Crete · Towns & villages
Harbour towns, mountain hamlets and the places where island life still follows its own rhythm.
Mountain village of music and weaving
High on the slopes of Mt. Psiloritis, Anogia is known for its lyra players, shepherding traditions and long record of resistance. It was rebuilt after being destroyed in 1944.
Restored neoclassical village in wine country
Just south of Heraklion, Archanes has carefully restored houses, a Minoan palace site of its own and vineyards that run to the foot of Mt. Giouchtas.
The potters' village
Margarites has been producing ceramics for centuries. Workshops line its lanes, and many still fire their pieces in traditional kilns.
Car-free bay on the Libyan Sea
Reachable only by ferry or on foot, Loutro is a crescent of white houses with blue shutters around a calm, clear bay on the south coast.
Hillside village above Agios Nikolaos
Kritsa spills down a hillside near Agios Nikolaos. It is famous for embroidery, and for the frescoed Byzantine church of Panagia Kera at its edge.
Libyan Sea village with a car-free seafront
A small whitewashed village on Crete's warm south coast, with a long grey-sand beach, a promenade you walk rather than drive, and Minoan hills on either side.
Stone lanes of the Apokoronas
In the green Apokoronas district, Vamos has restored stone houses, long-standing tavernas and an easy pace. It makes a good base between Chania and Rethymno.
Regions
01
Chania
Venetian harbour, the White Mountains and the gorges of the wild south-west.
02
Rethymno
A walkable old town under the Fortezza, with Mt. Psiloritis behind it.
03
Heraklion
The capital, Knossos, and the vineyards of the island's wine country.
04
Lasithi
Elounda's sheltered bays, Spinalonga, and the quiet palm-fringed east.
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