Top Liberated Press Travel Article - Holiday in Crete

I have fond memories of my 2 week holiday in Crete last year. A lot of strange things happened and the hotel wasn't really up-to-scratch, but overall, I had a good time. My Crete holiday blog has details of the places I visited and various tours taken. Those people thinking of taking a holiday in Crete may find it useful reading.

This is today's top travel article at LPR

A Holiday To Crete
Crete, a snow-capped mountainous region with beautiful sandy beaches stretching along 1000km of various coastlines is the largest of the Greek Islands and fifth largest in Mediterranean Sea. Masses of olive trees It is famous for its impressive ancient Greek and Roman Ruins as well as a popular destination for tourists due to its warm climate.

History

Crete has an extraordinary historical heritage as it was the center of the Minoan civilization (ca. 2600-1400 BCE), the oldest civilization in Europe and its archeology of the area dates back to Neolithic times. Crete was occupied by the Turkish up as far as the 18th Century but since 1913 it has been ruled by Greece.

Visiting the attractions

The Palace of Knossos is a commonly visited area in Crete, which is an outstanding archeological site. Heraklion is the largest city and the capital of Crete. The islands most popular must see attractions are the golden, sandy beaches sparsely separated along the its coast. The island is mountainous therefore offering great hikes for mountaineers. The Gingilos peak provides spectacular views across the White Mountains. The cave where Zeus is apparently buried can be found from Mount Zuktas.

Shopping, Food and Drink

There are a wide range of shops in Crete from handcrafts and souvenirs to leather goods, ceramics and carpets. A market in Chania offers fantastic fresh food produce, clothes and also plants. A downside to shopping in Crete as with many other Mediterranean regions is that the majority of shops close during the long afternoon siestas.

There are also a wide range of restaurants on the island that have become fairly internationalized, but there are a few that have retained their traditional cuisines. Cheeses, cooked cretin snails, calamari and various meat dishes are popular favorite dishes on the island. Local red and white wines can be tried at many of the local bars and taverns around the tourist centers.

Where to stay?

There are a wide range of apartments, luxury hotels, villas, and hostels on the island all ranging from two to five stars. Holidays are cheap to Crete throughout the year except during peak summer months, which is during July and August.

How to get there?

Crete has two airports namely Heraklion and Chania. The majority of flights travel directly to the island but in many cases flights travel to Athens and then get connecting flights to Crete.

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Author Resource:- Doug Scott works and writes for Self Catering
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Doug also writes for The holiday Rental Site

More About Crete

Crete (Kríti) is a great deal more than just another Greek island. In many places, especially in the cities or along the developed north coast, it doesn't feel like an island at all, but rather a substantial land in its own right - a mountainous, wealthy and surprisingly cosmopolitan one. But when you lose yourself among the mountains, or on the lesser-known coastal reaches of the south, it has everything you could want of a Greek island and more: great beaches, remote hinterlands and hospitable people.

In history , Crete is distinguished above all as the home of Europe's earliest civilization. It was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that the legends of King Minos and of a Cretan society that ruled the Greek world in prehistory were confirmed by excavations at Knossós and Festós . Yet the Minoans had a remarkably advanced society, the centre of a maritime trading empire as early as 2000 BC. The artworks produced on Crete at this time are unsurpassed anywhere in the ancient world, and it seems clear that life on Crete in those days was good. This apparently peaceful culture survived at least three major natural disasters. Each time the palaces were destroyed, and each time they were rebuilt on a grander scale. Only after the last destruction, probably the result of an eruption of Thíra (Santoríni) and subsequent tidal waves and earthquakes, do significant numbers of weapons begin to appear in the ruins. This, together with the appearance of the Greek language, has been interpreted to mean that Mycenaean Greeks had taken control of the island. Nevertheless, for nearly 500 years, by far the longest period of peace the island has seen, Crete was home to a culture well ahead of its time.

The Minoans of Crete probably came originally from Anatolia; at their height they maintained strong links with Egypt and with the people of Asia Minor, and this position as meeting point and strategic fulcrum between east and west has played a major role in Crete's subsequent history. Control of the island passed from Greeks to Romans to Saracens, through the Byzantine empire to Venice, and finally to Turkey for more than two centuries. During World War II, the island was occupied by the Germans and attained the dubious distinction of being the first place to be successfully invaded by paratroops.

Every part of Crete has its loyal devotees and it's hard to pick out highlights, but generally if you want to get away from it all you should head west, towards Haniá and the smaller, less well-connected places along the south and west coasts. It is in this part of the island that the White Mountains rise, while below them yawns the famous Samarian Gorge . The far east , around Sitía , is also relatively unscathed with a string of isolated beaches worth seeking out to the south of the over-popular Váï beach , which lures crowds attracted by its famous palm grove. However, Sitía's new international airport, currently under construction, could change things significantly here in the next few years.

Whatever you do, your first main priority will probably be to leave Iráklion (Heraklion) as quickly as possible, having paid the obligatory, and rewarding, visit to the Archeological Museum and nearby Knossós . The other great Minoan sites cluster around the middle of the island: Festós and Ayía Triádha to the south (with Roman Górtys to provide contrast), and Mália on the north coast. Almost wherever you go you'll find a reminder of the island's history, whether it's the town of Gourniá near the cosmopolitan resort of Áyios Nikólaos , the exquisitely sited palace of Zákros in the far east, or the lesser sites scattered around the west. Unexpected highlights include Crete's Venetian forts at Réthymnon and Frangokástello ; its hundreds of frescoed Byzantine churches, most famously at Kritsá ; and, at Réthymnon and Haniá, the cluttered old Venetian and Turkish quarters.

For the latest timetables and complete route and fare information visit KTEL's website at http://bus-service-crete-ktel.com/timetables2.html

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