsuccessfully defended by 30,000 British and Commonwealth troops when Germans paratroops made the first successful airborne invasion. Poor Allied leadership led to the eventual evacuation of thousands of troops and brutal reprisals on the civilian population by the occupying Germans. Now legendary Cretan resistance again the Germans brought even more savage treatment until the end of the war. |
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OVERVIEW CRETE GEOGRAPHY |
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Crete is Greece's largest island at 250 km wide and between
14 km and 38 km wide and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean. Mountains
cover two thirds of the surface area with three main ranges forming a backbone
along the island punctuated by plateaux and occasional north south ravines
including the Samaria gorge, the longest in Europe at 18 km There are 57
peaks over 2000 metres with the highest mountains in western Crete. The population of 600,000 lives mainly on the north coastal plains and in the west there are only two cities of any size, Chania and Rethymnon. Staple crops are the same today as they have been for centuries; olives and grapes. There are an estimated 13m olive trees on the island which also exports around 10,000 tonnes of sultanas annually. But no other Greek island is as agriculturally diverse with potatoes, cereals, walnuts, chestnuts, tomatoes and citrus fruits all produced in abundance. High temperatures and guaranteed summer sunshine are characteristic with subsequent water shortages and there are only five rivers that do not dry up in summer. The island is notoriously windy in July and August especially in the north. Crete boasts more than 1,500 varieties of wild flowers including twenty species of orchid and the hills are known for their scent from heathers and wild herbs. Crete is also a staging post for migratory birds to swell extensive local birdlife. The mountains are mainly limestone which has helped the formation of more than 2,000 caves many with archaeological or historical interest. |
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CRETE WEATHER |
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 Chania five day weather forecast |
Crete has the earliest and the longest summers in Greece. In spring the island is awash with flowers many native to the island. By July the days are extremely hot and often blighted by the north-westerly meltemi wind which can make making beach sunbathing uncomfortable and the north coast seas fairly rough. Rainfall is virtually non existent between mid-May and the end of August - in 2000 it did not rain from April until the end of October. Autumn storms can last a week or so and it is often a better idea to go for a two week break at the end of the season. November can be a warm, balmy month and the big tour operators have ended their seasons by then. The long, high mountain ranges down the backbone of the island can result in marked regional variations and fierce storms in the north may never reach the sheltered south. In general the south is hotter than the north and the west wetter than the east. The mountain regions are always cooler and are often covered in snow well into the spring. |
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CRETE FACTS |
| Telephone | Festivals | ||
| CHANIA (0821) Port 043052 Police 073333 Tourist Office 092624 Airport 063264 Buses 093306 Hospital 27000 RETHYMNON (0831) Port 022276 Police 028156 Tourist Office 029148 Buses 022212 |
May - Chania May - Chora Sfakia July - Rethymnon Aug 15 - Chania Aug 23 - Asi Gonia Aug-Sep - Rethymnon Sep 15 - Frangokastello Oct 20 - Elos Nov 8/9 - Arkhadi |
| Crete is one of the larger Greek Islands that has become renowned for it's long and illustrious history as well as the stunning scenery. If it is steep mountains and challenging walks that interests you then you simply cannot afford to miss out on the steep mountain ranges to the west of the island. HOLIDAYS TO CRETE can be either packed full of sun bathing on some of the popular beaches stretching along the eastern coast, or perhaps exploring the wealth of archaeological finds further inland. |  |
| Floating | ||
 The
large, comfortable ferries are among the finest in Greece and link Chania
to Piraeus with a 12-hour sailing each day and with very cheap food on
board too. There are daily trips in the summer to the Cyclades, Dodecanese
and Sporades. There are any number of boat trips to island sites including
five ferries daily to the Samaria Gorge and daily to the southern island
of Gavdhos in the summer season. |
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| Flying | ||
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 Chania
airport lies 15 km from the city on the Aktori peninsula and is shared
with the military. It is ironic then that this is one airport that does
not share the qualities of most Greek island airports in bearing an uncanny
resemblance to the concrete block fighter stations that used to litter
the south of England in the last war. This actually feels like an airport.
There are seats (yes seats), shops (yes shops) and clean and spacious toilets
(I kid you not). It may not be Manchester (steady on) but it is a proper
airport and for Greece that is quite something. As well as the usual charter
flights there are daily flights to Athens, regular flights to Rhodes, three
flights weekly to Thessaloniki and twice a week to Mykonos |
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| Driving | ||
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 Crete
is a deceptively big island and a drive east west can take the best part
of a day. Most visitors stay in resorts on the north coast and drive east/west
along the recently built main highway or south over the mountains and through
the gorges. The main highway is not dual carriageway but it is wide, well
maintained and well signposted making driving easy but a trifle boring.
Traffic police are much in evidence though that does not stop local drivers
ignoring the 60 km speed limit with reckless abandon. Off the main road
the going is usually pretty good though lanes can be narrow and potholed.
Roads over the mountains are generally excellent and improving all the
time; some even seem absurdly good given the amount of traffic on them.
Wherever you go it is difficult to avoid taking your eyes off the road
to enjoy the jaw dropping scenery, especially in the mountains.There are buses every 30 mins on the highway between Rethymnon and Chania. |
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| Walking | ||
 There
are many fine walks in Western Crete and, if the mountains are a little
daunting, there are walks to be found all around the coast. I will be adding
details over the coming months but meanwhile here are some links to good
walking and map sites:Rethymnon: Walks in Rethymnon - large-scale sketch maps of central Rethymnon, the Fortetza and villages of Agia Irini, Khromonastiri, Kapediana, and Rousospiti. - Marengo Books Six Walks in Georgoupolis - walks take in Kournas lake and villages and hills inland from Georgoupolis. Large-scale sketch maps of Georgoupolis and Kournas - Marengo Books. Ten Walks in Plakias - Large-scale sketch maps of Gianniou, Lefkoyia, Mariou, Myrthios, Plakias and Sellia are included with a double-sided A2 colour walkers' map. - Marengo Books |
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CRETE PHOTO GALLERIES |
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 Rethymnon photo gallery by JOY HINDMARCH |
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| If you would like your photo gallery here then email details. It takes 10 photos to make a gallery and they can be of the whole island or of a particular resort.. |
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CRETE SITES |
| A personal pick of websites on Crete | ||
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Crete Hotel Reviews : See hotels and apartments with reviews and reports in Crete - If you want your site considered email me |
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www.greekisland.co.uk - All rights reserved.A tourist holiday travel guide to the Greek island of Crete |
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