Crete is the main tourist pearl of the Mediterranean Sea and the birthplace of the Minoan civilization. Reasonable prices, clean beaches, azure waters of the sea, excellent infrastructure and excellent hotels - all this attracts an increasing number of tourists to Crete every year.
Today we show you the main attractions of this picturesque Greek island:
1
Balos Bay
This is the most picturesque place in Crete. You will see a beautiful beach with clear turquoise water and pink sand. An amazing view of the clear waters of the sea, iridescent with various shades of blue, opens from the cliff of the bay.
Balos Bay is unique in that it meets three seas at once. Like most beautiful natural wonders, Balos Bay is a remote place, you can only get here by car or by ferry from the port of Kissamos.
Nearby, north of Balos, on Cape Korikon, you should definitely visit the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Agnion. Fragments of the temple of Apollo were also preserved there.
2
Rethymnon
The architecture of the old city of Rethymnon (Rethymnon) as if dips its guests in the Middle Ages. It combines the features of Venetian architecture and Cretan fragments, being a real decoration of the Greek city.
You should definitely take a walk along the narrow streets of Rethymnon, enjoy shopping, taste seafood in a colorful tavern and enjoy the chic Venetian architecture.
Interesting fact: The twin city of this beautiful city is the city of Pushkin, which is part of the Pushkin district of St. Petersburg. Such different, but at the same time beautiful cities!
3
Agios Nikolaos
This is a very beautiful port town in the east of Crete, which is very popular among curious tourists. The name of the city is literally translated as Nikolai the Miracle Worker.
The main decoration of the city is Lake Vulizmeni, surrounded by small houses, restaurants and cafes. There are amazing legends and myths around the lake, for example, the myth that Aphrodite herself liked to swim in this lake, and another legend says that the lake is bottomless. These legends give Agios Nikolaos even more charm and charm.
And about other no less beautiful lakes in the world, we already have an interesting article.
4
Elafonisi Beach
There are a lot of picturesque beaches in Crete, one of them is Elafonisi beach on a small island of the same name. It is separated from the southern part of Crete by a shallow lagoon that can easily be wade.
The beach is strewn with pink and white sand, and the water in the vicinity of this beach is incredibly blue. On the beach of Elafonisi, there are very popular places filled with tourists, as well as deserted wild surroundings.
5
Qurna Lake
This is a picturesque fresh lake, which reaches a diameter of 3.5 kilometers. The lake is surrounded by high hills, so it is always calm, but because of the muddy bottom, the water in the lake cannot be called transparent.
Lovers of nature and secluded relaxation come here for a picnic to diversify their beach holidays with beautiful views. On the lake you can also admire the local fauna - ducks, gulls, geese and aquatic turtles.
6
Spinalonga
It is a small island on the east coast of Crete. Once upon a time, Spinalonga was part of Crete, but the Venetians destroyed the bridge, separating the islands from Crete to protect the island from pirates.
There is a huge impregnable fortress on Spinalonga, which was built even before the reign of the Venetians, it served as a protective support from the invasions of the Turks. But in the end, the fortress was still captured by the Turks, and ordinary fishermen settled here. Then the fate of the island was such that the government organized a colony on Spinalong for patients with leprosy, and even after Crete joined Greece, the patients were still brought there. Then the infection was over, and the island, despite its gloomy history, became one of the main attractions of Crete.
7
Samaria Gorge
The gorge stretches for 18 kilometers in length, it is a huge national park with picturesque tourist routes. About 500 species of plants grow here, each of which is a value of the national park.
It is strictly forbidden to pluck the leaves of plants and take out something from this place. The route along the Samaria Gorge takes about 8 hours, there is also a shortened route through the narrowest point of the gorge for those who do not want to spend the whole day exploring the national park.
8
Cave of zeus
According to legend, it was in this cave that the famous Zeus was born. The cave is located at an altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level, the entrance to the cave is not very noticeable, but the centuries-old huge stalactites inside impress with their grandeur and power.
At the bottom of the cave is a lake in which archaeologists found jewelry and weapons. At the time of the Minoans, the cave of Zeus was a very significant place, and now it is a popular place among tourists, shrouded in mysticism and legends.
9
Knossos palace
This is a very significant attraction of Crete, which belongs to the Minoan era. Today, little is left of the palace, but it is these parts of the architectural structure that allow tourists to plunge into history and imagine the scale of this grandiose structure.
Knossos Palace is located near Heraklion, 4 kilometers from the sea coast, you can get here by regular bus from the capital of Crete.
10
Arcade
Arkadi Monastery is the most tragic place in Crete, whose history is filled with pain and tears. In 1866, the inhabitants of Crete were ruled by the Turks, they decided to organize a riot and the events of the uprising led to the fact that the inhabitants of the island had to seek refuge in the monastery.
For three long days there was a siege near the walls of the monastery, as a result, the Turks managed to break in through the gates, and the rebellious islanders did not want to be captured and blew up the powder barrels, which led to the deaths of hundreds of people: Turks and Cretans.
Santorini
Well, perhaps one of the most beautiful places in Crete is the island of Santorini. We will not include it in our rating, because more than once on the site most-beauty.ru we described this amazing islet.
We will only say that you can find information about this place in articles about the most beautiful places in the world, about the most beautiful stairs, the most beautiful islands and in many other articles of the site, using the search at the top of the page.
In conclusion, we say that this amazing Greek island is fraught with a lot of incredibly beautiful places that amaze the hearts of every tourist. Most-beauty.ru wishes you to find your personal sights of this cozy corner of the land, lurking in the warm waters of the Mediterranean.