![]() | Crete resorts | tourist holiday travel guide |
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Mountains form the backbone of Crete, split north south by spectacular gorges. Most guides take their bearings from the two main cities of Rethymnon and Chania. They are the focal point of any journey. Both cities are delightful and charming in themselves with a wealth of Venetian and Turkish architecture and a visitor that did nothing but explore them would have a very rewarding holiday. But the mountains beg for a visit and the gorges are just too good to miss. Anyone who doesn't get a car or hop on a tour bus will lose out on some spectacular scenery and simply breathtaking views, not to say charming and attractive hill villages. |
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Agiropouli | Amari | Apokoronas | Arkhadi | Askifou | Chania | Chora Sfakia | Fortezza | Kournas | Loutro Preveli | Rethymnon | Ag Roumelli| Samaria | Souda | Spili |
| Rethymnon City | |||
| The approaches to Crete's third largest city of RETHYMNO are not particularly attractive. There is a derelict and scruffy air to the urban sprawl of concrete that greets you when you swing off the main highway. But what a difference awaits in the heart of the city where charming Venetian buildings sit alongside the slender minarets of Turkish mosques. The city centre enjoys an almost aristocratic air with its arched doorways, crumbling balconies and faded facades. The most picturesque part is the old Venetian harbour where scores of romantic, if pricey, tavernas tables line the quay and a Venetian lighthouse stands sentinel at the end of the long harbour wall. Almost every street has an abundance of cafes and restaurants intermingled with interesting craft and antique shops. The beach area to the east is the least attractive with an ugly chain of hotels, souvenir shops and cheap cafes, though the palm-fringed sands are flat and spacious and the water generally calm. Apart from the Fortezza (see below) other notable city sites include the Arimondi fountain built in 1623, now almost buried by a modern taverna (though water still spouts from the mouths of its three lion heads). There is also the slender Nerantzes Djani minaret attached to a former Venetian church built in 1227 visible from almost anywhere in the city. | ![]() Rethymnon lighthouse
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| Rethymnon Fortezza | |
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| The Fortezza is the jewel in Rethymnon's crown. It claims to be the largest fort ever built by the Venetians and it is certainly an impressive sight. Building began in 1573 on the ruins of a Byzantine fortress built to protect the city from repeated raids by pirates and Turks. On completion, the whole city population could be contained within the Fortezza's walls where there was a barracks, hospital, even a cathedral. Many of the buildings are now in ruins although extensive reclamation work in under way thanks to generous dollops of Euro cash. At the main entrance is a good archaeology museum where exhibits include helmets, bronze axes and an extensive coin collection. There are also many finds from local Minoan tombs on display. |
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SOUTH OF RETHYMNON | ||
| There are two routes south of Rethymnon through the mountains. The more easterly route splits in two down each side of the long and leafy Amari valley to reach the south coast at the popular Anglicised resort of Agia Galini. Directly south the road leads through the spectacular Koutaliotiko Ravine to the beach lagoon at Preveli and, further along the coast, the growing resort of Plakia. The other road inland leads through various nondescript villages until you reach the mountains at Agiropouli, known for its waterfalls and further the remote village of Asi Gonia, a noted centre of resistance after the Battle of Crete and home of George Psychoundakis whose war diaries were published as The Cretan Runner. |
| Spili | |||
| The more direct route south from Rethymnon heads past an ancient Minoan cemetery at ARMENI and across the mountains to SPILI. This rather dreary mountain village has little other attraction than its mountain springs, the water from which spouts through the mouths of 19 stone lions set into a long stone wall. Another six spouts are mere water pipes, still used by the locals for washing. The remarkable stone lions have helped put the village firmly on the tourist coach trip circuit. Otherwise it is little more than a narrow street lined with shops and tavernas and choked by parked cars and surprisingly heavy traffic for such a little place. |
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| Preveli | |||
| Beyond Spili the road drops down to the resort at Agia Galini, unless you take a west turn to the famous monastery at PREVELI. The approach is though the KOURTALIOTKO Ravine, a spectacular gorge with near vertical cliffs each side and a tiny church build into the west wall. An arched bridge spans the Megapotamos River, one of five on the island which does not run dry even in high summer, and the steep, winding road snakes up past the ruined monastery of Agios Ioannis abandoned in the 17th century. Preveli monastery itself is heralded by a huge tarmac car park built to accommodate the huge number of paying visitors. The monastery is noted for its role in the Battle of Crete when monks sheltered marooned allied troops before their evacuation by submarine from the shores below. Plaques and flags at the entrance testify to the sacrifice made by the monks who suffered 'ferocious' reprisals by the jackbooted Germans. The monastery itself was subsequently looted and turned into a German outpost to prevent further allied escapes. Most of the buildings date from the 19th century and the architecture is nothing special. In fact, the place has a sad and scruffy air despite spectacular views over the Libyan Sea. The former monks' quarters resemble ramshackle stables and there is a tiny one-room museum which houses a few old clerical relics. A recent fire burned down many of the trees that once surrounded the place. |
![]() Prevelli monastery |
CHANIA CRETE |
| Chania City | |||
| The capital of Crete until 1971, Chania is still the island's most charming city and for many the best-loved. Away from the harbour area it is much like any other, a modern sprawl of urban concrete built around the two harbours it is a wonderful mix of Turkish and Venetian architecture that, for the most part, miraculously survived the bombers of World War II. Parking can be a real problem in the traffic choked streets away from the traffic free shoreline so a taxi to the indoor market is the best bet. Laid out like a crucifix, the Agora market, built in 1911, is a delight, serving both tourists and locals. Here you will find everything from buckets of sliced pig heads (Turner Prize material this) to gift wrapped sachets of herbs, from bags of delicate mountain tea to Superman comics. Through the east door and down some steps is the busy outdoor leather market crammed into the narrow street of Odros Skridlof and further on the splendid archaeological museum, housed in the old Venetian church of San Francesco, with a good display of Minoan pottery and artifacts. North of the museum lies the heart of Chania - the two Venetian ports. The eastern harbour has Chania's most photographed buildings, the slender Venetian lighthouse at the end of the harbour wall and the squat Mosque of the Janissaries built in 1625 with strange egg-shaped domes and spider leg arches variously a mosque, tourist centre and exhibition hall. Behind the mosque lies the Kastelli quarter where a complex of Minoan buildings was unearthed only to be buried again by the Luftwaffe. There are seven recently restored vaulted shipyards of the Venetian Arsenal originally built around 1600 - there were once 17 of them. The rectangular west harbour is generously lined with tavernas and cafes beneath the faded and crumbling facades of Venetian houses and tipped with a solid, unattractive fortress of the Firkas Tower. | ![]() Harbour from the Firkas ![]() Venetian lighthouse
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| Apokoronas region | |||
| This distinctive region of APOKORONAS is typified by quiet, narrow roads and tiny, peaceful villages. The former regional capital at VAMOS is built on a small hill and is full of splendid neo-classical town houses built for rich merchants. Euro grants have helped restore many homes and to build a large health centre. A kafenion and a taverna are run by the local preservation society and the local bakery is considered the best in the region. The local tourist office gives guided walks and tours. Above Kalives is the once powerful city state of APTERA founded around 600 BC and now a weed infested field full of ruins, the most notable of which is a huge triple-vaulted cistern dating from Roman times. The nearby village of KALAMI is dominated by a Turkish fortress Izzedin built in 1646 and enlarged in 1872. It once housed political prisoners for the Greek Junta (1967-74) but now serves as an administrative centre for the military. Other villages of note include PLAKA where there are good walks, KOKKINO HORIO which has a glass recycling centre and GAVALOHORI, full of traditional Cretan houses with preservation orders slapped on them. The village boasts more than 30 springs, an interesting folklore museum and a large contingent of British ex-pats. There are lots of good walks in the area. The road from nearby DRAPANOS to KEFALAS has particularly splendid views over the bay as does the walk from Plaka through Kambia to Kokkino Horio. Over the main Chania - Rethymnon highway is the important crossroads at VRISSES where many tourists change buses. It has existed as a village only since 1925 and the pleasant wide streets are lined with good tavernas nestled beneath huge plane trees. The village is noted for its fine yogurt - the locals even claim to have invented the stuff. |
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SOUTH OF CHANIA | ||
| Roads south of Chania lead into Crete's magnificent mountain range called the White Mountains or Lefkas Ori. White because snow remains on the majestic tops well into the summer. They form a majestic backdrop to almost all the resorts on the north and south coast and are so high they create different weather patterns north and south. |
CRETE PHOTO GALLERIES | ||
| 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. I can offer a small amount of cash for a good set of photos. | ||
A tourist holiday travel guide to the Greek island of Crete |