CRETE - THE FACTS
· Where is it? = Off the South coast of Greece.
· Who owns it? = Greece
· The population? = About 540,000.
· Cretans = The people of Crete.
· Religion = 95% Greek Orthodox.
· The Capital = Heraklion.
· The currency = Euro.
· The language = Greek, however a lot of Cretans speak english.
CLIMATE
· Crete has by far the longest summers in Greece so you can get a decent tan right up until October and swim at least from May until November.
· It's temperate Mediterranean climate means summers are dry and hot. Rainfall is limited to the winter months.
THE LAND
· The island is 3218 sq. miles.
· The length of the whole island is a mere 162 miles in length with the biggest width on the island (land area of course) being 38 miles but don't let that fool you, it can take a long time to drive anywhere.
· There are three mountain ranges and Psiloritis is the highest mountain at 2,456 metres.
MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
What?: WHITE MOUNTAINS.
Where?: At the centre of West Crete just behind the city of Hania
What is it?: The largest of the three mountain ranges. They have thirty summits above 2000m cut by numerous gorges. You can see them from all parts of West Crete. Their name comes from the fact that they are covered in deep snow throughout the winter.
What?: LAKE KOURNAS.
Where?: About 4km away from Georgiopoli.
What is it?: The only fresh water lake on the island.
What?: THE SAMARIAN GORGE.
Where?: South of Hania.
What is it?: The longest gorge in Europe at 16km. The gorge is open to the public from May to October.
What?: THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS.
Where?: 5km SE of Heraklion.
What is it?: It is the largest of the Minoan palaces that lies on a man-made hill.
What?: SOUDA BAY
Where?: SE of Hania + about 25 km West of Georgiopoli.
What is it?: A large bay with long stretches of quiet beach. It was the setting for the film of Zorba the Greek and where we spent most of our time looking for property for Penny & Adrian.
GETTING THERE
· There are 3 main airports you can fly into in Crete, they are: Hania (West), Heraklion (central Crete + the main airport) + Hersonissos (Eastern Crete).
· Hania is an airport that is used by mainly UK tour operators for direct flights and the other 2 airports are frequently used by Irish tour operators.
· Olympic airways operate flights to from Athens to Heraklion
· Direct charter flighs operate Friday - Sunday from Ireland to Heraklion + Hersonissos
· If you'd like to tailor make your flights you can go via Amsterdam + pick up a cheap flight to Heraklion airport with Transavia airlines for about ¤300 return.
· Regular ferries operate between the islands and the mainland at a reasonable cost. There are three types of ferries; 1. Regular ferries 2. Hydrofoils + 3. Kaika.
· Regular ferries; Your typical large to medium sized ferries which carry cars and operate regularly between the islands.
· Hydrofoils; these are twice as fast as the Regular ferries and because of this they maybe more expensive. If there is bad weather they don't run, they don't operate out of season and sometimes if too few people turn up then they may cancel the trip altogether.
· Kaika; also called Caiques, These are small boats and sail between adjacent islands + to a few more obscure ones.
GETTING AROUND
· The best way to travel around Crete is by hiring a car or a jeep. But be warned the Cretans are pretty hairy drivers and they just love to over take and they don't care where they do it, corners are a particular favourite.
· Bus routes have a good network though the island but their one drawback is that they usually leave extremely early in the morning commuters and school children.
TAXIS
Cretan taxis are amongst the cheapest in Western Europe as long as you get an honest driver who switches on the meter.
Within the city or town limits the use of the meter is mandatory
A reasonable price for a 10km trip would be about ¤7/¤8.
SHOPPING
MARKETS
Most towns and cities have their own markets by a port or in the main square. Opening times are usually from about 7am to 2pm or 3pm. Some re-open again late in the evening.
THE CAPITAL - HERAKLION
4km from the main airport and is near to the palace of Knossos.
A fortified city Heraklion has a fine market and atmospheric old alleys which can be modern and very lively.
There is also a port where smaller boats dock + a market takes place every Saturday.
RETHYMNO
This has the greatest influx of holiday makers compared to anywhere else on the island, there is a large amount of hotels extending almost 10km along the beach to the east. The centre of the town has however been kept in great condition and Rethymno remains one of the most beautiful of Crete's major cities.
WHAT'S TO SEE AND DO?
Theres's lots of old buildings, wall fountains, and old rickety shops with local craftsmen plying their trades behind the inner harbour.
There's a Venetian fortress in the town which apparently is said to be the largest Venetian castle ever built.
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