Lonely Planet's Crete
Lonely Planet's Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of
almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
We recently reviewed Lonely Planet's Greek Islands and highly
recommend it as an overall guide to all the Greek islands (and Athens). That
guidebook has 56 pages on Crete but if it's just Crete you're interested in you
need to take a look at Lonely Planet's Crete. This has almost 300 pages dedicated
to this very special Greek island.
The book begins with a brief overview of what to expect from Crete, then goes on to list its Top 15 Attractions and Experiences. We don't want to repeat their list in full, but the first few are:
- The Old Town of Chania
- The Beach at Elafonisi
- Knossos
- Heraklion Archaeological Museum
- Touring Southern Crete by Boat (a great suggestion!)
- The Samaria Gorge
We've no arguments there, nor with the rest of the list
which includes the wine country in the Iraklion region and, another excellent
choice: Village Tavernas. Eating at one of these places is definitely a
highlight of any visit. They single out one place which we were lucky enough to
eat at on our last visit, To Skolio in Anidri near Paleohora, and while we
wouldn't say it was a typical village taverna, it did serve amazingly inventive
and inexpensive food, all prepared fresh every morning.
The Menu at To Skolio
Plan Your Trip
There are then several suggested itineraries for different
ways of getting the most out of your visit to Crete. The first is a 2-week
Essential Crete trip, starting in Iraklio and then heading south, then west,
taking in many of the island's main attractions such as Knossos, Chania,
Rethymnon, the Samaria Gorge, Phaistos and the Arkadi Monastery.
A suggested 1-week tour limits itself to places reachable
from Iraklio, and the Eastern Crete itinerary restricts itself to one week, as
there are fewer sights to see in the eastern half of the island. Our advice,
though, would be to take two weeks anyway and take it slow.
The Cretan Diet
The next section provides sections on different themes, such
as Outdoor Activities (of which there are plenty), Travel with Children and Eat
and Drink Like a Local. We were delighted to see that this runs to eight pages,
as there's a lot to say about Crete's distinctive and outstanding food and
drink. There are sub-sections on important topics like olive oil, wine and
raki. We'll drink to that.
Where Is Gavdos?
The guide rightly says that the island of Gavdos, off the
southern coast of Crete, is the most southerly point of Europe. But what it
also says is that Gavdos is closer to Africa than to Greece. Er, excuse us?
Gavdos is part of Greece. We think what they meant to say is that Gavdos is
closer to Africa than to Athens!
Top Crete Guide
We only spotted that one small mistake as we read quite
thoroughly through the sections on places in Crete that we know ourselves.
It was the only mistake that we found, and even then it was more of a slip of
the brain than a genuine factual error.
On the places that we checked we found Lonely Planet's Crete
to be thorough, accurate and well-organised. It's also very good on the
nitty-gritty practical details, including local transport. How many buses a day
are there from Rethymnon to the Arkadi Monastery, what does it cost and how long
does it take? (The answers are - or were when this book was researched -
three, €2.80 and 40
minutes.)
Buying Lonely Planet's Crete
Where to Stay on Crete
More Crete pages
Driving central Crete in three days gives you time to see the highlights including the Minoan palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the beaches and the Diktean Cave.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Central Crete including hotels in Matala, Ayia Galini, and Zaros.
Greece Travel Secrets eats at Vegera in Zaros and finds a cheap but wonderful feast of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes cooked daily with fresh local food.
This Rouvas Gorge walk starts and ends in Zaros in southern Crete and should take three to four hours with a distance of eight kilometres or five miles.
Keramos Studios in Zaros on Crete is an inexpensive two-star hotel/guesthouse with one of the best breakfasts on the island using food from the family’s farm.
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to Zaros in Central Crete, including what to do, where to stay, and where to eat.
Crete (Kriti) is the largest Greek island and its main attractions include the Minoan Palace of Knossos, the Samarian Gorge, Chania and Rethymnon.
The largest of the Greek islands, Crete has four ENUESCO sites, which are Sitia, Psiloritis, Asterousia, and the Gorge of Samaria.
The Dalabelos Estate offers luxury eco-tourism accommodation on Crete in the hills near Rethymnon with its own farm, vineyard and olive groves.
Crete’s wildlife and landscape are two of the island’s attractions, including gorges for hiking, rare raptors like the lammergeier, wildcats and ancient trees.
Ancient Gournia is a Minoan archaeological site between Agios Nikolaos and Sitia in Eastern Crete where the visitor can see evidence of a maze of back streets.
The best things to do on Crete and top things to see include the Samaria Gorge, the Minoan Palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the towns of Chania and Rethymnon.
Crete festivals and events include Carnival Easter, Whitsun, Christmas, many other religious feast days and public holidays.
Greece Travel Secrets suggests where to stay in Eastern Crete with our favourite hotels in Zakros, Elounds, Sitia, Agios Nikolaos, Istron Bay, Myrtos, Neapolis.
Greece Travel Secrets’ potted guide to Eastern Crete and why you should consider it for a holiday, including seeing Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, Vai Beach and Zakros.
How to see eastern Crete in five days, with its beaches, Minoan palaces, timeless villages, unique churches and mountain and coastal scenery.
Greece Travel Secrets discovers Sitia, the main town in eastern Crete, with its relaxing waterfront, inexpensive hotels, good food, and nearby ancient sites.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Eastern Crete including restaurants and tavernas in Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, and Kato Zakros.
Greece Travel Secrets visits Visual Arts Crete who offer accommodation and run art courses at their home and studio in the village of Kastellos near Rethymnon.
Chania is the main city in Western Crete with a lovely setting and a beautiful harbour as well as several museums.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Crete Botanical Gardens near Chania and finds a wonderland of colourful plants, trees, and flowers filling a lovely valley.
Crete's capital and largest city is Irakleio, also called Iraklion or Heraklion, a large and busy place with good restaurants, museums and historical buildings.
Driving on Crete is the best way to see Greece’s biggest island and here is our driving advice and some information about Greek driving regulations.
These shopping tips for Crete include advice on buying souvenirs like ceramics, icons, jewellery, leather, weavings, wood carvings, and food and drink.
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