[Closed] Things to do in Crete when you're..... on holiday

Try and avoid bothering the turtles.

I don't have a history of turtle bothering so should be alright with regards to that.

I went to a different area of crete years ago so maybe too far to get to but

I remember going to spinalonga island the lepar colony, enjoyed that day.

Also had a jeep trek up the mountains and a bbq which was good.
saw a few nice little vilages etc.. dont recall names though

a boat trip somewhere else is always good

Dont underestimate how hot it can get!

There's ton's to do - Knossos is great Rethymnon is nice, grab a Rough Guide and you can pack 2 weeks easily, lots of WWII History (read up about Paddy Leigh Fermor's exploits). Some of the nicest and friendliest people I have met, but watch out for the signposts in the hills - lots look like this, they like to shoot them!!:

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Just arrived back from Ag Nik in the NE of the island. Spinalonga will take you an hour to walk through but is a bit far.

There will be tons of monasteries, caves ruins etc near by.

Enjoy, very friendly island.

Knossos and the Samari Gorge

Armeni Cemetery, Spili, Aghia Triadha, Festos, Arkhanes (where General Kreipe was kidnapped - see PLF comment above, and have a look at the Villa Ariadne when you've finished at Knossos - you can't go into the villa or its grounds, I think, but it has a fascinating history), Askifou War Museum, Frangokestello, The Imbros Gorge, Hora Sfakion, Souda Bay Cemetery (where John Pendlebury and Dudley Churchill Perkins are buried), Ancient Aptera, Melidoni Cave, Ancient Lappa (omnis mundi fumus et umbra quotation and excellent mosaic), Akrotiri Peninsula, Moni Tsagolorou, Moni Katholikou, Ancient Malia, Rethymnon Castle, Rimondi Fountain while you're in Rethymnon, botanic gardens of Crete if you're venturing south of Chania, Chania itself, Lake Agia if you're into bird watching (don't bother with Lake Kournas), Eleutherna for a rather more obscure archaeological trip, Etz Hayyim Synagogue if you're in Chania, nearly forgot Gourtis, Omalos Plateau south of Chania, Lasithi if you're over somewhere south of Heraklion... I could happily live on Crete for a few years as there's so much to see. We've spent five weeks there in the past ten years and have so much more to see - and we've seen all of the above and more at least once!

Have a great holiday!

+1 Spinalonga trip - you could read "The Island" by Victoria Hislop which is a fictionalised account of life on the island in the last century.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Victoria-Hislop/dp/0755309510

Knossoss is worth seeing although some of the reconstruction is a bit dodgy - worth looking at some of the museums in the town as well.

Agreed the restoration of Knossos is questIonable, but looking at it from Sir Arthur Evans' point of view of around one hundred years ago, it seems different... Also, if he hadn't done it there might well be nothing much to see, as the building materials the Minoans used were hardly durable, apparently. It's an interesting counterpoint to Sarpedon's palace at Malia if nothing else.

Thanks everyone, loads of great info, and research to be done....

Very fond memories we went last year and stayed in Agia Pelagia, we hired a car for the week and just went exploring really,

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Enjoy the hospitality.

The Cretans really are some of the friendliest people you will meet.

I'd go to Crete on holiday every year but the wife has this crazy idea about "seeing the world" or some other nonsense which means we have to go on holiday to places that aren't quite as good

Yamas!