Schinaria, also written Schoinaria, is a wide bay on the south coast of Crete in the Rethymno district, a short drive south-east of the resort of Plakias and the beach of Damnoni. Coarse pale sand and fine pebble run down to clear deep water on the open Libyan Sea, and low hills scattered with tamarisk … Read more
Rodakino is a quiet coastal area in the Rethymno district on the south coast of Crete, resting between the resort of Plakias and the Venetian castle of Frangokastello. Its name means peach, a soft word for a soft place. Long sandy and pebble beaches line the shore below two hillside villages, washed by the clear … Read more
Havgas Gorge is one of the wildest short canyons in eastern Crete, a dark slot cut into the eastern flank of the Dikti mountains in the Lasithi district. Water draining from the Katharo plateau above Kritsa has sliced a sheer channel barely a metre or two wide, broken by waterfalls, deep pools and jammed boulders. … Read more
Vori is a traditional village on the Messara plain in the southern reaches of the Heraklion district, a quiet stop that reveals the everyday life behind Crete’s famous monuments. Whitewashed houses, shaded squares and old fountains line its lanes, while olive groves and vineyards fill the surrounding fields. The village sits near the ancient palace … Read more
Episkopi beach is a long, sandy stretch of the north coast of Crete, set in the Rethymno district between the town of Rethymno and Georgioupoli. Soft grey-gold sand and shallow, gently shelving water run for a couple of kilometres, backed by rows of tamarisk trees. The coastal village of Episkopi sits beside the mouth of … Read more
Thripti is one of the quietest corners of eastern Crete, a tiny stone village perched high in the Thripti mountain range at around eight hundred metres above the sea. It sits in the Lasithi district between Ierapetra and Sitia, wrapped in pine forest, cypress and terraced fields that stay cool and green while the coast … Read more
The Nida Plateau is a treeless high basin on the eastern flank of Psiloritis, the tallest mountain of Crete, in the Rethymno district above the village of Anogeia. It sits at around fourteen hundred metres, a flat plain ringed by bare peaks and grazed by sheep through the warm months. Round stone shepherds’ huts called … Read more
Kokkinos Pyrgos is a small seaside village and working harbour on the south coast of Crete. It sits on the western edge of the Messara plain in the Heraklion district, just below the town of Tympaki. Its name means Red Tower. A long stretch of grey sand and shingle backed by tamarisk trees draws Cretan … Read more
The Kallikratis Gorge is one of the quietest walking ravines in southern Crete, hidden in the Sfakia region on the border of the Chania and Rethymno districts. It runs from the high mountain village of Kallikratis, set on a plateau in the White Mountains, down to the coastal village of Patsianos near Frangokastello. The trail … Read more
Voila stands in the far east of Crete as one of the best-preserved ghost villages in Greece, a hushed cluster of stone houses abandoned in the last century. A prosperous settlement under Venetian and then Ottoman rule, it now rewards travellers who prefer atmospheric ruins to crowded resorts. You reach it on the windswept Armeni … Read more
Moires stands as the bustling commercial centre of the Messara plain in southern Heraklion, Crete, far removed from the polished tourist resorts that line the island’s northern coast. This working market town serves the fertile agricultural region with banks, shops, tavernas, and the practical services that keep rural Cretan life running. Every Saturday, one of … Read more
Marmara Beach sits at the point where the Aradena Gorge spills into the Libyan Sea on Crete’s remote south coast. Smooth, pale marble rocks polished by waves frame this small cove in the Sfakia region of the Chania district, giving the beach its name and creating a striking contrast with the turquoise water. The roadless … Read more