Look for musicians striking up a free-form jam on local instruments, such as the stringed lyra (lyre), or wedding celebrants weaving their traditional regional dances. The island's spirited people still champion many of their unique customs, and time-honoured traditions remain a dynamic part of daily life. Untouched by mass tourism, villages are the backbone of Cretan culture and identity – especially those tucked in the hills and mountains. Pair your meal with excellent local wine, and cap it off with a fiery shot of raki. The Cretan diet is among the healthiest in the world. Follow a gourmet trail across the landscape and you’ll delight in distinctive herbs and greens gathered from each hillside, cheeses made fresh with unique village- or household-specific recipes, and honey flavoured by mountain herbs. Rural tavernas often produce their own meat, cheese, olive oil, raki and wine, and catch their own seafood. If you’re a foodie, you will be in heaven in Crete, where ‘locavore’ is not a trend but a way of life. The Byzantine influence stands in magnificent frescoed chapels, churches and monasteries. History imbues Hania and Rethymno, where labyrinthine lanes are lorded over by mighty fortresses, and where gorgeously restored Renaissance mansions rub rafters with mosques and Turkish bathhouses. At the crossroads of three continents, Crete has been coveted and occupied by consecutive invaders.
You’ll find evocative vestiges all over, most famously at the Palace of Knossos.
The island is the birthplace of the first advanced society on European soil, the Minoans, who ruled some 4000 years ago.
Rich Historical TapestryĬrete’s natural beauty is equalled only by the richness of its history. Leave time to plant your footprints on a sandy beach, and boat, kayak or snorkel in the crystalline waters. Take it all in on a driving tour, trek through Europe’s longest gorge, hike to the cave where Zeus was born or cycle among orchards on the Lasithi Plateau. In between, valleys cradle moody villages, and round-shouldered hills are the overture to often snow-dabbed mountains. There’s something undeniably artistic in the way the Cretan landscape unfolds, from the sun-drenched beaches in the north to the rugged canyons spilling out at the cove-carved and cliff-lined southern coast. Crete is a tapestry of splendid beaches, ancient treasures and landscapes, weaving in vibrant cities and dreamy villages, where locals share their traditions, wonderful cuisine and generous spirit.
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