MINOAN PALACE OF KNOSSOS
Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and is considered Europe's oldest city. The palace of Knossos was undoubtedly the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. It appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and storerooms close to a central square. An approximate graphic view of some aspects of Cretan life in the Bronze Age is provided by restorations of the palace's indoor and outdoor murals, as it is also by the decorative motifs of the pottery and the insignia on the seals and sealings.
HERAKLION ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is one of the largest and most important museums in Greece, and among the most important museums in Europe. It houses representative artefacts from all the periods of Cretan prehistory and history, covering a chronological span of over 5,500 years from the Neolithic period to Roman times. The singularly important Minoan collection contains unique examples of Minoan art, many of them true masterpieces.
MINOAN PALACE OF MALIA
Malia Crete is one of the ancient Minoan palaces which testify to the magnificent civilization which grew up on the island. The site is situated about two miles (3 km) to the east of the modern resort of Malia. It has been excavated mainly by the French School of Archaeology since the early 1920's. Because the site was abandoned at the end of the 2nd millennium BC and no one else every used it, there are no other building or other remains to cause confusion.
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF CRETE
Natural History Museum of Crete has been functioning and operates under the framework of the University of Crete, covering all the activities of a comprehensive, modern museum. Maintains and develops collections, conduct research into the natural environment, contribute to teaching at all levels of education and shows the visitors the specificity of the Crete and Mediterranean.
NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS MUSEUM
The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum pays tribute to the important intellectual, author, thinker, philosopher, politician and traveller Nikos Kazantzakis. The Museum is made up of a cluster of buildings in the central square of the historical village of Varvari, now known as Myrtia. The Museum holds manuscripts and notes by the author; samples of his correspondence with major thinkers, politicians and authors of his time; first editions of his works in Greek and other languages; rare photographic material etc.
KOULES FORTRESS
The "Castello a Mare" is a fortress located at the entrance of the old port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It was built by the Republic of Venice in the early 16th century, and is still in good condition today. In 1462 the fortress started to built and it was completed in 1540. During the 21-year long Siege of Candia (Heraklion), Ottoman batteries easily neutralized the fort's firepower. The Ottomans eventually took the fort in 1669, after the Venetians surrendered the entire city. They did not make any major alterations to the fort, except for the additions of some battlements and embrasures. They built a small fort known as Little Koules on the landward side, but this was demolished in 1936 while the city was being modernized. The fortress has been restored, and it is now open to the public.
LASSITHI PLATEAU
Lassithi Plateau is a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains and is known for its picturesque windmills. During 50s and 60s the plateau was one of the first wind farms in Europe. There were thousands of windmills that pumped groundwater, to which irrigated their crops by inhabitants. The 18 villages of the plateau is built at the foot of the surrounding mountains, leaving the plain free for cultivation, and connected by a circular road of length 23km.
AGIOS NIKOLAOS
Agios Nikolaos, with over forty years of experience in tourism, is a international and cosmopolitan resort that welcomes thousands of visitors. The lake is the most important attraction of the city. The legends say that Athena and Artemis bathed in its waters. Joined to the sea by a narrow channel, while the natural surroundings of red rock and trees attracts the visitors.
RETHYMNO
The city of Rethymnon is a place blessed with beauty, embraced by breathtaking mountains and the deep blue of the Mediterranean, decorated with renaissance colors and inhabited by people known for their hospitality, honoring their ancestors and traditions. It is a place one falls in love at first sight and visitors are able to feel the positive vibes of the city from the very first moment, making them feel at home.
ANOGEIA
Anogeia is the “Upper Land” not only of Psiloritis Mountain but also of all Crete. It is not just a wonderful place lying in an ancient route, running through valleys and hills that has remained unchanged throughout time. It is true that they carry a mysterious secret; this secret suggests an invisible thread uniting this amazing place with a divine quality. It might also suggest the deep and irresistible influence of Psiloritis Mountain, the so called “Mother Earth” that gave birth to the Greek myths and was worshiped by the Minoans as the Great Mother. In Anogeia you feel that ancient Crete revives in the daily routine of its inhabitants, in their festivals and songs, in their myths, in their ancestral memory of the world that has been built around the word: pride and decency. In Anogeia you will realize why Psiloritis is the soul of Crete, a soul that permeates the human existence and gives it a special course.
SPINALONGA
Spinalonga is an arid and barren rocky islet with an area of 8.5 hectares lying at the mouth of the natural port of Elounda in the Lasithi prefecture of Crete. Due to its strategic location, it was fortified and served a variety of roles and purposes over the centuries. Here, on an island where lepers from Crete and the rest of Greece had been kept in isolation until 1957, a story about love and pain, separation and fear was born.
CRETE GOLF CLUB
The Crete Golf Club is a championship golf course - the only 18-hole golf course on the island of Crete and one of the most impressive golf courses of the Mediterranean, which holds a unique challenge and a pleasant experience for both golf players and visitors all year round. The golf course has been built to international PGA standards by architect Bob Hunt, a member of the English PGA. Each hole has been constructed separately and in harmony with the surrounding landscape, providing panoramic views of both the mountains of Crete and the Aegean Sea.
CRETAQUARIUM - THALASSOKOSMOS
This is where your experience exploring the Mediterranean sea world begins. Come face to face with hundreds of species and thousands of living organisms. Be fascinated by their behaviour as they reveal the wide variety of shapes, colors, habits and needs of their own world. Learn about them and reflect on what our common future may be.