Date of publication 29/09/2025
Lo que Creta esconde What Crete hides
Not only is it the largest of the Greek islands but also the most complete, diverse, and fascinating.
Not only is it the largest of the Greek islands but also the most complete, diverse, and fascinating. A land rooted in the origins of time, where mythology places the birth of Zeus and where the Minoan culture emerged, later layering one civilization on top of another. The result: legendary ruins, evocative cities, and idyllic beaches. All accompanied by a celebration of the good life, so grounded and human. Pure Mediterranean, indeed.
Chania
The most beautiful of the cities of Crete is the perfect place to get lost and experience frozen time, while also revisiting the island’s history. In this network of winding streets leading to the harbor, you will hear not only echoes of antiquity (Minoan, Hellenistic, and Roman), but also the traces left later by the Venetians and the Turks. Think fortifications, lighthouses, houses with beautiful balconies, and prominent mosques like the Janissary Mosque. Amid all this beauty and exoticism, you’ll find hedonistic Greece, alive in the taverns warmed by raki, a local drink that is a true earthly pleasure for Cretans. Try it at one of our hotels in Crete.
Elafonisi Beach
Although it was decades ago a hidden corner, it was inevitable that one day this beach with pink sand and warm crystal-clear waters would reveal itself to the world. Today it is considered one of the best in Europe, yet even this dangerous enthusiasm cannot tarnish its charm. Elafonisi, located at the westernmost tip of Crete as if it were the perfect culmination of its creation, is actually a narrow strip pointing toward a small islet filled with dunes and coves. Along its path, the sea has never been so blue nor the shores so salmon-colored, thanks to the particles of a beautiful crimson coral.
Palace of Knossos
For seekers of lost civilizations and lovers of gods and poets, a visit to Crete’s main attraction is a must. An interesting site where you can appreciate the sophistication of the Minoans (a people who set such a high standard in art and engineering) with an added touch of mythological resonance. It is said that this palace, which dates back 4,000 years, was the home of King Minos, son of Zeus, who gave rise to a story that straddles history and myth: the labyrinth built within its walls to hide the stubborn Minotaur, from which only Theseus, using Ariadne’s thread, could escape unharmed.
Balos Beach
This place must have something special to grace so many magazine covers. Perhaps it’s the beauty of the whole, recreating an artificial bay with pristine sand, or the impossible shimmer of the Aegean Sea, which we see as turquoise, but another hero of Antiquity, the poet Homer, imagined in his blindness as the dark color of wine. Located in a Natural Park in the northwest of the island, the so-called Balos Lagoon, calm as a plate and warm as a consommé, is rightfully one of Crete’s most coveted postcards.
Samaria Gorge
Because not everything on the island is water, it also boasts mountainous terrain, enhanced by over a hundred gorges that slide toward the sea. None like Samaria, the longest in Europe, carved by the Omalos River in the heart of the White Mountains. A spectacular landscape where, over 18 kilometers and approximately seven hours, the path is a back-and-forth of passages (from only 3 to 150 meters wide) between vertical walls that compete to scratch the sky. To top it off, the gorge is carpeted with native flowers found nowhere else on the planet.
Rethymnon
Like a painting by Canaletto, this picturesque port preserves the authentic color of the city of gondolas, the medieval style left imprinted under long Venetian rule. Behind it, the old town—a jumble of decayed houses transformed into exquisite shops and small stylish restaurants—reflects more recent times: when this town, which today boasts an unyielding university atmosphere, was the bohemian center of Crete thanks to the arrival of artists and intellectuals from Constantinople. And it is precisely in this area where you can find the two hotels in Crete that Iberostar offers. Visit the website and discover the wonderful facilities we have prepared for your vacation.
Arkadi Monastery
Embraced by a picturesque mountain landscape, this beautiful complex of Renaissance influence with some Baroque elements is the sanctuary where Greeks pilgrimage to honor Cretan resistance against Ottoman occupation. It was here, in 1866, that the famous 'Arkadi holocaust' took place: besieged by the Turks and shouting “Freedom or death,” hundreds of men, women, and children locked themselves in the powder magazine and set it on fire. An episode as heroic as it was desperate, remembered ever since.
Heraklion
The bustling capital is also the birthplace of Doménico Theotocopulos, El Greco, where he lived before choosing Toledo as the place to feel and create. Dynamic, cosmopolitan, perhaps slightly lacking in architectural harmony, it is a good base to soak up the urban atmosphere of its cafés and trendy spots, to wander through the bustle of the port, and if necessary, escape to the nearby hills covered with vineyards and olive trees. But also to visit the Koules fortress, the colorful market, and the unmissable Archaeological Museum, considered, with all due respect to its Athenian counterpart, the finest in the country.
Agios Nikolaos
It’s worth heading to the eastern part of the island to discover its most untouched side. And not just for this ancient fishing village arranged around a lake where, according to mythology, Athena and Artemis bathed. Also for venturing along the coastal road to cross beautiful villages that, perched on the hillsides, tumble down to the sea. Some were the setting for the unforgettable film 'Zorba the Greek' which put Crete on the map. A fun fact: that sirtaki that later went around the world was never a traditional Greek dance but a simplified version, composed for an Anthony Quinn who was not very skilled at dancing.
