Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FESTIVAL ISLAND
The Cretans love a
glendi
(party) and
festivals
are celebrated with pleny of eating, drinking,
live music and dancing. Here are some of those which celebrate local harvests (check locally
for specific dates):
Chestnut Festival
Élos and Prásses, West Crete, end
of October. The village squares are packed with tables
and chairs as the villages celebrate the local chestnut
harvest with eating, drinking, dancing, and roast
chestnuts, of course.
Sardine Festival
Néa Hóra, Haniá. The first Monday
in September is the date for this annual festival at the
small harbour by the town beach, with plentiful free
fish and wine with local musicians and dancers.
Sultana Festival
Sitía, in August. The region is well
known for its sultana production, and the harvest is
celebrated with traditional Cretan music and dance in
the main square, accompanied by food and wine.
Tsikoudiá (Raki) Festival
Haniá, Iráklion and
Voukoliés, mid-October and early November. At the
end of the grape harvest the must-residue from the
wine press is boiled and distilled to make
tsikoudiá
, the
local fire water. Hot
tsikoudiá
, with an alcohol content
as high as 60 percent, is scooped from the vats and
proffered in shot glasses, and so the merriment begins.
7
commercial place, producing and selling organic olive oil and wine from its vast
landholdings. By the entrance a small museum houses ecclesiastical heirlooms,
including valuable sixteenth- and seventeenth-century icons.
Gouvernétou and Katholikó
Easter-Sept Mon, Tues & Thurs 9am-noon & 5-8pm, Sat & Sun 8-11am & 5-8pm • Oct-Easter afternoon hours are 4-7pm • Free
Gouvernétou
is one of the oldest monasteries on Crete, dating back to around 1537,
and it's a rather isolated, contemplative and strict place; visitors are expected to respect
this. The monastery looks more like a fortress from the outside where two towers stand
guard; originally there were four - one on each corner - but two have collapsed. Inside,
there are fine frescoes in the ancient church, and a small museum. Next to the
monastery a paved path followed by steep steps leads down to the amazing abandoned
ruins of the
monastery of Katholikó
(25min walk down - longer to climb back up),
built into a craggy ravine and, further on, the remains of its narrow harbour.
Stavrós
Stavrós
beach, 15km from Haniá, is superb if you like the calm, shallow water of an
almost completely enclosed lagoon; this one sits right beneath the imposing “Zorbas”
mountain (
Zorba the Greek
was filmed here). It's not very large, so it does get crowded,
but rarely overpoweringly so. There's a makeshift café/
kantína
on the beach, and a
couple of tavernas across the road. For accommodation search 1km west of here, in the
area around
Blue Beach
and beyond where there are plenty of apartment complexes.
Ayía Marína
AYÍA MARÍNA,
8km west of Haniá, is a developed resort of some size with many hotels,
shops, tavernas and nightlife; it's also known for its trendy beach bars, pumping out
sounds which attract hordes of young locals and tourists. The west end of the long sandy
beach is quieter and there are good
watersports
facilities here, including jet skiing and
paragliding. Just offshore,
Theodorou
island is said to be a sea monster petrified by Zeus
before it could swallow Crete. Seen from the west, its “mouth” still gapes open.
The Samariá Gorge
May-Oct (in the first and last few weeks of opening period it may close if there's a danger of flash floods) • €6 •
T
28210 67179
From Haniá the spectacular
SAMARIÁ GORGE
, which claims to be Europe's longest (it's
a 16km hike), can be visited as a day-trip or as part of a longer excursion to the south.
It's strenuous - you'll know all about it next day - the path is rough and it's not a walk
