Heraklion

Sleepy by day, Heraklion comes alive at nightfall. The Cretan capital is also a student town, with dozens of bars lining its pedestrian centre, along Koraï street (odos) and around El Greco park. 

Did you know?  In Knossos, on the outskirts of the capital, history merges with mythology. The legend of the Minotaur and Ariadne's thread fascinate visitors just as much as the ruins that bear witness to the power of King Minos during the Bronze Age, 3,500 years ago... Mythology lovers, don't wait any longer to book your stay in Heraklion! 

In addition to its brilliant Minoan heritage, with numerous archaeological sites all over the island, Crete has a seductive art of living in harmony with nature. The arid Mediterranean landscapes of the coastline are flanked by vineyards and olive groves that might remind you of Tuscany were it not for the occasional rocky outcrop or Byzantine church. Further east,  windmills herald the Lassithi, a high plateau set in a cirque of mountains. A handful of villages, redolent with jasmine and bougainvillea, stand watch over orchards and pumpkin fields. And then there's nature, sublimated by holm oaks and giant plane trees. 

The coastline is also full of picture-postcard landscapes. The trendy version is Agios Nikolaos, a delightful little port nicknamed the ‘Cretan Saint Tropez’. For the ‘authentic’ (but still touristy!) version, explore the towns of Chania (Hania) and Rethymnon, to the west of Heraklion.

Buy your plane ticket to Heraklion.

Sites and monuments

• The ramparts - with seven bastions, encircle the city to reveal beautiful views.
• The Venetian fort - built in the 16th century on the port, it bears witness to the city's Venetian past. 
• Morosini Fountain - a meeting place for the locals, it takes the form of lions supporting a basin. 
• The Byzantine church of Agios Titos - it was transformed into a mosque during the Turkish period.
• Agios Minas Cathedral - from the 19th century, noteworthy for its naive frescoes. 
• Odos 1866 - a street transformed into a market, to buy the traditional natural sponges, honey or dittany (aromatic plant).
• Knossos Palace (5 km) - even if its renovation is controversial, the site discovered in 1900 is a must to understand Minoan civilization and the legend of the Minotaur.
• Cretaquarium (15 km) - a large aquarium with pools for jellyfish, seahorses and sharks. 
• The Palace of Malia (40 km) - in the small town of Malia, an archaeological site that testifies to the richness of the Minoan civilization. 

Parks

• El Greco Park - in the heart of the old town, a resting place dominated by the statue of the famous painter
• The pier - gigantic, a place where the locals stroll at the end of the day.
• Rethymnon Beach (70 km from Heraklion) - one of the longest sandy beaches in Crete (16 km), for sunbathing.

Museums

• Archeological Museum - in 2014, it developed new scenography, highlighting the objects (jewelry, pottery, frescoes ...) of Minoan culture, especially from Knossos.   
• Museum of Christian Art - in a Byzantine church (Agia Ekaterini) it features a beautiful collection of icons. 
• Historical and Ethnographic Museum - ancient maps, bronzes, weapons, paintings (including two works by El Greco)
• Lychnostatis Museum (30 km) - near the seaside resort of Liménas Chersonissou, an open-air museum dedicated to folk traditions (wine press, weaving workshop...).  

• In the wine village of Archanes (10 km from Knossos), you can admire the neoclassical houses and churches of the Cretan Renaissance, before tasting the wine of the Boutari estate and Cretan cuisine at the table of a tavern: herbal pasties, smoked aubergines, sheep's cheese with honey... 
• Walking enthusiasts, head for Samaria, in the southwest of the island. In the 16 km long gorges (classified as a national park) you can enjoy the unspoilt landscapes and walk off the excesses of the day before, with an easy hike which still lasts 4 hours...

Starters 

• Cretan salad - a must, a mix of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, olives and feta cheese 
• Tzatziki - yoghurt to which cucumber, crushed garlic and mint are added. Excellent with a simple piece of bread
• Mezze - a set of appetizers to be nibbled with bread: marinated olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, grilled eggplant, tabbouleh, hummus, cheese...
• Dakos – dry bread rubbed with garlic, spread with tomatoes, olives and feta cheese

Dishes

• Octopus - eaten in salads or grilled. 
• Squid - usually offered fried or grilled
• Fish - sole, sea bream, red mullet or sardine, fish (grilled or fried) is a must in Cretan cuisine.
• Moussaka - minced meat cooked in the oven, mixed with eggplant and topped with béchamel sauce
• Dolmadès - vine leaves, stuffed with rice, onions and minced meat
• Souvlaki - pork or beef brochettes  
• Keftédès - meatballs, flavoured with mint and oregano 
• Pitas - a Cretan speciality, a kind of meat or cheese-filled pasty.
• Snails - the Cretans love them, cooked with herbs, fried in oil, garlic... 

Desserts 

• Feta - cheese made from goat's or sheep's milk. To enjoy with a salad of raw vegetables or fried.
• Mizithra - a cheese made from sheep's milk
• Baklava - a desert of Ottoman origin, consisting of layers of filo pastry with dried fruit and flavoured with orange blossom
• Gadaifi - an oriental dessert also called "angel hair", in the form of vermicelli. You can add honey, nuts...

Drinks*

• Wine - as everywhere in the Mediterranean, the drink par excellence, with excellent grape varieties, mainly reds.
• Ouzo - the emblematic alcohol of Greece with an aniseed flavour, in the style of our pastis
• Raki - a brandy consumed in Crete (which here is not aniseed). It is reminiscent of Italian grappa
• Coffee - drunk "Turkish" style, i.e. with the grounds, except that here it’s called "Greek coffee".

*alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, consume in moderation

* l'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération