Crete

More on Crete

The largest of the Greek islands, steeped in history and blessed with a climate that's as warm as its welcome to visitors, Crete is an island of legends and landscapes, with a fiercely independent spirit and apparently endless charm. Not content with its extraordinary archaeological legacy and a breathtaking natural beauty, the island also boasts more than its fair share of beautiful beaches.

The History
Crete boasts a breathtaking eight thousand years of history, with archaeological evidence of human occupation of the island as long ago as 6,000 BC. Thousands of visitors have arrived here over the centuries, more often than not in search of new lands to conquer. The Romans occupied Crete for nearly a thousand years before being ousted by Arab raiders who then made the island the slave-trading capital of the eastern Mediterranean. Next came the Byzantine years when Crete's much-depleted Christian church was reinvigorated, then four hundred years or so under Venetian rule, much to the resentment of the repressed Cretan people. Finally, it was the turn of the Turks to take control of the island for a couple of centuries, until eventually, after endless wars and revolution, the Cretans achieved their hard-fought independence less than a hundred years ago and since then have also had to endure four years of occupation by the Germans during the Second World War. Small wonder then that the islanders retain such an unquenchable spirit and such a fierce pride in their unique home.

The Island
Evidence of Crete's unique history can be found all over the island, from the Minoan Palace at Knossos to dozens of lesser known, but no less fascinating sites. The arrival of tourism a mere three decades or so ago must have passed virtually unnoticed by the local population and even today, when Crete is descended upon by thousands of visitors every year, there are dozens of towns and villages and miles of unspoilt countryside which remain completely unaffected by this latest in a long line of invaders, nowadays fortunately mainly friendly ones.

The Resorts
The first holiday resorts to spring up on Crete were on the east coast, probably as a result of the area's many historic sites, but it wasn't long before visitors discovered the soft white beaches and pretty towns which grew into the bustling resorts along the island's northern shores. Today, those north coast resorts are the island's liveliest, from the non-stop nightlife of Malia, to the bustling portside promenade of Hersonissos and along to the fun-filled attractions of Rethymnon and Chania. Yet for every one of Crete's action-packed resorts, there's an equally laid-back town or village, usually tucked away in the heart of the tranquil Cretan countryside, surrounded by poppy-strewn fields and the sound of silence.

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