Crete is not only famous for its natural wonders but it is the birthplace of first European civilization, Minoan civilization during Bronze age from 2700 to 1400 BC. Minoan followed by Mycenaean, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman all have greatly influenced rich and diverse Cretan culture.
Pristine sandy beaches, awesome gorges (Samaria gorge is the longest one in Europe), beautiful mountain ranges along with lovely Cretan music, delicious local cuisine and great wine have always attracted thousands of tourists every year to this largest Greek island(fifth largest in the Mediterranean).
Crete has lovely mountainous landscape with white mountains in the west, stunning sandy beaches at all corners like Elafonisi and Balos in the west and Vai and Agios Nikolaus in the east. It also boasts of many famous port cities like Chania in the west, Sitia in the east and capital Herklion in the center. From all these ports and also from small ports like Lerapetra, Rethymon or Hersonissos many catamaran or sail boats operate to nearby small islands. Sunset cruise and day trips to Santorini are also very popular.
We landed in Heraklion airport by a short flight from Rhodes in the evening and it took us one hour 20 minutes via motorway to reach our resort near Agios Nikolaus, in the north eastern part of Crete. Road is mountainous but drive was smooth and relaxing.
Agios Nikolaus is a charming coastal town with rich history, Byzantine churches, stunning beaches and a great port. It has a vibrant atmosphere in which every tourist gets absorbed.
We hired a car and drove to the beautiful harbour and then through the narrow streets of the town reached cute Minos beach. After a short stroll near the beach we proceeded towards picturesque resort town Elounda.
Elounda beach has powdery sand and crystal clear water and the town is surrounded by rolling hills and sparkling blue Cretan sea(Mediterranean). From here direct ferry service to Spinalonga island available, however,day trips to Spinalonga along with Agios Nikolaus are very popular from Heraklion harbour too. Spinalonga is a small island and was former leper colony which stopped functioning in 1957. Now is an UNESCO heritage site because of its venetian fortifications.
Our next stop was Plaka, a small fishing village overlooking Mirabello Bay. We took some beverages and allowed ourselves few hours on the beach side bar in an ultimate relaxing laid back atmosphere enjoying breathtaking views of the Bay. After having delicious seafood lunch we returned to the harbour and walked along the vibrant streets imbibing ourselves in great vibes all around.
Next day was reserved for charming coastal town Sitia at north eastern coast. It took us 90 minutes to reach there through a scenic mountainous route. We loved its picturesque harbour and spent lots of time admiring its castle and museum. Beach was wonderful and water was so calm and inviting that we could not resist swimming for an hour.
Stunning beach Voulisma was first on our agenda on fourth day. Close to our resort this beach is gifted with scenic hills and lush green mountains. Beach umbrellas, sun loungers, nice beach bars and clean maintained toilets attract lots of sea lovers to this beach. It is very safe for swimming, snorkelling and water sport activities. After spending few hours on the beach, we left for Kritsa.
Kritsa is a small fairy tale traditional Cretan village in Kritsa valley, a valley dotted with traditional villages, a little river, a gorge, and wonderful villas. It has landscaped view from top and many traditional cafes, shops selling excellent quality honey and olives can be found along its narrow streets. We really had great time in this hidden gem of Crete.
On return we took wonderful sunset cruise from the harbour which made us awestruck by the divine glow of setting Sun over the sea at the background of the town.
On last day we parked our car near the harbour in the morning and took Little Blue Train tours. This one is actually three wagon bus painted and designed like train and has two routes : Elounda and Kritsa. We took one and half hour Elounda trip as we were in love with the beauty of the sea around.
Close to the train station is lovely lake Voulismeni, situated in the heart of Agios Nikolaus town. We strolled around the lake on scenic walking paths multiple times enjoying its beautiful surroundings.
The lake is connected with the sea by a narrow canal and is 63 meters deep and people say its water has healing properties.
We settled ourselves in cosy chairs of one of the numerous lakeside restaurants, and got absorbed in its tranquillity while admiring beautiful landscapes of the town all around. This wonderful moment of peaceful retreat remained etched in our memories forever.
Crete is vast and offer extensive archaeological tours, water sports, boat tours, traditional cultural experiences and culinary samplings. So we kept Crete part 2 for our future trip to explore Heraklion and western Crete.
How to reach
By ferry from nearby islands or by flights from anywhere.
What to eat
– Dakos is must and it is made of rusk, cheese, tomatoes, Kalitsounia(cheese pie)
– Moussaka and Souvlaki are like other regular Greek dishes.
– Local honey, olive oil, cheese are of excellent quality.
What to drink
Great wine they produce. Most famous is Raki as compared to other parts of Greece where traditional drink is Ouzo. Raki, however, is Turkish drink. Both are aniseed flavoured spirits but difference is that Ouzo is made of fermented grapes infused with aniseed whereas Raki can be distilled from other fermented fruits too and usually Raki has higher alcohol content.
Traditional Greek coffee and frappe are popular too.
