DK Travel : Crete : Editor's choice

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Olives

Olives and Greece are inseparable. Indeed, without the olive – which has provided not only food but also oil for lamps, wood for fuel and timber for building ships and homes – Crete might not have become the cradle of Minoan civilization. Olives are sold in a bewildering array of sizes and flavours, with as many as 40 different types available from all over Greece.
Palace of Malia

Only 3 km (2 miles) inland from the bustling resort of modern Malia, a ruined Minoan palace seems to grow from the rocky hillside (see Malia).

Malia beach
Pefki Gorge

A four-hour walk from Pefki to Makrygialos will take you along a dry river bed of white pebbles that runs through a canyon of weird rock formations.
Pelekita Cave, Kato Zakros

Just 2 km (1.5 miles) northeast of Kato Zakros village and a few hundred metres north of the Zakros Gorge, the Pelekita cavern is one of the longest in Crete.
Polyrinia

Wonderful views surround the broken walls and foundations of this ancient Acropolis, upon which stands an equally ruined Venetian fortress (see Venetian Acropolis and Polyrinia).
Praisos

Based on clay statuettes and inscriptions found here, archaeologists believe it was a post-Minoan Eteocretan city (see Praisos).
Retsina

Retsina is a white wine flavoured with pine resin. The flavour was originally imparted by the pine storage barrels, but today the resin is added before bottling. It is often served chilled, though locally made retsina may be available from the barrel (apo to bareli ), traditionally being served in copper jugs.
Rodopou Peninsula

A barren peninsula that attracted the Orthodox monks who built the monastery of Moni Gonia, which has several fine icons.
Rosemary

Growing in abundance, rosemary is used by Cretans mainly to flavour fish dishes.
Rousa Eklisia

Pretty village worth visiting for its superb view of the bay. Large plane trees shade the village square, and a stream feeds a natural fountain next to an old church.