Road-tripping through Crete is a beautiful thing. And maybe a little hair-raising at times. Be sure to keep your wits about you and your eyes on the road. You might need to get used to the island driving style at first, but it’s worth it. The west and south of Crete is filled with great views […]
Chilling at Makry Gialos
By this point in our two week holiday, I was pretty exhausted after adventuring to gorgeous beaches, ancient ruins, monasteries, lakes, caves, a palm forest, a lovely old town and hiking down one very steep gorge. It was time to chill! Venturing to the far east of Crete, we stayed at a beautiful place called Afroditi Apartments. We […]
Knossos & Hieralikon Archaeological Museum
Situated in northern Crete, Knossos used to be the capital of Crete in Minoan times. As I mentioned in my last post, the site was inhabited since about 7000BC and may even be Europe’s oldest city. It’s certainly one of the most popular spots on the island. We explored Knossos before heading to the Hieralikon Archaeological Museum, just a few […]
Ancient Minoan Ruins of Phaestos
While we were staying on the south of the island of Crete, closer to the Matala Caves and the Preveli Palm Forest, we drove a short distance inland to see the ancient ruins of Phaestos. These ruins are situated on a hill with far-reaching views (we decided to have our little picnic lunch in the parking area because the view was […]
Matala Caves & Beach
It was at Matala that Joni Mitchell met Cary. She wrote a song about him later (with the same name), calling him “a mean old daddy” and referenced the Matala Moon. She stayed in a cave on the beach for while but soon missed the comforts of home. Visiting the Matala Caves The freedom […]
Preveli Beach & Palm Grove
These indigenous palms love Preveli Beach. They’ve packed themselves together densely to form a magical shaded forest lining the inside of the gorge and river. The little river leads right into the sea on a sandy beach. Although the palm trees aren’t really actually on the beach itself, you’ll still find plenty of shade to enjoy […]
Lake Kournas
After exploring the west of Crete, it was time to move to the quieter east of this Greek island. We set our sights on Preveli Beach in the south. Preveli is well-known for its unique palm forest growing next to a river that runs into the sea. The drive from Chania in the north to Preveli in the […]
Little Loutro
Loutro is one of the smallest seaside towns I’ve ever seen. Shut off from the rest of the island’s road network, this town can only be reached by boat or foot. When you first see Loutro from the ferry, the white buildings beam out like a little oasis against the rugged mountains. Lit by the evening sun, the late-summer […]
Staying at Chora Sfakia
Chora Sfakia really is beautiful, definitely one of my favourite stop-overs. You’ll find this at a gem of a spot in the south of Crete, the largest Greek island. Usually this little town is sheltered from wind by the surrounding sea cliffs. The landscape has also created an excellent little swimming bay that’s perfect for daily swims. […]
Hiking to Beautiful Balos
Balos is worth visiting, even if only for a day. There are a few different ways that you can get to Balos. You can go on foot, by vehicle or ferry. We ended up doing all three Hiking to Balos Because our car rental insurance didn’t cover incidents that might happen when driving on sand roads, […]