Lonely Planet's Crete
Lonely Planet's Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of
almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
We recently reviewed Lonely Planet's Greek Islands and highly
recommend it as an overall guide to all the Greek islands (and Athens). That
guidebook has 56 pages on Crete but if it's just Crete you're interested in you
need to take a look at Lonely Planet's Crete. This has almost 300 pages dedicated
to this very special Greek island.
The book begins with a brief overview of what to expect from Crete, then goes on to list its Top 15 Attractions and Experiences. We don't want to repeat their list in full, but the first few are:
- The Old Town of Chania
- The Beach at Elafonisi
- Knossos
- Heraklion Archaeological Museum
- Touring Southern Crete by Boat (a great suggestion!)
- The Samaria Gorge
We've no arguments there, nor with the rest of the list
which includes the wine country in the Iraklion region and, another excellent
choice: Village Tavernas. Eating at one of these places is definitely a
highlight of any visit. They single out one place which we were lucky enough to
eat at on our last visit, To Skolio in Anidri near Paleohora, and while we
wouldn't say it was a typical village taverna, it did serve amazingly inventive
and inexpensive food, all prepared fresh every morning.
The Menu at To Skolio
Plan Your Trip
There are then several suggested itineraries for different
ways of getting the most out of your visit to Crete. The first is a 2-week
Essential Crete trip, starting in Iraklio and then heading south, then west,
taking in many of the island's main attractions such as Knossos, Chania,
Rethymnon, the Samaria Gorge, Phaistos and the Arkadi Monastery.
A suggested 1-week tour limits itself to places reachable
from Iraklio, and the Eastern Crete itinerary restricts itself to one week, as
there are fewer sights to see in the eastern half of the island. Our advice,
though, would be to take two weeks anyway and take it slow.
The Cretan Diet
The next section provides sections on different themes, such
as Outdoor Activities (of which there are plenty), Travel with Children and Eat
and Drink Like a Local. We were delighted to see that this runs to eight pages,
as there's a lot to say about Crete's distinctive and outstanding food and
drink. There are sub-sections on important topics like olive oil, wine and
raki. We'll drink to that.
Where Is Gavdos?
The guide rightly says that the island of Gavdos, off the
southern coast of Crete, is the most southerly point of Europe. But what it
also says is that Gavdos is closer to Africa than to Greece. Er, excuse us?
Gavdos is part of Greece. We think what they meant to say is that Gavdos is
closer to Africa than to Athens!
Top Crete Guide
We only spotted that one small mistake as we read quite
thoroughly through the sections on places in Crete that we know ourselves.
It was the only mistake that we found, and even then it was more of a slip of
the brain than a genuine factual error.
On the places that we checked we found Lonely Planet's Crete
to be thorough, accurate and well-organised. It's also very good on the
nitty-gritty practical details, including local transport. How many buses a day
are there from Rethymnon to the Arkadi Monastery, what does it cost and how long
does it take? (The answers are - or were when this book was researched -
three, €2.80 and 40
minutes.)
Buying Lonely Planet's Crete
You can buy the latest edition of Lonely Planet's guide to Crete on Amazon.
More Crete pages
Greece Book Reviews on the Greece Travel Secrets website with reviews of the best guidebooks to Greece, the Greek Islands, Athens, Crete and elsewhere.
Greece Travel Secrets reviews the Greek cookbook, The Ikaria Way by Diane Kochilas, containing 100 delicious plant-based recipes.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in western Crete, including both luxury and inexpensive hotels in Chania, Rethymnon, and Paleochora.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Irakleio, the capital of Crete, including nearby beach resort hotels and accommodation in the city centre.
Greece Travel Secrets suggests where to stay in Eastern Crete with our favourite hotels in Zakros, Elounds, Sitia, Agios Nikolaos, Istron Bay, Myrtos, Neapolis.
Keramos Studios in Zaros on Crete is an inexpensive two-star hotel/guesthouse with one of the best breakfasts on the island using food from the family’s farm.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Central Crete including hotels in Matala, Ayia Galini, and Zaros.
The best Crete hotels include 5-star luxury hotels, historic and romantic Venetian palaces, and several hotels in Hania and Iraklion.
Crete (Kriti) is the largest Greek island and its main attractions include the Minoan Palace of Knossos, the Samarian Gorge, Chania and Rethymnon.
There are many great Greek poets, with two authors winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and names include Sappho, Cavafy, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to Zaros in Central Crete, including what to do, where to stay, and where to eat.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Zacharioudakis Winery near Ancient Gortina in southern Crete, and does a vineyard tour arranged by our guide from Go Crete.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Western Crete with tavernas and restaurants in Chania, Rethymnon, and Paleochora.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Eastern Crete including restaurants and tavernas in Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, and Kato Zakros.
Western Crete in five days allows time to visit Chania and Rethymnon, enjoy the beaches, hike the Samaria Gorge and see the monasteries at Arkadi and Preveli.
Western Crete has some wonderful golden sand beaches as well as mountain villages, monasteries, caves, and archaeological sites to discover.
This drive along the west coast of Crete and inland from there will take a whole day and starts and ends in Kastélli Kissámou, west of Chania.
Greece Travel Secrets tours the Lyrarakis Winery on Crete and learns about Crete grape varieties such as plyto, dafni, vidiano, vilana, mandilari and kotsifali.
Icon painting is a centuries-old tradition in Crete and the rest of Greece, and Greece Travel Secrets meets a modern-day icon painter in Elounda on Crete.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Cretan Botano herbs and spices shop near Matala in southern Crete in search of the herb man of Kouses.
Studies have shown the Cretan Diet as one of the healthiest in the world, involving lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh fish, and moderate amounts of wine.
The Stilianou Winery near Knossos on Crete uses only Cretan grape varieties, with every bottle numbered, and aims for quality rather than quantity.
The Snails House in Plouti near Phaistos in southern Crete serves the Cretan delicacy of snails, cooked in several different ways.
Greece Travel Secrets discovers Sitia, the main town in eastern Crete, with its relaxing waterfront, inexpensive hotels, good food, and nearby ancient sites.
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
- Click on the HTML link code below.
- Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment,
your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.
-
Step off the beaten path this spring and discover the enchanting — and often surprising — Easter traditions found across Greece.
Read More
-
In the castle town of Monemvasia, with its dramatic medieval backdrop and sea views, Easter is a deeply spiritual and atmospheric experience.
Read More
-
Sifnos, a Cycladic island, is gaining fame for its rich culinary heritage, especially the beloved melopita honey-cheese tart.
Read More
-
In Leonidio, Easter comes alive with handmade hot air balloons in the sky and lanterns made from bitter oranges in the streets.
Read More
-
Transportation and travel across Greece will face disruptions on Wednesday, April 9, as public transport, ferry and aviation workers join a nationwide strike called by Greek labor unions.
Read More
-
The Greek Culture Ministry has announced that the first ancient theater ever identified in the Ionian Islands has recently been brought fully to light on Lefkada, revealing an impressive monument that…
Read More
-
From traditional barrel-making to age-old folk dances, seven new entries on Greece’s National Inventory preserve the country’s living heritage for future generations.
Read More
-
The Hellenic Air Traffic Controllers Union have announced a 24-hour strike for Wednesday, April 9, in response to the protest called by the Civil Servants’ Confederation (ADEDY). The strike is being h…
Read More
-
Greece Travel Secrets picks the ten best budget hotels on Santorini, some with caldera views, some near beaches and some close to the heart of Fira.
Read More
-
The Pan-Hellenic Seamen’s Federation (PNO) has announced its participation in the 24-hour strike called by the General Confederation of Greek Labor (GSEE) on Wednesday, April 9. The strike, which will…
Read More