HERAKLION
Herakleion is the administrative, agricultural and commercial center of Crete, with rich agricultural history. Its seaside tourist resorts with sandy beaches and graphic villages in the interior combine in a pleasing way, offering many options to the visitor. Herakleion town is the capital of the district, now developed into a commercial, industrial center of Crete. The city continues to attract the visitor with its Venetian monuments, its neoclassical buildings and charming pedestrian malls. Its beautiful churches, the Venetian Port, the Fortress, the Venetian Arsenali, the Walls, the grave of Nikos Kazantzakis and the theatre-garden in his name, the church of Agios Titos, as well as the 17th-century Loggia, and the 16th-century drinking fountains Morozini, Bembo, and Kriouli, along with the market in the center of the city are all a must once you’re in Irakleio. The Archaeological Museum houses the world’s greatest collection of Minoan art.RETHYMNON
The district of Rethymno is located between the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) and Psiloreitis (Mount Ida), the highest mountain in Crete (8,060ft). The city of Rethymno is the capital of the district. The old city is built around the impressive Venetian Fortetsa. The heart of the old city is the graphic Venetian Harbor The modern city embraces the old and extends along the length of the beach. The Venetian Port and the 13th-century restored Lighthouse , the Modern Marina, The Fortetsa, The Great Door, the elegant 16th-century Venetian Lotzia(Loggia), The Rimondi Fountain, the churches of Agios Franciscos, Kiras Aggelou, Agios Andonios, the Temples, the Ottoman Loutra, the Ravine of Milon are just a few of the sites which the visitor will enjoy here. Tourist boats sail daily from the popular tourist resort, Agia Galini, for trips to the neighboring beaches of Agios Georgios, Agios Pavlos, and the beach at Moni Preveli as well as the small islands, Paximadia.CHANIA
Chania lies on the north coast of west Crete and is the capital of Chania Prefecture. Chania Prefecture covers the westernmost end of Crete and features a combination of many beautiful beaches, small fertile plains, high mountains and deep gorges, such as the Samaria Gorge. Chania Prefecture is the greenest part of the island, as the range of the White Mountains ensures the highest rainfall in Crete. Chania is one of the oldest cities in Crete, with a rich and tumultuous history. Today it is the second most populated city on the island, a city which has preserved its traditional architecture and most of its monuments from Venetian and Turkish times. The Venetian harbour with its lighthouse and the old town in the centre have bestowed on Chania the reputation of the most picturesque city in Crete, welcoming thousands of visitors each year. The heart of Chania is still the old town, with its narrow, labyrinthine alleyways and listed buildings dating from different periods, where you can enjoy romantic strolls. Many of these buildings have been turned into small hotels, restaurants, shops or homes. Don’t hesitate to wander round the alleys of the old town, looking for the lovely images that await you. Your camera must be your inseparable companion, as Chania is one of the most-photographed cities in Greece.AGIOS NIKOLAOS
Agios Nikolaos is 65 kilometres east of Heraklion. Agios Nikolaos, or just Agios as the locals call it, dominates the beautiful Merabello Bay, on the northeast coast of Lassithi Prefecture in East Crete. Agios Nikolaos has a population of 10,000. Though small, it is the second largest town in Lassithi Prefecture, the easternmost prefecture of Crete. Agios Nikolaos was one of the first towns in Crete to feel the effects of tourist development, and the famous lake of Agios Nikolaos, around which the town centre is built, continues to impress visitors. The history of Agios Nikolaos is marked by its harbour in the Ammoudi area, which is still the commercial port of the town. This site was chosen for a major harbour in East Crete, because the islets of Agioi Pantes before it offered better defences against possible attackers and good shelter from the northwesterlies, which can blow quite strongly. In the Venetian period, the harbour of Agios Nikolaos had a capacity of 25 galleys, a fairly significant number for the time, and served the needs of East Crete. Today, you can travel from here to Piraeus and various islands. Agios Nikolaos is ideal for everyone, young and old, singles, couples and families, explorers and those who would rather spend their holidays on the beaches of Agios Nikolaos and other places nearby, such as Elounda to the north or Ammoudara and Istron to the south.IERAPETRA
Ierapetra is in southeast Crete, in an extremely strategic position controlling the south coast of Creteand the Libyan Sea. Favoured both by position and by nature, Ierapetra has always been an important centre of the island. It has grown into the largest town in south Crete and a major tourist destination. When you visit it you will find a lively, active town – much more so than Agios Nikolaos or Sitia. What makes Ierapetra stand out is that it has the highest average of sunny days and the highest temperatures in Crete and Greece, with an annual average of 20 C. Ierapetra has many distinctions and claims even more: it is the southernmost town in Europe, it is the town with the highest temperatures in Crete, it is an ideal base for holidays and excursions in southeast Crete, it is one of the most productive farming towns in Greece. Holidays in Ierapetra are ideal for those who want to enjoy the beauty of the Libyan Sea and explore the south of Crete, with its wonderful, picturesque villages, gorges and sandy beaches in or near Ierapetra.HERSONISSOS
Hersonissos is 26 kilometres east of Heraklion, between Anissaras and Stalis. Hersonissos has developed due to tourism and, in just a few decades, has grown into the largest tourist resort in Crete. Hersonissos has about 3,000 permanent inhabitants (2,981 in the 2001 census), but this number increases exponentially each summer, with the thousands of seasonal workers in tourism, and of course the hundreds of thousands of tourists who come to Hersonissos on holiday. Hersonissos means fun and mass tourism, lovely but busy beaches, a modern town with dozens of shops selling tourist goods, clothes and jewellery, restaurants offering all kinds of food, cafeterias, bars and nightclubs to suit every taste.ELOUNDA
Elounda is located in east Crete, north of Agios Nikolaos and south of the seaside resort of Plaka. Elounda developed into a resort famous for its beautiful scenery and the luxury hotels which are still being built in the area. It is said to be the place with the most five-star hotels in Greece.Apart from politicians, Elounda often welcomes Arab princes with their large families, film and music stars, Russian tycoons and other VIPs from all over the world. In Elounda you will find small, pretty beaches, visit the island of Spinalonga, walk along the peninsula of Kolokytha (the word means “gourd” or “pumpkin”), and explore the many little villages far from the sea, offering a window into times gone by.MATALA
Matala is a village located 7o.6 km south-west of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Matala was a fishing village. In the 1960s, the caves were occupied by hippies who were later driven out by the church and the military junta. Now Matala is a small village living mainly from tourism. Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell’s experiences with the Matala hippies were immortalised in her 1971 song “Carey”.ANOGIA
Anogia is located 36km west of Heraklion and 52km southeast of Rethymnon, at an altitude of 750m. It is built on three levels in the ridge of Armi, on Psiloritis Mt. Its name means a place built on high level. The area of Anogia was a very important place of worship in antiquity, as the cave of Ideon Andron in nearby Nida Plateau, was according to legend, the cave where Zeus was raised as a child. Anogia is famous throughout Greece for its contribution to culture. Indeed, great Cretan lyre players and singers come from Anogia with the most famous being the “Archangel of Crete”, the legendary singer Nikos Xilouris, whose house is open to all guests. Lastly, each year the cultural events Yakintheia are organized in a lovely stone theatre next to the village, that is currently famous throughout Greece. Anogia was mainly inhabited in the 12th century, when it was granted by the Byzantine Empire as a fief to the family of Kallergis. During the Ottoman period, Anogia was a “wakf’ village dedicated to Valide Sultana, the wife of the Sultan. At the same time it gave birth to famous rebels who participated in almost all revolutions in Crete. The high mountainous geography of Psiloritis kept the Turks away and gave refuge to the rebels, even when the Turks burnt out the village in 1822 and 1867.BALI
Bali is a village whose development is similar to Panormo. It is 35 minutes from Rethymno, following the national road from Rethymno to Heraklio. It is a summer resort and its beach is always crowded in that period. It is well organized with restaurants, cafe – bars and is full of sunbeds and umbrellas. The beach is in the village area and the sand is smooth and brown. There are some rocky areas, though. In Bali, visitors can enjoy water sports, too.FODELE
Fodele beach is located 26km northwest of Heraklion and just 3km north of the village Fodele, which is believed to be the birthplace of the painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos, mainly known as El Greco.The house where he grew up is located 1km southwest of the village. It is well reserved and operates as a museum with copies of his works.
