Crete Info Source

Crete District Source

• AGIOS NIKOLAOS - CENTRE is known as a tourist town of Lassithi region. Tourist attractions include the small lagoon Lake Voulismeni, beaches, the small island Agioi Pantes, the archaeological museum, the local flora exhibition “Iris” and numerous fairs. The lagoon features a small park, traditional fishing boats, an amphitheatre and many cafés. Agios Nikolaos is accessible through Nikos Kazantzakis airport, and the many daily ferry services in Heraklion.
  
• LASITHI. Lasithi, located in the eastern part of the island, is one of the four Cretan prefectures. On this oriental side of the island the most important city is Agios Nikolaos, towards the north. In the southern part of the district there is the popular resort city Ierapetra and in the centre it is worth visiting the attractive landscape of Lasithi plateau in Dikti-Mountains. There are also many archaeological excavations and discoveries, such as the Minoan palace in Kato Zakros (you can find other archaeological attractions in Gournia, Itanos, Mochlos and Palekastro). The Cretan people live mainly from tourism and olive cultivation. Here you can enjoy the authentic Crete, with local taverns, Greek specialities, and perhaps even a popular dance. There are public buses to Heraklion and connecting the villages, as well as taxis and ferry boats.
  
• HERAKLION. Heraklion is one of the four provinces of the Greek island of Crete. Iraklio City is the island''s capital and the biggest city on Crete and is located in the north. Just off the city there are the major port and international airport of the island. As the Myth of Heracles states, in this part of the island Heracles captured the bull of Crete. From Iraklio City there are buses to all parts of the island. Distances to major cities are: Chania 130 km, Rethymno 75 km or Ag. Nikolaos 60 km. The main tourist attraction is the famous temple of Knossos, which is about 5 km to the south of Iraklio City. This is one of the largest Minoan temples on Crete. The area is among the massif Psiloritis on the west (Rethymno) and Dikti mountains on the east (Lassithi). The most important agricultural landscape of Crete is the area starting from the Messara plateau on the south coast.
  
• CHANIA. Chania is a province in the western part of Crete. The city of Chania with its Venetian harbour and the lighthouse, is the second biggest city, and it was until 1971 the island''s capital. To the east, in Souda Bay, there is the large port with ferries arriving from Athens.
  The airport is in the Akrotiri peninsula and in Georgioupoli there is the lake "Kournas", the only one with freshwater.
  In the centre of the island you can find the "Lefka Ori" (White Mountains) from which several canyons descend to the sea (for example the "Imbros"). The most famous and one of the longest in Europe (13 km) is the "Samaria-Gorge". At its end you will reach Agia Roumeli, a small village, from where you can only continue the trip by boat.
  The ship will bring you to Chora Sfakion, where there are buses to Chania, but also you can access by boat the small island of Gavdos (the most southern point of Europe) which is 36 km south. Also Frangokastello with its castle deserves a visit.
  
• RETHYMNO. Rethymno is one of the four provinces of the Greek island Crete, and it is located between Chania (in the west) and Iraklio (in the east). Rethymno City is located on the north coast and it is the third largest city on the island. Here arrive the boats and big ferries from Piraeus (Athens). Its narrow streets and the Venetian castle of the reign of 1211-1669 are worth being visited. To the east of Rethymno, there are some long sandy beaches with a shallow sea.
  In the middle of the island there is the Psiloritis and Messara Plateau. Psiloritis is with its 2,456 meters the highest mountain on Crete. There are several canyons with springs of water and you can walk towards the sea, reaching one the bays to swim and relax. On the south coast you can find the uninhabited islands of "Paximadia" in the “Messara-Bay”, which are also part of the province of Rethymno. To get around, there are little ferrys on the coast, apart from buses or rental cars.