Margarites

Margarites is known on Crete for its pottery, with ceramics shops and workshops lining the streets of this charming small town not far from Rethymnon.

A ceramic studio in Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.All Photos (c) Mike Gerrard for Greece Travel Secrets

Where is Margarites?

Margarites is about 26 km (16 miles) east of Rethymnon, about a 35-minute drive. It's about 7 km (4 miles) from the Dalabelos Estate, where we stayed the night before visiting Margarites. It stands about 300 meters (984 ft) above sea level.

A map showing the location of Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

Visiting Margarites

We were encouraged to visit Margarites by Vasilis, owner of the Dalabelos Eco-Tourism Estate, where we'd spent the second night of our most recent visit to Crete. We already knew about Margarites, though, as we'd paid a quick visit on an earlier visit to Crete when we spent six weeks there researching a guidebook. We definitely wanted to go back for longer.

Ceramic bowl for sale in Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

Our guide Isi from GoCrete.net drove us the few minutes from Dalabelos to Margarites, parking below the village. Margarites has one narrow main street and a few back streets, and as we walked up the main street we were reminded what a colourful place Margarites is. Every few meters there's a pottery workshop or a ceramics studio, with bright displays both inside and outside.

Ceramic vases for sale in Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

Local Guide

The advantage of having a local guide like Isi is that he knows everyone and directed us to what he thought was the best place in town. This was the Kerameion pottery shop where Isi introduced us to owner and potter, Jorgos Dalamvelas. Jorgos was happy to show us some of his skills and we won't need to repeat it all here as we captured most of it for our YouTube channel.

The Ceramic Capital

By going to see Jorgos first, we learned a lot about Margarites and its rich history of pottery-making, which goes back to Minoan times. Most potters use the local clay, which is perfect for ceramics and is one reason the pottery trade developed here.

Ceramics for sale in Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

We went to visit several other places, where potters were at work and giving demonstrations, but Jorgos remained our favourite. He was so passionate about pottery, and its role in the history of Margarites. Some shops had no potter or potter's wheel, and it was clear they were buying in pottery, probably from China. Yes, that 'Souvenir of Crete' that you find may well have been imported from China! But when you can see the potter making beautiful items before your eyes, you know you're buying the real thing and helping support the local economy.

Ceramics for sale in Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

In fact Isi told us one time that some of the big resorts buy their 'Greek' moussaka in large frozen and pre-cooked consignments from China too!

A potter's toolkit in Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

Novelty Ceramics

Jorgos showed us some novelty pottery, including jugs that played tricks and other fun things:

One thing he showed us was a salt cellar that he made, with several holes in the bottom, though no salt came out until you shook it side to side. I still don't know how it worked, as the salt should have simply poured through the holes, but it didn't until you shook it.

Close-up detail of a piece of ceramic art made in Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

Donna was keen to buy one but we talked about it and decided against it, as this was only the second day of what would be a three-week trip, and we didn't want to load up with souvenirs - even if it was neat. We wandered along the street, and before we knew it Isi presented Donna with a gift. He had somehow sneaked back to the shop and bought one of the salt cellars for her. It was a typical act of Greek generosity and kindness... and we were to experience many more on our travels round Crete with Isi.

Street scene in Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

Crete Tours

Our tour with GoCrete.net was a food and drink themed tour, which we'd asked Isi to organise, and he did it superbly. But he organises tours on other themes, like history, or covering particular parts of the island, and from a few hours to as long as you like.

Limes hanging from a tree branch in the streets of Crete's pottery capital, Margarites.

Try these other Crete pages

  • Eco-Tourism Accommodation on Crete

    The Dalabelos Estate offers luxury eco-tourism accommodation on Crete in the hills near Rethymnon with its own farm, vineyard and olive groves.

  • Goules Taverna Crete

    The Goules Taverna in Goulediana, south of Rethymnon, has been called one of the best tavernas on Crete and Greece Travel Secrets recently visited them.

  • Manousakis Wine Tasting

    We visit and tour the Manousakis Winery on Crete with a wine-tasting and a chance to buy their tsikoudia, sea salt, olive oil and other goodies.

  • The Herb Man of Kouses

    Greece Travel Secrets visits the Cretan Botano herbs and spices shop near Matala in southern Crete in search of the herb man of Kouses.

  • Art Courses on Crete

    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.

  • Making Rakomelo on Crete

    Greece Travel Secrets visits Crete and learns about making rakomelo from Jorgos Kourmoulis in Agouseliana.

  • Chania, in Western Crete

    Chania is the main city in Western Crete with a lovely setting and a beautiful harbour as well as several museums.

  • Crete

    Crete (Kriti) is the largest Greek island and its main attractions include the Minoan Palace of Knossos, the Samarian Gorge, Chania and Rethymnon.

  • Crete Olive Oil Tour

    For a Crete olive oil tour Greece Travel Secrets visits Biolea, one of the few olive oil factories on Crete that you can visit.

  • Crete Festivals and Events

    Crete festivals and events include Carnival Easter, Whitsun, Christmas, many other religious feast days and public holidays.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

RSS

  1. Kos on its Way to Become a Greek Biking Destination

    The comparative advantages of Kos as an emerging biking destination were presented by Deputy Transport Minister Michalis Papadopoulos during an event held recently on the island by local authorities…

    Read More

  2. Covid-19: Greece Still in CDC’s ‘Very High’ Travel Risk Category

    The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is warning Americans to avoid travel to some 75 countries, including Greece, after adding on Monday, Germany and Denmark to its “Level Four: Very High” Covid-1…

    Read More

  3. Greek Mountain Destinations Aching for Bookings

    The second winter season in the pandemic finds hotels in Greece’s striking mountain villages in a fragile state.

    Read More

  4. What to Eat at Syntagma – Petraki Street

    Petraki Street, near Syntagma Square, has everything a foodie wants, whether you’re looking for a good wine bar, cocktail bar, bakery, pastry shop, or restaurant worth visiting again and again.

    Read More

  5. Bringing Ancient Olympia Back to Life

    A new digital revival project, "Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds," harnesses artificial intelligence to bring the ancient sanctuary back to life like never before.

    Read More

  6. Athens Tops Europe’s Meeting Destinations Ranking, Says AmEx Report

    Athens, Greece’s capital city, ranks first in the top 5 meeting destinations in Europe in the 2022 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, the 11th annual report produced by American Express Meetings & E…

    Read More

  7. Covid-19: Greece Bans the Unvaccinated from More Indoor Places

    Adults in Greece not vaccinated against the coronavirus (Covid-19) will be banned from entering more indoor spaces, including cinemas, theaters, museums and gyms as of Monday, November 22, according t…

    Read More

  8. South Aegean Islands Introduced to Luxury Wedding Planners

    The South Aegean islands were introduced to some of the world’s leading wedding planners during the 7th Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress 2021, that took place on Rhodes earlier in November…

    Read More

  9. Greece Promotes Western Macedonia as Top Wine Tourism Destination

    Western Macedonia, its wineries and wines are spearheading a far-reaching tourism ministry campaign to establish Greece as a leading wine tourism destination, said Deputy Tourism Minister Sofia Zachar…

    Read More

  10. A foodie guide to Thessaloniki

    Welcome to our foodie guide to Thessaloniki, where you’ll get to know all about what and where to eat in one of the best culinary getaways in Greece.

    Read More