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Crete

Includes  Why Go? Iraklio...... 419 (Κρήτη) is the culmination of the Greek experience. . . . . . 436 Nature here is as prolific as Picasso in his prime, creating Plakias...... 442 a dramatic quilt of big-shouldered mountains, stunning Hania ...... 445 beaches and undulating hillsides blanketed in olive groves, vineyards and wildflowers. There are deep chiselled gorges, (Kastelli). .451 including one of Europe’s longest, and crystal-clear lagoons Hora Sfakion. . . . 453 and palm-tree-lined beaches that conjure up the Caribbean. Loutro...... 456 Crete’s natural beauty is equalled only by the richness of Paleohora...... 457 a history spanning millennia. The Palace of is but Elafonisi...... 459 one of many vestiges of the mysterious ancient Minoan civ- ilisation. Venetian fortresses, Turkish mosques and Byzan- Agios Nikolaos. . . 460 tine churches bring history alive all over Crete, but nowhere ...... 464 more so than in charismatic Hania and Rethymno. Crete’s Plateau. . . 468 hospitable and spirited people uphold their unique culture, cuisine and customs. Local life and traditions remain a dy- namic part of the island’s soul.

Best Places to Eat When to Go ¨¨To Maridaki (p449) Crete (Iraklio) ¨ ¨Castelvecchio (p439) °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm ¨¨Thalassino Ageri (p450) 40/104 8/200

¨¨Elia & Diosmos (p434) 30/86 6/150 ¨¨Avli (p439) 20/68 4/100

10/50 2/50

Best Places 0/32 0 to Stay J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨¨Casa Vitae (p438) Apr A painter’s Jun Hit the Sep–Oct Warm ¨¨Serenissima (p449) palette of wild- beaches before seas, blue skies flowers blankets they get crowded and thinning ¨ ¨Eleonas Cottages (p435) the island as and rejoice in the crowds as the ¨¨Terra Minoika (p467) locals prepare for bounty of local grape harvest Easter. produce. gets under way. ¨¨Enagron (p441) Crete GHISettTORingY There & Away 415 ------ravellers from (www.aegeanair. homas Cook and (Unity or Death) – unity or Death) (Unity ) is convenient for travellers 450 ) is Crete’s busiest airport, al (www.astra-airlines.gr) and Crete- and (www.astra-airlines.gr) 724 Getting There & Away 8 o reach Crete by air from other Greek islands Crete suffered tremendously during WWII,Crete suffered Thus, in 1898, with Russian and French and French Thus, 1898, with Russian in T Between May and October, European low-cost AIR furt and sometimes again in Athens. usually requires changing in Athens, except for certain flights operated by Aegean Airlines, As Airlinestra based airline Sky Express (www.skyexpress.gr), which has very strict baggage allowances. 8 Most travellers arrive in Crete usually by air, with a change in Athens. Iraklio’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport (p (p Hania though heading to western Crete. Sitia only receives a handful of domestic flights. carriers and charter airlines such as easyJet, Germanwings, AirBerlin, Fly T Jet2 operate direct flights to Crete, from all over Europe. Aegean Airlines com) operates direct flights to Iraklio from many London-Heathrow, airports, including European Milan, Paris, Marseille and Rome. T gic location. On 20 May 1941 a huge flock of 1941 a huge On 20 May gic location. German overwhelmed quickly parachutists the Cretan of Crete, defenders.as The Battle for 10 days become known, raged it would Germanbetween and Allied troops from Zealand New Britain, Australia, and . hung in the balance the battle days two For Air until the Germans the Maleme captured The Allied forces fought a near Hania. field, action,rearguard valiant Britishthe enabling to evacuate Allied 18,000 of the 32,000 Navy troops. The harsh German occupation lasted vil mountain throughout WWII, with many and their occu bombed or burnt down lages pants executed en masse. North America need to connect via a European gateway city such as Paris, Amsterdam or Frank ate. However, the banner under which future the banner However, ate. Eleftherios Minister Venizelos Greek Prime wasCretanother and fighting rebels were Enosis Thanatos i independence fromwith Greece, not mere the Greek army’s take it would Yet Turkey. to (1912–13) Wars successes in the Balkan de facto inclusion in the country turn Crete’s of Bucharest. with the 1913 Treaty into reality, strate for its due to being coveted by Hitler settlers. Cretansettlers. resistance strongest was in strongholdsthe mountain all revolts but only with was and it brutally, put down were thein disintegration Empire’s Ottoman the powers great 19thlate century Europe’s that aspirations. sovereign expedited Crete’s consent, Crete a British protector became ------Much of Crete’s most impressive surviv most impressive of Crete’s Much By 67 BC CreteBC 67 By Romanthe become had Archaeological evidence the that shows Minoans migrated to Crete to in the 3rd migrated Minoans ino to fall after a 21-year Ottoman siege. Ottoman ino to fall after a 21-year rule brought new administrative Turkish culture and Muslim Islamic organisation, ment’ for supplying the Crusaders’ fleet. ing architecture from the Venetian dates period, which lasted when Iraklio until 1669 (then called Candia) became the last dom der Byzantine rule, but with the infamous of 1204 the maritime power Crusade Fourth Crete received as part of its ‘pay of Venice queror Alexander the Great. Gortynawith Cyrenaica, of province its division capital. After the Roman Empire’s Crete395, AD in jurisdictionthe under fell of Greek-speaking Constantinople – the emerging Byzantine Empire. Things went when Arabs 824, until AD more or less fine though, AD 961, the island. In appropriated Fokas emperor Nikiforas Byzantine general (AD 912–69) Crete won back following a (then called El of Iraklio nine-month siege Khandak Crete by the Arabs). flourished un ry BC, Crete but was divided into city-states did not benefit from the cultural glories of mainland Greece; in fact, it was bypassed by con and the Macedonian invaders Persian ing as mysteriously as theyas mysteriously Theyas ing come. had and the by the Mycenaeans followed were (around 1100 BC). By the 5th centu quake around 1700 BC. Undeterred, the BC. Undeterred, 1700 around quake over ones built bigger and better Minoans more widely acrossthe ruins, while settling palaces were BC, the Crete. Around 1450 again, possibly by a destroyed mysteriously eruption ontsunami triggered by a volcanic Santorini (Thira). the only palace Knossos, BC. burned down around 1400 finally saved, on for a few lingered centuries inMinoans before disappear settlements small, isolated minated in the constructionminated palace of huge and Phaestos, Malia Knossos, complexes at all levelled an earth by , which were gist Sir Arthur Evans discovered the palace discovered gist Sir Arthur Evans aftercivilisation the and named Knossos at Minos. King the mythical its ruler, BC. Theirmillennium extraordinary artistic, architectural and cultural achievementscul igmatic society were only uncovered in the only uncovered society were igmatic archaeolo British when 20thearly century, Although inhabited since neolithic times since neolithic inhabited Although (7000–3000 BC), Crete is mostfamous for advanced first Europe’s of the cradle being of this en Traces Minoans. the civilisation, History