Rethymnon-Chania-South Crete-Heraklion-Elounda!!!

Crete, the  most mythical and the biggest Greek island, is one of the most attractive holiday destinations in Europe. The position between three continents made Crete the "apple of discord" between the strongs of every historical era . As a result of the contact with many different civilizations local people developed a special culture, different from the rest of Greece.  Natives are famous for their hospitality (according  Greek-mythology, Xenios - Zeus, the god of the hospitality, was born in Crete),the vivid traditions and their love towards the country.

The Island of Crete!  :

Crete island, attracts tourists from all over the world offering almost everything to the visitors. A High mountain-chain  dominates the island from the West coast  to the East coast. Beautiful beaches washed by the Aegean or Libyan Sea are under the feet of High mountains. Endless olive groves and famous crete's citrus-fruits are cultivated. Fertile vineyards produce the famous crete's wine. Everywhere you turn your sight, you will see historic monuments that reveal the island's history and offers a trip to yesterday , that everyone would want to keep as a lifetime experience.

For your accommodation,a huge number of luxury seaside Hotels, city boutique hotels, luxury private villas and  stone-made farmhouses, in Crete are at your disposal.A vast amount of leisure activities and  excursions in Crete are offered for more active tourists. Car-rental and bus-hire companies are based in Crete , ready to serve you for more relaxing holidays.

The majority of the inhabitants ( approximately 600.000) live on North coast where are located the four main seaside towns of the island, Chania , Rethymno, Heraklion city ( the capital) and Agios Nikolaos town. Crete has 2 international airports. Heraklion airport (the second bigger in Greece) and Chania airport in the west.

Crete Holidays in Rethymno:

Rethymnon (also known as Rethimno or Rethemnos), is the capital of ame name area  in central-west Crete. It is a  real Meditarranean town of approximately 40,000 inhabitants, a place of unique natural beauty which  maintain the authenticity and the traditions of Crete still alive. It was first built (ancient Rhithymna or Arsinoe) in Minoan era and was strong enough to maintain urban growth and have its own coins. One of them ( two dolphins in a circle) is even today the crest of the town.

The old town ( palia poli)  of Rethymno is almost entirely built by the Venetians with Renaisance architecture and Othomans. Rethymnon  is the best preserved old town in Crete  maintaining its aristocratic appearance. The venetian citadel (Fortezza)  with buildings dating  from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, the Piazza Rimondi, the Great Gate, the Venetian Loggia,the small picturesque harbour, the Neratze mosque ( municipal Odeon-arts centre) with its Minaret and the narrow streets are some of the monuments still in use. The city of Rethymno  hosts an Archaeological Museum ,a Historical and Folklore Museum, the Center of Contemporary Art(Kanakakis gallery) as well as some  smaller museums and Art centers.

Rethymno Town & Tourism:

Today the  main income of Rethymnon is from tourism. The vast production of  olive oil and other Mediterranean products make agriculture also notable. It is also the base of University of Crete  with more than 9000 students on its University Campus per annum . Rethymno is one of the most significant tourist-resorts in Greece with a variety of natural and cultural leisure activities which will satisfy the most demanding visitors. Many facilities having been built in past 25 years, as luxury seaside  and  city boutique hotels in Rethymno, fine luxury villas in South and North coast of Crete , stone made houses, renovated farmhouses etc, offering a huge selection of accommodation properties in Crete. A diverse range of activities and excursions in Crete is also at your disposal. Bus hire and  Car rental companies in Crete make your transfers and your holidays easier.

Rethymno province  &  sightseeing options:

Rethymno province has a population of 82.00 people.  It covers an area of 1.500 km2 about. Only 507 are cultivated, 936 are pasture, 36 are covered by settlements and only 17 km2 are covered by Mediterranean oak,pine and maple-tree forest.  Rethymno  province offers endless beaches as well many smaller secluded ones. Many monasteries,chapels and churches,ancient sites,Venetian and Turkish monuments are skatered in the area which is rich in characteristic villages and areas of great natural beauty, as well as caves and soaring mountains. Important gorges  in Rethymnon area are, Patsos gorge  and Prasses gorges, Kourtaliotis, Kotsifou and Rodakino ravines.Local people are famous for their hospitality, who will befriend you and may even share a glass of "raki" with you.The climate is mild Mediterranean and particularly dry and warm. There is sunshine around 70% of the year and average temperatures range from 12 to 30 C.

Rodakino - South  Crete -Plakias area-Rethymno:

Rodakino village lies on south coast of Rethymnon-region, above of Korakas beach, 42 kms from Rethymnon town 25 kms from Chora Sfakion and 13 kms form Frangokastello.  Part of the village is located on a hill( Pano Rodakino) and part of it near the beach ( Kato Rodakino). The area is full of small beaches some of them accessible only by foot. The road to Rodakino is asphalt paved and twice a day ( during the summer)  there is bus service from Rethymno town. There are some small hotels ,luxury private villas, farmhouse -properties ,a few  studios for rent,some tavernas on the beach and a mini market in the village. It is still a quiet and relatively infrequently visited place.

Chania town History & tradition:

Chania or Hania is a unique town in West Crete  bearing a rich and long history and culture . Despite beeing heavily bombed during the second War , the old town is the second  best preserved in Crete. Its cultural heritage and traditional architecture is  successfully combined  with its modern lifestyle. Unique monuments of Chania are the Lighthouse ( faros),The Venetian dockyards ( Neoria), the Grand Arsenal (Megalo Arsenali) the numerous churches and the fantastic neoclassic buildings.

Chania is the second largest town of Crete (former capital) with about 60.000 people in town  and 130.000 in the province.The modern part of the town,  where most locals live and work is less traditional, but there are still areas of charming beauty or of  historical interest. The district of Halepa used to be home for the local aristocracy. Some of the historical buildings of the area (including old embassies of foreign countries) had been destroyed or abandoned during the last decades of the 20th century. Last years some interest was shown for the restoration of the remaining ones.

Chania and sightseeing options:

The area  of Chania is rich of sightseeing options, as archaeological sites, High mountains( Lefka ori),  traditional villages and some of the most important gorges in Crete ( Samaria gorge, Imbros gorge etc).The climate is a typical Mediterranean climate with sunny dry summer and mild winter. There is sunshine around 70% of the year and average temperatures range from 12 to 30 C.A vast selection of accommodation from luxury hotels ,boutique hotels, luxury villas and farmhouses in Chania to camp grounds and youth hostels is also available.

Heraklion City:

Heraklion( former Candia) is the largest urban, the economic and scientific centre of Crete.  The first European civilisation, the Minoan civilisation, flourished on this land 5000 years ago. Heraklion is a city with one foot rooted in the past, the other stepping into the future. It is the fifth largest city in Greece with a population  in excess of 150.000 people.
Heraklion concentrates most of the economical activity of the island, as it is the main port of entry to Crete for the majority of visitors.  During the last 20 years Heraklion  has made remarkable progress in the academic and technological fields. Today, Heraklion is a cosmopolitan and dynamic town, particularly during the summer period when thousands of visitors can be seen shopping in the market or visiting the museums and other places of interest. Heraklion, provides extensive facilities for all needs of the visitors with numerous Hotels , restaurants and tavernas, bars and pubs, car-rental companies ,shops and stores.
Places worth to visit  in Heraklion: Archeological museum , Minoan palace in Knossos ,the fountain of Lions, The Market,The Koules catle in the port, The Venetian Loggia, the museum of Natural History.

Access to Crete-Heraklion:

The airport of Iraklion (HER)  receives approximately 17 % of the total tourist traffic of Greece. There are many airlines currently operating flights from mainland to Heraklion all year round. During  high season there are flights from/to Santorini, Mykonos and  Rhodes. Also , Transavia airline connects Iraklion with Amsterdam, Holland at least two times per week  during the winter season.  During the summer season there are numerous chartered flights to Iraklion from all over Europe . Many of visitors arrive in Heraklion also  by boat, using  Ferry-boats.  There is daily conection to the island of Santorini and some more islands during summer time.

Lasithi area:

Lasithi area  is the easternmost area on the island of Crete. The capital is Agios Nikolaos town the other major towns being Ierapetra, Sitia and Neapoli. An important tourist destination of the area is Elounda in Mirabello bay.East of Elounda lies the island of Spinalonga  a former leper colony with a Venetian fortress. On the foot of Mount Dikti lies the Lasithi Plateau, famous for its windmills. Vai ( east of Sitia)  is well-known for its palm forest. Lasithi offers stunning beaches and mild climate year-long attracting thousands of  tourists every year. Quality tourist facilities are available in the area of Lasithi such as deluxe Hotels , fine luxury villas , and excellent accommodation properties around the area of  Elounda.

Agios Nikolaos:

Agios Nikolaos town ( or Agios) is the capital of Lasithi, one of the most high-developed tourist areas in Greece. It lies along the west of the Mirabello bay. The town of Agios Nikolaos is the communications-cultural-commercial and administrative center of the area, with approximately 10.000 inhabitants.The climate in the area is mild with extremely low humidity which makes Agios Nikolaos an ideal place to relax and recover one's energy.During summer time there is boat connection to Kos, Rhodes, Karpathos and Kassos islands. Nearest airport is Heraklion airport.Places worth to visit in Agios Nikolaos are Voulismeni lake ( limni), Archeological museum  and down-town of Agios Nikolaos.

Elounda-Spinalonga:

The road to Elounda from Agios Nikolaos  offers an incomparable view of Mirabello bay and the lacy coastline.  The village has been developed last 20 years with famous fine-hotels,nice restaurants, shops, bars etc. On the peninsula of Elounda  some ruins of ancient town of Olous has been found.Boats are departing from Elounda and Plaka to Spinalonga island almost every hour. Spinalong is famous for its Venetian fortress as well as because it the last leper colony in Europe.

Ierapetra town:

Ierapetra town with a population of about 17.000, is the 4th biggest town in Crete and the only big town in South coast of Crete.The old town of Ierapetra is really interesting with narrow alleyways , small houses and cul-de-sacs and the fortress.Tourism and agriculture are the main economic activities in Ierapetra. A large quantity of vegetables and fruits are produced and exported from here making the inhabitants the richest people in Crete in average.The climate here is exceptionally mild with  average temperature of 20 C annually.

Places worth to visit in Ierapetra:

Chrisi island (  protected area because of its natural beauty,opposite of the town),Selakano forest. Sarakina gorge, Ha gorge( the king of gorges), Mount Thriptis ,Bramiana damm and wetland, Makris Gialos, Vasiliki church.

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