Yannis Divramis 
Balos Lagoon is one of the most photographed places in the whole of Crete, and the reality lives up to the pictures. This shallow turquoise pool spreads across the Gramvousa peninsula in the far north-west of the island, north of the port town of Kissamos. White-to-pink sand rings warm, waist-deep water, and the rocky islet … Read more
Elafonisi Beach sits at the far south-west tip of Crete, where a shallow turquoise lagoon separates a low sandy islet from the mainland. Crushed shells and foraminifera tint stretches of the sand a soft pink, and a sandbar lets you wade knee-deep across the warm water to the islet. The bay is a protected nature … Read more
Rethymno sits on the north coast of Crete, halfway between Chania and Heraklion. It holds the best-preserved Renaissance old town on the island, a tight grid of Venetian and Ottoman lanes running below the Fortezza fortress. The Rimondi Fountain still pours through its carved lion spouts, the Neratze mosque keeps its Ottoman minaret, and the … Read more
The Samaria Gorge is the headline hike of south-west Crete, cutting roughly 16 km through the White Mountains national park to the Libyan Sea. Walkers begin high on the Omalos plateau at Xyloskalo, around 1,200 metres, then drop down a steep wooden-stepped path into the riverbed below. The route runs one way and downhill, past … Read more
Chania sits on the north-west coast of Crete, the island’s second city and its most photographed harbour. Pastel Venetian buildings ring the waterfront, and a stone Venetian lighthouse marks the tip of the harbour mole. Behind the quay stretches an old town of narrow Venetian and Ottoman lanes, arched doorways, and shaded courtyards. The city … Read more
Crete is Greece’s largest island, stretching along the south Aegean and split into four regional units from west to east: Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion and Lasithi. That size gives you Minoan ruins, Venetian harbours, a mountain gorge, palm-fringed beaches and a food culture built on olive oil and raki. You can spend a week here and … Read more
Meteora rewards travellers who arrive with a clear plan, and that matters most when stairs or distance are a concern. The six working monasteries sit on tall sandstone pillars, and their history built around defence, not easy entry. You can still experience the rock formations, the valley views and the sacred atmosphere without climbing every … Read more
The Meteora frescoes rank among the finest post-Byzantine wall paintings in Greece. The katholika, the main churches of the monasteries perched on their sandstone pillars, hold dense narrative cycles painted mostly in the sixteenth century. Gold and dark grounds, elongated expressive figures and richly organised feast scenes define the Cretan School style that shaped this … Read more
Meteora is famous for its monasteries perched on sandstone pillars, yet the same cliffs shelter one of central Greece’s richest bird-of-prey communities. The rock towers and the oak forest of the Antichasia mountains below form a protected Natura network site, valued across Europe for its nesting raptors. Egyptian and griffon vultures ride the thermals above … Read more
Meteora rewards families who plan around the stairs rather than fight them. Six Byzantine monasteries crown sandstone pillars above the towns of Kalabaka and Kastraki, and children love the sheer scale of the rock towers, the birds wheeling overhead, and the tales of monks hauled up in rope nets. The catch is access: each monastery … Read more
The tall grey pillars of Meteora are famous for the monasteries perched on their summits, yet the first religious life here happened far lower and far earlier. Hermits and ascetics settled in natural caves, clefts, and rock ledges long before a single monastery stood. These solitary monks prayed in hollows worn into the sandstone, reaching … Read more
Meteora in winter trades summer crowds for cold, quiet air and dramatic light. From December to February the conglomerate pillars often wear mist and low cloud, and snow occasionally dusts the six working monasteries. Terraces and roadside viewpoints stay uncrowded, so photographers get clear compositions. Days are short and the ring road can ice over, … Read more