Travel blog: We love Crete-Αγαπάμε την Κρήτη
We are already feeling that summer is coming so if you have no idea where you will go for holidays, I highly recommend Crete, which is the largest island of Greece and the fifth largest one in the Mediterranean Sea. It has amazing beaches, various historical sights, museums and fashionable clubs. Crete can therefore satisfy everyone.
My favourite town in Crete is definitely Chania, which is on the western side of the island. It is one of the most beautiful and picturesque towns in Greece. By walking in Chania, you can admire different architectural styles, because of the history of the town. The Old Port is an appealing tourist spot, as it has various restaurants which serve the delicious cuisine of Crete and seafood. What is more, Agia Marina is a famous beach full of beach bars, where you can dance all day. Samaria gorge is a major tourist attraction. You can complete your walk by going down the gorge from the Omalos plateau to Agia Roumeli.
Samaria
Elafonisi, which means ‘deer island’is undeniably a must, because it has one of the most splendid beaches in Crete. You can walk to the island through the shallow water. You will be impressed by the amazing sea and the white sand that can easily remind you of the image of an exotic beach.
Heraklion, which is the capital of Crete, attracts tourists especially for its major historical sights. Knossos is worth a visit, as it is the most important archeological site of Crete and is called the capital of Minoan Crete. The Archaeological Museum, which is the second largest museum in Greece, is also really interesting. It houses the best collection of Minoan objects, throughout the world.
Zwniana, which is a village in the Rethymno regional unit, is quite appealing to visitors. It is famous for Sfentoni cave, as it is one of Crete’s most beautiful caves, adorned with stalactites and stalagmites. What is more, you can visit a museum of waxworks. It includes 87 waxworks, which represent scenes from the history of Crete and figures, such as Eleftherios Venizelos and Vitzentzos Kornaros. Anogia is a village near Zwniana and it is the birthplace of the famous Greek singer Xylouris. You can visit Xylouris’s house and taste the local Raki, which is the traditional drink of Crete.
One of the most popular tourist destinations in Crete is definitely Spinalonga. Spinalonga is the island where lepers from Crete and the rest of Greece had been kept in isolation until 1957. As Victoria Hislop stated in her best-seller book The Island, ‘This might be a place where history was still warm, not stone cold, where the inhabitants were really not mythical’. Spinalonga has an interesting story to tell, as it forms a natural defence mechanism and in 1759, the Venetians built a fortress in the ruins of an ancient acropolis. You can visit Spinalonga by boat from Agios Nikolaos, Elounda and Plaka. Plaka is a fishing village, which is renowned for its various taverns and unique beach.
Agios Nikolaos
Spinalonga
Overall, Crete is the ideal destination for everyone, as it has a wide range of significant historical sights, museums, breathtaking landscapes, idyllic beaches, delicious cuisine and a great nightlife. Meanwhile, as Martin Buber said: ‘All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware’.
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The others are original