Crete April 6-8, 2019
After 2 busy days in Athens, I caught the 9 pm ferry on Blue Star Ferries (€79 – quite a deal, but apparently a special price, regular €111) for the 10½ hour trip to Crete. Leave Piraeus, Athen’s port and arrive at Iraklio, the capital of Crete. That price was for the “Economy” accommodation, a Pullman seat in a lounge. I rolled out my Thermarest between seats, put on my eyeshade and earplugs and had a surprisingly good sleep. When I woke up at 2:30, it was raining and at 6:30, we were in a full gale. I’m glad I had not slept on the deck as planned.
My original plan was to head to the west side of Crete to hike the Samaria Gorge, the highlight of the island, but because of the weather, went east.
Crete has great nature – big-shouldered mountains, palm-lined beaches, hillsides covered in olive groves, vineyards, wildflowers and herbs, and deep gorges including Europe’s longest, the Samaria Gorge. History spans millennia – the Palace of Knossos is only the most famous of many vestiges of the mysterious Minoan civilization, Venetian fortresses, Turkish mosques, Byzantine churches, and charismatic Hania and Rethymno. The unique culture and customs are a dynamic part of its soul.
IRAKLIO (pop 137,390)
Also called Heraklion, it is Crete’s capital city, is Greece’s fifth-largest city and the island’s economic and administrative hub. It’s a hectic town added to by airplanes taking off frequently. It has a revitalized waterfront and the pleasant pedestrianized historic centre has bustling squares rimmed by buildings from the time when Columbus set sail.
Herakleion Archaeological Museum. This outstanding museum is one of the largest and most important in Greece. There are artifacts spanning 5500 years from Neolithic to Roman times, but it’s most famous for its extensive Minoan collection. A visit here will greatly enhance your understanding and appreciation of Crete’s history and culture.
The key exhibits include pottery, jewelry, figurines and sarcophagi, plus some famous frescoes. The most exciting finds come from the sites of Knossos, Phaestos, Zakros, Malia and Agia Triada.
The superlative Knossos frescoes include the Procession fresco, the Griffin fresco (from the Throne Room), the Dolphin fresco (from the Queen’s Room) and the amazing Bull-leaping fresco, which depicts a seemingly double-jointed acrobat somersaulting on the back of a charging bull.
Also from Knossos are Linear A and B tablets (the latter have been translated as household or business accounts), an ivory statue of a bull leaper and some exquisite gold seals.
Koules Fortress. Iraklio’s main landmark, this squat and square 16th-century fortress at the end of the Old Harbour jetty was called Rocca al Mare under the Venetians. It stopped the Turks for 21 years and later became a Turkish prison for Cretan rebels. The 26 restored rooms sometimes host art exhibits and performances.
Cathedral and Church of St. Minas. (Church of St. Markus, Plateia Agiou Titou) This majestic church has Byzantine origins in AD 961; it was subsequently converted to a Catholic church by the Venetians and turned into a mosque by the Ottomans. It has been an Orthodox Church since 1925. Since 1966, it has once again sheltered the much-prized skull relic of St Titus, returned here after being spirited to Venice for safe-keeping during the Turkish occupation.”
Historical Museum of Crete. Exhibits at this engaging museum are from the Byzantine to the Venetian and Turkish periods, culminating in WWII. There are good English labels, multimedia and listening stations. Nikos Karzantzakes (1883-1957) donated all his books and most of his memorabilia to the museum.
A brief synopsis of the occupation of Crete are:
Roman: 1st century BC – 395 AD. The capital was Gortys.
Byzantine: 395 – 827 AD
Arab: 827 – 961 AD. A very dark period in Crete’s history. Capital Chiania.
Second Byzantine: 961 – 1204 AD. Ended by the Fourth Crusade when Constantinople was conquered.
Venetian: 1204 – 1669 AD.
Ottoman: 1669 – 1913. A miserable time for Crete with no trade and only agriculture the economy. Became part of Greece in 1913.
WWII. October 1941 invaded by Italians. May 1943-1945. Occupied by Germans. Very harmful period for Crete with great material loss. In June 1944, Jews, Cretans and Italian prisoners were sent to concentration camps in Germany. The German’s used the principle of “dogma of the collective” where the entire town might be executed in retaliation for the resistance.
MINOAN PALATIAL CENTRES
Minoan Palatial Centres are a tentative WHS (16/01/2014).
KNOSSOS – Crete’s must-see historical attraction is the Minoan Palace of Knossos, the capital of Minoan Crete and only 5km south of Iraklio. To beat the crowds and avoid the heat, get there before 10 am and budget for at least two hours. Guided tours (in English, €10) last about 90 minutes and leave from the kiosk past the ticket booth.
The ruins of Knossos were unearthed in 1900 by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans (1851–1941). Evans was so enthralled by his discovery that he spent 35 years and £250,000 of his own money excavating and reconstructing sections of the palace. Evans’ reconstruction methods continue to be controversial, with many archaeologists believing that he sacrificed accuracy to his overly vivid imagination. For the casual visitor, though, the reconstructions help tremendously in visualizing what the palace might have looked like in its heyday. Evans’ reconstruction brings to life the palace’s most significant parts, including the columns that are painted deep brown-red with gold-trimmed black capitals and taper gracefully at the bottom. Vibrant frescoes add dramatic flourishes. The advanced drainage system and a clever floor plan that kept rooms cool in summer and warm in winter are further evidence of Minoan’s advanced living standards.
PHAESTOS. Only 63km from Iraklio, this was the second-most-important Minoan palace city, enjoying the most awe-inspiring location, with panoramic views of the Mesara Plain and Mt Ida. There’s an air of mystery about the desolate, unreconstructed ruins that are not found at Knossos.
MALIA. Smaller than Knossos, this ancient palace complex was built on a flat, fertile plain. Look for the Kernos Stone, a disc with 34 holes around its edge that archaeologists still can’t explain, and the Loggia, used for religious ceremonies.
AGIA TRIADA. This was possibly a royal summer villa, judging by the opulence of the objects discovered here. North of the palace, the stoa (long, colonnaded building) of an erstwhile settlement has been unearthed.
GORTYNA. This vast and intriguing site was inhabited from Minoan to Christian times and became the capital of Rome’s Cyrenaica province. The massive stone tablets inscribed with the wide-ranging Laws of Gortyna (5th century BC) comprise Gortyna’s most significant exhibit.
ZAKROS PALACE. Once a major Minoan port, this palace comprised royal apartments, storerooms and workshops on a low plain near the shore. Rising water levels have since submerged parts of the palace. While the ruins are sparse, the wildness and remoteness of the setting make it attractive.
Iraklio Wine Country. About 70% of the wine produced in Crete comes from the Iraklio Wine Country, which starts just south of Knossos and is headquartered in Peza. Almost two dozen wineries are embedded in a landscape of shapely hills, sunbaked slopes and lush valleys. Winemakers cultivate many indigenous Cretan grape varietals, such as kotsifali, mandarin and malvasia; quite a few now offer tours, wine museums and wine tastings. Pick up the free Wine Roads of Heraklion map at the Iraklio tourist office or at any of the estates, including the following: Arhanes Coop Wine, Boutari (in Skalani, about 8km from Iraklio, Lyrarakis (In Alagni, 6km south of Peza, this winery is famous for reviving two nearly extinct white Cretan wine varietals), and Minos-Miliarikis (on the Peza main street).
EAST CRETE
MYRTIA
Some 15km southeast of Iraklio, is the ancestral village of Zorba the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis and home to the excellent Nikos Kazantzakis Museum. In a modern building overlooking the kafeneio (coffee house)–flanked central plaza, the aesthetically lit presentation zeroes in on the life, philosophy and accomplishments of Crete’s most famous writer. Watch a short documentary, then nose around personal effects, movie posters, letters, photographs and other paraphernalia. Rooms upstairs present an overview of Kazantzakis’ most famous works including, of course, Zorba the Greek.
Cretaquarium, Gournes. 15km east of Iraklio, this is a vast high-tech indoor sea on the grounds of a former US Air Force base. Inhabited by some 2500 Mediterranean and tropical aquatic critters, this huge aquarium has interactive multimedia exhibits. The highlights were sharks, turtles and seahorses. €10. €6 reduced
Aquaworld Aquarium – Reptile Rescue Center, Hersonissos. This small aquarium was opened 19 years ago by a very affable Scot/Australian starting with an octopus. Since he has added many local species, rescued two freshwater fish (including an alligator gar) and started a reptile rescue center (many reptiles are kept as pets and then simply released into the environment). I was given a wonderful tour by one of the staff. He has several snakes including 3 natural variants of American king snakes, 3 variants of pythons (they are bred to produce odd colour and pattern variants but these cannot shed their skin), a savannah tortoise that wanders around free, several soft-shelled turtles (severely impacted by the Chinese exotic food market), iguanas, monitor lizards and more. For this good cause alone, it is a very worthwhile place to visit. The Mediterranean is basically “fished out” – the Portuguese tuna fleet sits idle as there are no tuna left. €8, €4 reduced
MALIA.
Malia Palace Archaeological Site. Smaller than Knossos, this ancient palace complex was built on a flat, fertile plain. Look for the Kernos Stone, a disc with 34 holes around its edge that archaeologists still can’t explain, and the Loggia, used for religious ceremonies.
Windmills of the Lasithi Plateau, Chersonisos. South of Malia, the road climbed high 16 km into the mountains to the Lasithi Plateau, a huge flat area well known for its agriculture. Just as you crest the top, the ridgeline has a row of these interesting windmills. Windmills in Crete first appeared in the Byzantine era and were widely used in Venetian times due to the important cereal production in the uplands. All are fixed with the axis of rotation orientated to the northwest, the dominant wind direction. Made of rough limestone, they are horseshoe-shaped, 6.5m high, 8m long and 3.5m wide with the narrow end a semi-circle where the 8m-diameter vanes are attached to the grinding mechanism. The sloping roofs were covered with 20 cm of clay for waterproofing. Several appeared to still be in use, others were in ruins.
Cave of Zeus (Psychro Cave). About 8kms on the south side of the Lasithi Plateau, I didn’t visit this cave.
AGIOS NIKOLAOS (pop 12,000)
Lasithi’s capital, Agios Nikolaos stands on the shores of the beautiful Mirabello Bay. It seems less Cretan in character than any of the other island towns, partly because of its resort-style flair and largely modern architecture.
The town’s harbour is linked by a narrow channel to the circular Voulismeni Lake. The main harbour-front road crosses the channel by a bridge and the pedestrianised lakeside is lined with cafes and restaurants.
Folk Art Museum of Agios Nikolaos.
SPINALONGA ISLAND. Spinalonga Island lies in a pretty setting off the northern tip of the Kolokytha Peninsula north of Agios Nikolaos. Its massive fortress was built in 1579 to protect Elounda Bay and the Gulf of Mirabello and is a tentative WHS (16/01/2014). With the explosion of interest in Spinalonga in the wake of Virginia Hislop’s bestselling novel To Nisi and the Greek TV series spin-off, you’re unlikely to feel lonely on the island. In fact, there is even a reconstructed section of a street from the period featured in the novel.
In the NM “XL” series it is listed as a ghost town. Stonewalls rise from the water on the west and rise to a crenellated tower on the south end. Terraces of stonewalls with buildings and streets rise to the summit.
Ferries to Spinalonga depart half-hourly from Elounda (€10) and Plaka (€5), giving you an hour to see the sights (though you can stay longer and return on a different boat). From Agios Nikolaos, various companies run basic tours and day-trip excursions (from €20).
SITIA (pop 9500). An attractive seaside town with a big open harbour, it is backed by a wide promenade lined with tavernas and cafes. It’s a friendly place where tourism is fairly low-key and where agriculture and commerce are the mainstays. A sandy beach skirts a wide bay to the east of town. Sitia attracts French and Greek tourists, but even at the height of the high season the town retains its relaxed atmosphere.
Sitia is a good transit point for ferries to the Dodecanese islands. Plateia Iroon Polytehniou is Sitia’s main square. It’s recognizable by its palm trees and a statue of a dying soldier.
This is at the far east end of Crete, and I simply did not have the time to get here.
Monastery of Toplou. This monastery is a long way west of Sitia.
Zakros Palace. On the east coast of Crete, once a major Minoan port, this palace comprised royal apartments, storerooms and workshops on a low plain near the shore. Rising water levels have since submerged parts of the palace. While the ruins are sparse, the wildness and remoteness of the setting make it attractive.
WEST CRETE
RETHYMNO (pop 28,850).
Between the bastions of its 15th-century fortress and the blue waters of the Mediterranean, Rethymno is one of Crete’s more delightful towns.. Crete’s third-largest town has even a decent beach lined with palm trees right in town. The busier beaches, with their resorts, stretch almost without interruption all the way to Panormo, some 22km east.
Old Quarter. The Venetian-Ottoman quarter is a maze of lanes, floral canopies, wood-balconied houses and ornate monuments; minarets add a nice touch. One of its Venetian vestiges is the Rimondi Fountain with its spouting lion heads and Corinthian capitals, and the nearby Loggia, once a meeting house for nobility and now a gift shop. South of here, the Porta Guora (Great Gate) is the only remnant of the Venetian defensive wall.
Among the few remaining Ottoman structures, the most important is the triple-domed Neratzes Mosque which was converted from a Franciscan church in 1657 and is now used as a music conservatory and concert venue.
Historical & Folklore Museum. In a five-room Venetian mansion, documents traditional rural life with displays of clothing, baskets, weavings and farming tools.
Rethimno Fort. High over the Old Quarter is this 16th-century fortress built in reaction to multiple pirate raids and the mounting threat from the Turks. Although its massive walls once sheltered numerous buildings, only a church and a mosque survive. There are many ruins to explore and great views from the ramparts. Enter via the eastern gate.
Moni Arkadiou (Arkadi Monastery)
The 16th-century Moni Arkadiou, some 23km SE of Rethymno, has deep significance for Cretans. It’s a stark and potent symbol of human resistance and is considered a spark plug in the struggle towards freedom from Turkish occupation.
In November 1866, massive Ottoman forces arrived to crush island-wide revolts. Hundreds of Cretan men, women and children fled their villages to find shelter at Arkadiou. However, far from being a safe haven, the monastery was soon besieged by 2000 Turkish soldiers. Rather than surrender, the Cretans set light to stored gunpowder kegs, killing everyone, Turks included. One small girl miraculously survived and lived to a ripe old age in a village nearby. A bust of this woman and another of the abbot who lit the gunpowder are outside the monastery not far from the old windmill, which is now a macabre ossuary with skulls and bones of the 1866 victims neatly arranged in a glass cabinet.
Arkadiou’s most impressive building is its Venetian church (1587), which has a striking Renaissance facade marked by eight slender Corinthian columns and topped by an ornate triple-belled tower. There’s a small museum left of here and the old wine cellar where the gunpowder was stored at the end of the left wing.
I arrived at 8:45 during mass and got to witness all the pomp and ceremony of a Greek Orthodox mass. There were 13 standing congregations who entered, crossed themselves twice, and kissed one icon and then a second icon. There was a constant chant (these guys have great voices), by 3 priests behind the altar with their backs visible. I won’t go through the whole show but the congregation took no part and there was no sermon.
Just as I was leaving, 3 big tour buses arrived. Free
Monastery of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity). About 12 km NE of Chania, this too is a popular tour destination with 4 buses in the lot and a big crowd. It was built by two brothers, destroyed in the 1821 Greek Revolution and finally finished in the 19th century. Fields of vineyards and olive groves surround it.
It is the prettiest of all the monasteries I visited. Surrounded by rust-orange outbuildings of the monastery and lovely gardens at the back, the church has several domes. The highlights of the church are the heavy gilt altar screen, ornate brass chandelier with 13 icons, and the domes over the transepts had blue ceilings painted with gold stars. One silver icon was encrusted with jewels. The museum had 5 famous icons painted by the Cretan school in the 15th to 17th century.
Monastery of Chrisoskalitissa. Google Maps places this at the same site as Agia Triada.
CHANIA (Hania, pop 54,000)
Chania is Crete’s most evocative city, with its pretty Venetian quarter, crisscrossed by narrow lanes, culminating at a great harbour. Remnants of Venetian and Turkish architecture abound, with old townhouses now transformed into atmospheric restaurants and boutique hotels and a lovely multi-domed mosque. This is one of the nicest harbours in the world, lined with kilometres of sidewalk restaurants. On a Sunday afternoon, it was incredibly busy. I can only imagine what it must be like in the summer.
Hania’s main port is at Souda, 7km southeast of town and the site of a NATO base.
Its Venetian Fortifications are part of an impressive defensive system begun in 1538 by Michele Sanmichele, who also designed Iraklio’s defences, Best preserved is the western wall, running from the Firkas Fortress to the Siavo Bastion. The bastion offers good views of the Old Town.
Agora Marketplace. In the early 19th century, Chania was the capital of Crete with a population of 20,000. The Turks had just left and the city was in a period of change and reconstruction. Shops were scattered all over town so this large cross-shaped market was built in 1913. With 78 shops – fish, meat, veg and several small eateries, it has it all.
It’s worth a visit even if you don’t want to shop. Closed on Sunday.
Chania Lighthouse. The restored Venetian lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour is a 1.5km walk around the sea wall. Built on a natural rock in 1595-1601 when it had a natural flame, it is 21m high, 29m above the water and its light shines for 7 miles.
Archaeological Museum of Chania. This museum’s collection of finds from western Crete spans from the Neolithic to the Roman era and includes statues, vases, great gold jewelry, an 8th-century clay toy with working wheels, 100 clay bulls found in one site (clay bulls were cheaper to sacrifice than real ones), 3 Roman floor mosaics and some stunning painted sarcophagi from a late Minoan cemetery. It occupies the impressive 16th-century Venetian Church of San Francisco; outside, a Turkish fountain attests to its former incarnation as a mosque. €4, €2 reduced
Etz Hayyim Synagogue has a moving memorial to the Jews of Chania who were annihilated by the Nazis.
Chania Cathedral. The highlights here are the 5 cut-glass chandeliers (there is no dome to hang the typical large chandelier), 4 large silver icons on the altar screen and padded chairs with arms for “pews”.
Chrissopigi Monastery. About 3 km southeast of Chania, a mass was going on when I appeared at 5 pm. Surrounded by the monastery complex the church has two tiny side chapels and the main body of the church is also very small and dark.
SAMARIA GORGE. Note that this does not open until mid-May. An early opening of the lower 2kms from Agia Roumeli was planned for April 20.
At 16km, the Samaria Gorge is reputedly Europe’s longest. It begins just below the Omalos Plateau, carved out by the river that flows between the peaks of Avlimanakou (1858m) and Volakias (2115m) mountains. Samaria’s width varies from 150m to 3m and its vertical walls soar up to 500m. Wildflowers bloom in April and May. Samaria also shelters endangered species like Crete’s beloved kri-kri, a shy and seldom-seen wild goat. To save it from extinction, the gorge became a national park in 1962. Gorge of Samaria National Park is a tentative WHS (16/01/2014)
Hiking the Gorge. The hike from Xyloskalo (the name of the steep stone path that enters the gorge) to Agia Roumeli on the south coast takes from about four to six hours. Early in the season, it’s sometimes necessary to wade through the stream. Later, as the flow drops, the streambed rocks become stepping stones.
Although you’ll have company (over 1000 people per day in summer), hiking the Samaria Gorge makes for a memorable experience. Park officials close the gorge on exceptionally hot days.
An early start (before 8am) helps to avoid the worst of the crowds, but during July and August even the early bus from Hania to the trailhead can be packed. Overnighting in Omalos and getting an early lift from there is one idea. There’s nowhere to spend the night in the gorge so time your trek to finish by the time the gates close at 3 pm. Wear good hiking boots and bring water (springs with good water exist, though not the mainstream). Be aware that falling rocks can be a hazard and people have been injured; in 2006 there were even two fatal incidents.
There are excursions to Samaria Gorge from every sizable town and resort in Crete, but you can get there easily enough from Hania by bus (via Omalos) and hike down the gorge to Agia Roumeli, catch a boat to Sougia and from there the bus back to Hania. There are also ferries to other south-coast towns, including Hora Sfakion, Loutro and Paleohora, in case you’re tempted to linger a day or two.
As it had been raining, I delayed coming here till my last day, then learned it wasn’t open. So I checked ferries and drove back to Iraklio in 2 hours and caught the 20:30 Gold Star ferry “Mykonos Palace” (€99) back to Piraeus. My first choice would have been to go to the Cyclades (Mykonos, Santorini), but there were no ferries to any of them from Crete, only once per week at this time of year and the website could find no ferries for Piraeus!).
On the ferry, I learned that it docked at Chania on the way back to Athens so I could have avoided the awful drive. Even though this is the main highway on the north side of Crete, it is very slow. Not divided, there are a dizzying number of speed reductions (90, 80, 70/40 in rain, 50), all for no apparent reason. It’s Greek to me. And there was always some car going at significantly less than the speed limit creating long lines of vehicles behind them.
I did not go to any of the following places on the west and south of Crete but include them for completeness’s sake.
Balos Beach On the NW tip of Crete, the beach is in a sheltered lagoon.
Elafonisi. At the southern extremity of Crete’s west coast, the beach is long, wide and separated from the Elafonisi Islet by about 50m of knee-deep water. The clear, shallow turquoise water and fine white sand create a tropical paradise. The islet is marked by low dunes and a string of semi-secluded coves that attract a sprinkling of naturists. Unfortunately, this idyllic scene can be spoilt by the busloads of day trippers who descend in summer.
There is one boat daily from Paleohora to Elafonisi (€8, one hour) from mid-May through September. There is also one bus daily from Hania (2½ hours) and Kissamos-Kastelli (1¼ hours). Neither option leaves much time to relax on both beaches, so driving is ideal.
FRANGOKASTELLO.
Frangokastello Fortress, a magnificent 14th-century fortress
Fragokastello Beach. Lying just below the fortress, this wide, packed white-sand beach, 15km east of Hora Sfakion, is one of Crete’s best. The shallow warm water makes it ideal for kids. Be warned: when the wind’s up, flying sand will chase you off quickly.
Preveli Monastery (Moni Preveli). The historic Moni Preveli stands isolated high above the Libyan sea. Like most Cretan monasteries, it was a centre of anti-Ottoman resistance and was burned by the Turks during the 1866 onslaught.
Preveli Beach (aka Palm Beach). Right below Moni Preveli, is one of Crete’s most celebrated beaches in a truly stunning setting. The beach sits at the mouth of the Kourtaliotiko Gorge, from where the river Megalopotamos slices across it before emptying into the Libyan sea. The palm-lined riverbanks have freshwater pools good for a dip, while rugged cliffs begin where the sand ends.
A steep path leads down to the beach (10 minutes) from a car park 1km before Moni Preveli.
Anogia (pop 2125)
Perched aside Mt Psiloritis, 37 km southwest of Iraklio, Anogia is known for its rebellious spirit and determination to express its undiluted Cretan character. Its famous 2000-guest weddings involve the entire village. It’s also famous for its stirring music and has spawned many of Crete’s best-known musicians.
During WWII, Anogia was a centre of resistance and suffered heavily for it. The Nazis burned down the town and massacred all the men in retaliation for their role in sheltering Allied troops and aiding in the kidnapping of a Nazi general.
Hence, most of the buildings you see today are actually of relatively recent vintage.
BEACHES ON CRETE
Falalasarna. Some 16km west of Kissamos, this long sandy beach is one of Crete’s finest, comprising several coves separated by rocky spits. Falasarna’s end-of-the-world feel is accentuated by spectacular sunsets when pink hues are reflected from the sand’s fine coral.
Vaï. Europe’s only ‘natural’ palm-forest beach has inviting white sand. A mere 24km east of Sitia, it gets packed in summer, though you can access a more secluded beach by clambering over a rocky outcrop behind the taverna.
Gavdos Island. Europe’s most southerly point, 45km south of Hora Sfakion, is blissful and boasts several unspoilt beaches – some accessible only by boat. It attracts campers, nudists and free spirits seeking peace out on balmy beaches under the stars.