Cities

If you head east of Fylaki beach, you will soon (100m only) reach the exit of the Sfakiano Gorge, with a nice pebbly beach formed. The area is called Plakakia and hosts some of the most spectacular beaches in Crete, formed on small narrow fjords. Indeed, some of them are formed inside small caves! There is a tricky dirt road leading close to the beach.

The Küçük Hasan Pasha Mosque or Gialisi Tzami (mosque of the sea) is actually the only preserved mosque of the city of Chania. It was built on the site of a preexisting Christian temple after the conquest of Chania by the Ottomans in 1645, honoring Küçük Hasan Pasha.

The Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon is temporarily hosted in the basilica of Agios Fragiskos (St Francis) in the old town of Rethymnon. It hosts exhibits from various excavations around the prefecture of Rethymnon which represent all periods from the Neolithic Age to the Roman period.

Gra Ligia is a seaside village located just 5km west of Ierapetra and 39km south of Agios Nikolaos. It is situated at the exit of a large fertile valley, which is full with greenhouses with early vegetables. Locals were the first to grow vegetables in greenhouses and this was later extended throughout the area of Ierapetra. There are so many greenhouses, that locals call Gra Ligia as “Silicon Valley of Greece”.

Koudoumas monastery is located at the exit of Katarraktis gorge in Asterousia Mountains, 80km south of Iraklion and only 40m from a beautiful beach. It is one of the most secluded monasteries of Crete, as access from Heraklion requires 2.5 hours. There is a safe 24km long dirt road that starts from the village Sternes (accessible from Charakas), at an altitude of 1000m near the peak Kofinas (1231m).

The Monastery of Prophet Elijah (Profitis Elias) is built above a hill with panoramic views, 20km south of Rethymno, next to Roustika village. It is a relatively unknown monastery throughout Crete, although it was founded in the Venetian Era and belongs to the most historic convents on the island.

Geropotamos, the sacred river of the Minoans, gathers the water of Mesara Plain and exits inside the military airport of Tymbaki, close to Kokkinos Pirgos. The coastline south of Kokkinos Pyrgos has several places where small ponds of foremost ecological importance are formed, with the nicest being at the area of Pahia Ammos (or Afratias), which can be accessed through dirt track.

At the entrance of the port of Chania is situated the Venetian Fortress Firkas, where on December 1st 1913, the Greek flag has been hoisted, sealing the union of Crete with the motherland Greece.