The long narrov island of Crete seems like and ancient trireme anchored in the Mediterranean between Europe and Africa. If you are tired and bored of bad weather you must visit island Crete. It has mild climate, blue skies and brilliant sunshine. Besides all this it has places of wonderful charm and a story crowded with fights for liberty and honour.
Crete is the bigest island in the south of Aegean sea, it lies very close to African continent near Egypt. The island of Crete lies south-east from continental Greece. It has 8262 square km, and the island is the fifth bigest Island in Mediteranean sea. The island has around half of million inhabitants. It is mostly mountainous island, with its picturesque parts in inerior of Crete. The island has also traditional Villages, beautiful beaches and wild landscape on south of the island. Crete is very iteresting island for those who like pure natural beauty of nature. The capital town in Crete is Heraklion and it has around 80.000 inhabitants. There you can find almost everything. Very popular in the city is The museum of Arcaeology where you can find objects from rich Greek history and culture. Only few kilometers from capital city lies town Knosos. Knosos was once a huge kingdom, and the most known in Knosos is the Minos' Palace, which you can see it even today
CRETE ACCOMODATION AND RESORTS Crete island offers you so much possibilities for nice accomodation. There you can find simple Rooms with a little kitchen, bigger Apartments and all sort of hotels, in Crete you can find also a hotel chain of luxurious hotels. But for those who love nature there are planty of Camps on island. The biggest touristic resort is Hersonissos, once this was a small fish village, but today Hersoniss is well known tourist resort. Young people can in this town enjoy great night life with lots of clubs, bars, discotecks. Town has great Bus conections, from capital city is only 29 kilometers, and from the airport to here you will need 30 minutes.
Gouves is the next tourist resort, which lies 20 kilometers from capital city Heraklion, this resort i recomend for all people who wants to have some peace. Hotels are very nice and the beach is beautiful. When you look at Hills you can see a lot of vineyards, mediteranean fruits, bananas. There are also a lot of little shops, restaurants with good greek food and home made vines. Also famous tourist resort is Heraklion. This is the capital of Crete, it offers you also a lot of bars, clubs, shops, restaurants. Very interesting is unique market in center of the city. Heraklion is also known for the most important university center of whole Greece. On the north side of beach are a lot of possibilities for water sports, very popular is windsurfing and sailing all that because of favourable winds.
WHAT TO SEE IN CRETE The most important historical sights on Crete island are Knossos, Festos, Matalo, Gortys and Towns Iraklion, Agios Nikolaos, Hanio and Lerapetro. I visited three famous museums in open air such as Lychnostatis in Hersonissosu, Archaeological museum in Iraklion and museum for Folklore.
Island has got also very beautiful natural sights. You can visit gorge of Samari, plateau Lasithi with its cave Diktea Andron, bay Prefeli and one of the most beautiful beaches on island the beach Elafonissija, it is also caled The red beach because of red-pink sand, and clear blue sea. Also known is the lake Kournia and Palmtree forest Vai.
Another dream beach you can find in island of Hrissi. This beach is caled Golden beach, it has white sand and light blue colour of the sea. It looks like you are on some tropical island, only instead of Palmtrees there are Cedar trees.
KAVOS is one of the most popular turist resorts on Corfu island, it lies around 30 km south of Corfu Town and Corfu airport. It has one of the longest sandy beach on the island, the beach is impresivly 5 km long. The place is also known for taverns, clubs, restaruants, it is very popular with British Turists. And on the beach u can also find usual sport activitys and beach life.
SIDARI is very beautiful turist resort. All around the place you can rent a Room, Hotel or Villa.The beach lies 32 kilometers from Capial city Corfu town. This beach is very appropriate for familyes with small children.
DASSIA lies 12 kilometers from Corfu town on beach side of bay Gouvia. Beside the hotels there are also a lot of restaurant, bars, clubs and a lot of possibilities for water sports such as water skiing, scuba diving...
BENITSES is also 12 kilometers away from capital city, this place is circled with beautiful sandy beaches and a lot of mediteranean nature and trees.
AGIOS LOANNIS lies south from Benitses, the area is called Aghios Peristeron and this place is known for many olive plantations. Hotels are on the slope of the hill, here is also one restaurant which is very famous for its see-fruit speciality and fish. This beautiful part of Corfu island is known for picturesque sunsets.
MESSONGHI and IPSOS are places where you can have a lot of fun, here you can find a lot of disco-clubs, restaurants there are also a lot of sport and fun centers. Town is very lively and it lies on beautiful sandy-rocky beach Chrisso Mili it lies 15 kilometers from Corfu town.
Weather in Corfu Greece
DRIVE AROUND THE ISLAND There are many Buss conections between tourist resorts and Capital city Heraklion but timetable of Busses is changeing all the time, so i recomend that you check him. The prices of Apartments and Rooms are dependent from number of persons in the amaprtment, room, or how far from the apartment is the beach. Post-offices are open Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm and Saturday 8.00 till 2.00 pm. But some other Post-offices are also open only from Mondey to Fridey 8.00 till 2.00 pm.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER IN CRETE The island Crete has got very mild mediteranean climate. In winter time the weather could be cold and rainy. The citys could be melancholic, it is 12-14 degrees warm. From march to april the weather is still unstabile, the night can be cold and the sea is to cold for swimming. In spring time the weather is better, the sea is warmer, there are lot of flowers around and not so much tourists, it is 22-24 degrees. In summer time is very hot there are a lot of turists the sea is nice and warm, and the temperatures are around 30-37 degrees. From september to october the weather is not to hot, the sea is still nice and warm, the Nature is very dry because of drought.
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HISTORY OF CRETE Crete has in Bronze age developed blooming culture, The Minos culture-name is from legendary king of Minos. The island has very good position in Mediteranean sea, this was important because Crete has developed to be mediator at international trade in that time. Around 1700 b.c. the island experienced catastrophy and all the old Palaces were knocked down in bad earthquake. But earthquake didnt destroyed the whole civilisation, and the Palaces became even bigger and more beautiful than before and politically Crete experienced her summit. The fackt is that all those big Palaces were very important centers and they had no walls around, also they didnt found any signs of weapons or fights. At that time Crete had commercial and maritime great power, which had outposts in the whole east of Mediteranean. The people of Mino felt very safe, because Palaces had no safety systems. Crete was exporting metallic and tradesmans products. Their culture was tilted to beautiful things such as flower motives and motives from sea world (Dolphins, Fish, Birds). They didnt have a lot of scenes from everyday life. After 300 year happened another catastrophy and all Palaces were knocked down again, the fault was enormous vulcanic erutpion on Thera-Santorini. Soon came on Crete different culture Mycenaean. They had explicitly military very violent and much more primitive culture than Cretian culture. On island Crete is also very known a legend about Minotaver
