Crete offers a plethora of attractions and activities that make it the ideal place to spend your vacation. From ancient ruins to stunning beaches and everything in between (cultural, gastronomic and sporting), discover the 3 irresistible reasons why a vacation in Crete should be at the top of your list!
1. Cretan cuisine a must during your stay in Crete
Cretan cuisine has a language all its own, with incredible flavors and unique local ingredients. Crete is also a leading producer of quality olive oil – a product you must pack in your luggage before leaving the island!
Crete has a wine-making tradition dating back over 4,000 years that is well worth exploring! The icing on the cake is that Cretan food is largely local and fresh, and known for its health benefits.
Among the best things to eat in Crete is the local salad called “Dakos”, made with fresh tomatoes, Cretan mizithra cheese and olive oil, served on a kind of bruschetta (only better!).
Cretan cheeses are distinctive, ranging from mild and mellow mizithra to aged graviera, as well as a cheese spread called xinogalo.
Visit the markets of Chania or Heraklion to get an idea of the many cheese choices, and try a little of everything to find your favorite!
For gourmets, there are “food tours” to discover Crete’s gastronomic secrets.
The Cretans are famous for enjoying snails called “hochliee” fried (with vinegar, salt and rosemary) and baked in a clay pot.
Smoked ham called apaki is also delicious. Its delicate herbal flavor makes it unique.
Finally, Sfakianes (or mizithropites) are the Cretan interpretation of the classic Greek tiropita (cheese tart). This variant is round and flat, filled with a soft, mild cheese and lightly fried. Drizzled with local honey, it creates a flavor combination like no other.
2. Vacations in Crete: each beach more beautiful than the next
Don’t think that Crete’s landscape is all spectacular mountains and steep cliffs. The entire island is surrounded by beaches, each more breathtaking than the last, and exploring the variety of Cretan beaches is one of the best things to do in summer.
The list of Crete’s best beaches is long, but what they all have in common is their crystal-clear waters:
- Like at Elafonisi, where the sand takes on an incredible pinkish hue! These turquoise waters seem almost too perfect to be real, but they are.
- The Balos lagoon (or Balos beach with the island of Tigani) is a must-see. It lies to the north-west of the island.
- The black sand beaches of Agia Roumeli.
- Paleohora beach on the south coast is an endless stretch of sand.
- Vai beach, right next to the palm forest.
But that’s not all! Crete is surrounded by exotic islets just a short ferry ride from the main island.
- The island of Chrysi (aka “donkey island”!) will enchant you with its white sand, turquoise waters and cedar trees (the island is home to Europe’s largest natural forest of Lebanese cedars!).
- Equally magical, the island of Koufonisi, in the Libyan Sea, is surrounded by white sand, crystal-clear waters and magnificent white rock caves.
Tip: The Greek islands are full of natural treasures, but we’d like to make a special mention of Matala beach, known for its surrounding rocks filled with tiny caves that were home to hippies in the 1960s.
3. Discover the secret codes of Crete
Do you remember the mythical story of Theseus and the Minotaur? The king of Crete, Minos, was tormented by the Minotaur, a monster trapped in a labyrinth beneath the castle, who demanded the sacrifice of seven young men and women every year.
King Minos in turn demanded that Athens send these young men and women to satisfy the Minotaur, which it did until Theseus, the son of the king of Athens, decided to put an end to the situation and travelled to Crete to defeat the Minotaur. With the help of Ariadne, the Cretan princess, he manages to enter the labyrinth, kill the Minotaur and use a thread (Ariadne’s idea!) to find his way out.
This story takes place in Knossos, which is also Europe’s oldest town and one of Crete’s ancient treasures to explore. It is now a world-famous archaeological site, located 5 km southeast of Heraklion. Knossos was the capital of the Minoan civilization around 2000 BC.
The palace (home to the famous labyrinth) is just a few minutes from Heraklion, Crete’s largest city. The site was controversially restored by a British archaeologist in the early 1900s. You can now enter the reconstructed parts of the palace. You’ll see replicas of murals and frescoes.
An equally impressive ancient site, but much less frequented by tourists, Phaistos was the second-largest city of the Minoans. Its location is not as convenient as Heraklion’s, but it’s just a few kilometers from the island’s southern coast and the sea. The site has been inhabited since 4000 BC, and remains an excellent destination for a trip back in time to ancient times.
Tip: if it’s too hot for an open-air visit, Heraklion’s archaeological museum is a must-see. It recently reopened its doors after a seven-year renovation, and the wait was well worth it, as it is now one of Greece’s leading historical attractions. Its new exhibition spaces bring together treasures from the island’s rich history, including the Phaistos disc, covered in mysterious symbolic inscriptions that archaeologists have yet to decipher.
Discover them for yourself and see if you can decipher this secret ancient code on your trip to Crete!
