Crete Island separates the Aegean from the Libyan Sea. Mountains with many peaks reaching over 2000 m are interrupted by gorges and canyons creating passageways from the northern to the southern side of the island. In the past, Crete Island was covered with dense forests of cypress, pine and sycamore trees. Today, due to the frequent outbreaks of fire, the island is mainly covered with bushes. On the western side the island is covered with olive groves and plantations of oranges. Some people say that Crete Island is the homeland of olives.
Through the gorges, winds can find their way, which can sometimes be really unpleasant. Standing there, while taking pictures of beautiful landscapes, can be a real windy adventure. The roads here are in very good condition and unlike the other islands people here tend to drive much more carefully unless they are on the highway.
First stop, Elafonisi
Elafonisi is a paradise for mind, body and soul, a real feast for the eyes, although the wind was blowing from land to the sea, raising the sand with its strength and speed. This place reminded us of the Caribbean. Everyone needs to visit this. The water is shallow and you can easily find your way to the smaller beaches and coves where the swimming is excellent. It seems that there is no ending of the beautiful scenery with the overflow from turquoise to blue marine color. Here you can easily forget from where came from, where you should go… you simply enjoy in the charming moments of the unreal beautiful scenery. The sand is also quite interesting. When you pick it up it is quite plain but in the water it is with shades of pink color. This really adds to the beauty and charm of this unique place. The water is also shallow far away from the coast and overflow of bright shades from turquoise to blue is unbelievable. If you decide to come, you should definitely spend a whole day here. I promise you will not regret it.
Second stop, Balos
Going to Balos everyone can experience in a different way. Certainly it should be visited but with a good preparation. To get here, first you will have to pass through the greenhouses and fields, than through small villages where the road is like a sidewalk and then you will have to go through the 8 miles of cobble road. Once you are halfway through this road there is a “pleasant” surprise – payment of 2 Euros. No one really knows why you have the pay this fee because the road gets even worse; there are goats on the road, sharp stones and the sense that there is no end of it.
The landscape here is like in such places can only be wonderful. After the road, hiking over the hill follows. There is no question that the sight is beautiful bit is it really worth it? As a reward for this trip we went to Phalasarna for a good swim. The beach is very good, composed of fine sand and with pristine water. A bit chilly but it is a pleasant cooling after a hot walk to Balos. The beach has everything you need for a good bath, refreshment and enjoyment.
Next stop, south central part of Crete (Libyan Sea)
If we are to compare the parts of the island, the ratio of beaches, the sea and everything else, I would favor the whole part of the Libyan Sea. Maybe it is because I like incredibly clear water and calm and peaceful, authentic Mediterranean places. This part of Crete is very different from the northern part. It is more relaxed, with beautiful beaches and what suits me best is the fact that there is no mass tourism like in the area between Rethymno and Agios Nikolaos.
Frangokastello
The beach named after the homonymous fortress. The fortress is from the Venetian period and it is well preserved. The beach lies just below it and it is really a great one, composed of fine sand and with a bit of natural shade. Next to it what you will find is Rodakino and all the beaches in this part are great.
Plakias, the beach that can be seen from the hill of village Sellia is a long stretch of fine sand and it is for every recommendation.
Agios Pavlos
Getting here is not so easy. The road leading to Agios Pavlos is very narrow and there are lots of winding streets. At the entrance you can see the so called Blue Lagoon beach. Agios Pavlos beach is a nice beach that offers umbrellas, showers and on the right side of the beach there is a set of stairs leading to a viewpoint.
Heraklion
Visiting this city is easy no matter where you are on the island of Crete. Heraklion is something like a central point of the whole island. Visiting the Venetian harbor, long walks in beautiful parks, plenty of concerts, shopping at reasonable prices and discounts are only some of the thing you can enjoy here. I sincerely advise you to set aside a whole day for this city. This is the center of the arrival and departure of the majority of tourist by air or by sea.
Here we finally reached the end of our journey. There are still of course a lot of cities, small towns and villages to visit with beautiful beaches and landscapes but it is hard to do sum it all up in one text. My personal advice is that anyone who has not visited Crete Island should definitely come here and I promise you will not regret it.
About the author: Aleksandar Mijailovic, part blogger part marketing manager. He loves to travel, loves sunny days, summer and beach destinations. Aleksadar tries really hard to visit as many beautiful destinations as he can whether they are famous or relatively unknown.
Photos via Flicker Creative Commons
Photos via Flicker Creative Commons
