DK Travel : Crete : Places of interest

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Hamezi

Set above the Bay of Siteia, Hamezi has been inhabited since the Minoan era. Indeed, remnants of Minoan buildings can be seen on a hilltop from the present village, which is a peaceful clutter of whitewashed stone cottages, offset by colourful displays of flowers.
Historical and Folk Art Museum

Back at street level, turn left onto Vernardou and, midway along on your left, step into the Historical and Folk Art Museum, with its collection of tools, textiles and traditional costume (see Historical and Folk Art Museum).
Historical Museum

Returning to 25 Augoustou, turn left onto Theotokopoulou, then left onto Gazi, which leads to the Historical Museum of Crete. The basement contains some interesting Venetian stonework, Turkish and Byzantine remnants and the only El Greco painting left in Crete.
Ierapetra

It is a 45-minute drive to Ierapetra, the largest town on the southeast coast, passing rank on rank of greenhouses, which produce bumper crops of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Ierapetra – originally named Ierapytna – was Crete’s most important Dorian Greek city in the 2nd century BC (see Ierapetra). Unlike most Cretan towns, Ierapetra is still more interested in farming than in the package holiday business and is a good place to glimpse everyday life on Crete. From here, it’s a 32-km (20-mile) evening drive back to Agios Nikolaos.
Ierapetra

Ierapetra is the largest town on the southeast coast. Its buildings are rather dull, but it has a good, long beach of grey sand and the distinction of receiving more hours of sunshine per year than anywhere else in Europe. Huge crops of tomatoes are raised all year round in the surrounding farmlands. Ierapetra became an important Dorian Greek settlement as early as the 8th century BC, and by the 2nd century BC it was the largest city-state on the island after defeating its Eteocretan neighbours, Praisos and Itanos. Under the Romans it was an important seaport; the Venetians built a fortress to defend the harbour.
Irakleio

The modern capital of Crete was badly damaged in World War II, and few of its old Venetian buildings survived the reconstruction of the city. However, its Venetian fortress, harbour, arsenal and city walls are still impressive. For a morning’s itinerary see pages 82–3. The city’s main attraction is the Irakleio Archaeological Museum (see Irakleio).

Café, Irakleio market
Kastelli Kissamou

Usually known simply as Kastelli, Crete’s westernmost town is couched in a bay between the Rodopou and Gramvoussa peninsulas. It has largely missed out on the tourism boom, although it has a handful of hotels and restaurants. There are several rarely-visited ancient and medieval sites nearby, including the ruins of Polyrinia (see Venetian Acropolis and Polyrinia), and there are reasonable – if unexceptional by Cretan standards – beaches on either side of town.
Kazantzakis Museum

Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis (1883–1957) is best known outside Greece for the novel Alexis Zorbas , which is set in Crete during the early 20th century. The book was filmed in 1964 as Zorba the Greek , starring Anthony Quinn in the title role. Kazantzakis’ outspoken humanism led the Orthodox church to regard him as a heretic. The author was born in Mirtia, and a small museum in the village (in the Kazantzakis family home) is crammed with his manuscripts and diaries, film posters, photos and other memorabilia.
Kournas

Kournas nestles at the foot of Mt Dafnomadara, in a fertile plain close to Crete’s only freshwater lake. Its old stone houses cluster around a steep main street, and the village has two historic Byzantine-Venetian churches, dedicated to Agios Georgios and Agia Irene.
Kritsa

Sweeping mountain views and a reputation as one of the craft centres of eastern Crete ensures that Kritsa sees its fair share of tourism. Its main street, lined with old stone buildings, is packed with shops selling leather satchels and sandals, embroidery and brightly patterned rugs. Some 30 minutes’ walk from Kritsa is the minor archaeological site of Lato, where you can see the remains of a Classical Greek city.