Crete is very easily accessible by both air and sea. The island has two international airports, in Heraklion and Chania, which are usually served by direct flights from many European cities.
Crete is also well connected by sea. Several ferry routes link the island to the Greek mainland – in particular to the port of Piraeus near Athens – as well as to various islands in the Aegean. If you wish to travel by ferry: www.minoan.gr/de
A true sun-drenched island – from late April to mid-October, you can expect cloudless skies! With 300 days of sunshine a year, Crete is, alongside Cyprus, the sunniest island in Greece and the whole of the Mediterranean. In summer, the temperature often rises to over 40 degrees, and on the south coast you can still take a dip in the sea as late as December. In general, it’s usually two or three degrees warmer there than in the north of the island.
| Figures in °C | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. |
| Daytime temperature | 17 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 21 |
| Temperature at night | 10 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 14 |
| Hours of sunshine per day | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Days with precipitation | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Water temperature | 16 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 20 |
At a glance:
Size: Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth-largest in the Mediterranean after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Corsica – covering an area of around 8,300 km², 260 km long and between 18 and 60 km wide.
Highest peaks: The highest peak is Timios Stavros in the Ida Mountains (Central Crete), at 2,456 m, followed by Pachnes in the Lefka Ori (Western Crete), which is a mere 4 m lower.
Plains: The largest plain is the Messara Plain in the south of Central Crete, covering 140 km². Other large plains are situated around Chania and Rethymno.
Population:
Transport: Crete has two major ports, namely Heraklion and Souda Bay (near Chania), as well as other ports in Kastelli, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos and Sitia. There are three civil airports – Heraklion, Sternes (on the Akrotiri Peninsula near Chania) and Sitia. International flights only serve Heraklion and Chania.
Economy: Just over 30 per cent of the land area is suitable for agriculture; grapes and olives are the main export commodities. Industry exists on a small scale only around Heraklion. Tourism is of immense importance and already dominates the economy in large parts of the island. The Heraklion district accounts for 53% of all tourist accommodation on Crete, Lassithi for 24%, Rethymno for 12% and the Chania district for a mere 11%.
Administration: The island is divided into four administrative districts, known as ‘Nomi’: Chania (capital: Chania), Rethymno (capital: Rethymno), Heraklion (capital: Heraklion) and Lassithi (capital: Agios Nikolaos).
University: The University of Crete comprises six faculties in Rethymno (Languages, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Education and Economics – approx. 3,000 students) and four in Heraklion (Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Medicine – approx. 5,000 students). The Polytechnic University is located in Chania.
Plants:
Where vast forests of cypress and cedar once stretched out, bare karst rock is now exposed, dotted with an endless sea of silvery-green olive trees. In between, the landscape is overgrown with maquis, knee-high phrygana and countless fragrant herbs. Metre-high agaves, wild carob trees, lush vineyards and oleanders provide striking contrasts.
Despite the extreme dryness during the summer months, over 1,500 different plant species are still native to the island today. This makes Crete one of the most vegetated islands in the Mediterranean.
Nature is at its most beautiful, particularly in late March and April. The vast pastures and karst landscapes are then nothing but seas of flowers. White and yellow daisies, bright red poppies and white daffodils form huge fields of flowers that sway in the wind, all accompanied by the vibrant buzzing of busy insects. If the winter has been wet, everything grows twice as well. Crete in spring and Crete in summer – two completely different faces.
Wildlife: The
island’s most famous species is the Cretan wild goat, the ibex or agrimi (scientific name: Capra aegagrus creticus), also mistakenly known as the kri-kri (the latter was a small wild goat raised by a shepherd). It was long threatened with extinction, and even today there are said to be only a few hundred of them – they live in the wild mainly on the inaccessible rocky slopes around the Samaria Gorge. You hardly ever catch a glimpse of them – they only sometimes venture down in the afternoons. Hunting them is strictly forbidden. Another threat to the breed’s survival is said to be interbreeding with domestic goats, which occurs from time to time. Otherwise, the most you’re likely to come across are small animals such as hares and rabbits – apart from the countless cats, dogs, sheep and donkeys.
First impression: an elongated mountain range rising from the sea, its dark-brown outline visible far off in the haze – one catches a glimpse of the island’s striking silhouette for far too brief a moment before the aeroplane descends over the inky-blue sea.
Crete lies like a mighty barrier on the southern edge of the Aegean Sea. The mountains are never far away and form the very heart of the island. Four mighty mountain ranges dominate the landscape: in Central Crete rises the colossal Ida massif, where, according to legend, the mighty father of the gods, Zeus, is said to have grown up.
To the west, the Lefka Ori, the ‘White Mountains’, form an imposing high-mountain backdrop. To the east, the steep ring of the Dikti Mountains surrounds the Lassithi Plateau with its white-clad windmills.
Finally, the Thripti Mountains define the narrow easternmost tip of Crete.
To the north, the Cretan mountains gently slope down into rolling foothills, forming vast coastal plains where all the major towns and large holiday resorts are situated. The situation is different in the south, particularly in the south-west. Here, the two-thousand-metre peaks end in sheer drops: cliff faces interspersed with sandy and pebbly beaches, tiny villages nestled between high rock faces, onto which the sun beats down mercilessly. Some villages and beaches can only be reached by boat, via bumpy dirt tracks or on foot. Coastal walks and the deep gorges that cut their way for many kilometres through the steep mountain slopes offer magnificent scenic experiences here. The world-famous Samaria Gorge, often described as Europe’s longest gorge, is just one of the many highlights.
Western Crete:
The most mountainous and largest part of the island. The Lefka Ori (White Mountains) dominate the landscape. Their bare rocky peaks rise to almost 2,500 metres. Towards the south coast, they are cut through by immense gorges – the Samaria Gorge and its neighbouring gorges are among the island’s most impressive natural wonders. Today, only a few mountain passes lead down through the remote highlands to the small villages on the Libyan Sea.
Central Crete:
The hinterland of Heraklion is one vast vineyard. The endless rolling hills form Greece’s largest contiguous wine-growing region. To the west, this sun-scorched region is flanked by the mighty Ida Mountains. At 2,456 metres, Timios Stavros is the island’s highest peak. The most popular destination is Anoghia – the centre of the high-altitude pastures for some 100,000 sheep. Mountain walkers continue on to the Nida Plateau and the famous Cave of Zeus. The Dikti massif in eastern central Crete is easily accessible from the north coast and from Agios Nikolaos. The magnificent drive up into the mountains ends at the completely flat and almost circular Lassithi Plateau – this is where Zeus was born! The south is characterised by the vast Messara Plain, one of the island’s most fertile regions. The legendary cave dwellings of Matala are one of the region’s many attractions.
Eastern Crete:
The east of Crete is largely barren, dry and rocky. It is dominated by the grey Sitia Mountains, which, although only just under 1,500 metres high, are wild and largely undeveloped. Agios Nikolaos has established itself as a lively tourist town that retains a certain charm despite the hustle and bustle. The vast Mirabellou Bay, the legendary palm-fringed beach at Vai and the Minoan palace at Kato Zakros are further highlights. Near Ierapetra, endless grey pebble beaches invite you to take a dip.
Crete is divided into four administrative regions.
From east to west: Lassithi, Heraklion, Rethymno and Chania.
The administrative regions are further divided into districts.
Unfortunately, we can’t offer you a proper marathon here.
However, you’ll be surrounded by plenty of countryside with lots of paths that you can use for jogging and walking.
Cretan music:
Cretan music is wild and untamed. It’s a world away from the tame bouzouki music of mainland Greece! The star of the show is the lyra, the traditional three-stringed stringed instrument made from mulberry wood.
Cretan dances:
Through dance, the Cretans express their feelings and state of mind. But it is not just joy that comes to the surface; grief, anger and pain are also expressed.
Cretan festivals:
The Cretans love to celebrate, and they do so lavishly – you’re bound to have the chance somewhere to experience one of the countless festivals, usually held on a saint’s day or to mark a political occasion.
Traditional dress:
Traditional dress used to vary from village to village and was often influenced by Turkish or North African styles. Today, only the elderly men in the mountainous regions still occasionally wear the wraka – loose-fitting black bloomers worn with knee-high boots (stivania) or wrapped gaiters – along with the fringed headscarf, the sariki or mandili, wrapped around the head. The magnificent Cretan waistcoats with their intricate embroidery and the wide red sash, in which the bounialo – a silver knife – was tucked, are, by contrast, hardly ever seen anymore. Shepherds, however, still often use the sakouli, a colourful, hand-woven rucksack.
The richly decorated women’s traditional costumes (sakkos and phousta) have now almost completely disappeared.
Church:
The Cretan Church is a true people’s church and follows the tradition of early Christianity. Church, faith and daily life are very closely intertwined in Crete. The service is an informal gathering without stiff formalities and retains a natural feel even in moments of the utmost solemnity. People in Crete enjoy going to church; it is an important meeting place and the centre of village life.
The Cretan Orthodox Church is directly subordinate to the Patriarch of Istanbul.
