traveldk.com

One of the first museums to celebrate the lives of ordinary Cretans (see Museum of Cretan Ethnology, Vori).

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

Looming to the south of Archanes, Mt Giouchtas is the mythical burial place of the god Zeus. The remains of a Minoan sanctuary are below the summit, and the area has been declared a conservation area, with the aim of protecting eagles, vultures and other raptors.

Tylissos was inhabited more than 4,000 years ago, but the most interesting discoveries are the remains of three large Minoan villas.

The small farming town of Archanes has a surprisingly good museum with finds from nearby sites, including clay Minoan coffins, fragments of pottery, and a sacrificial dagger that may have been used in human sacrifice.

The Archangel Michael, leader of the heavenly host, is known in Greek as “O Taxiarchis” (the Brigadier) and is depicted in armour, sword in hand, along with other saints in the frescoes within the pretty 14th-century church at Asomatos.

The monks of Koudouma live in enviable isolation in a tiny monastery on a sandy beach fringed with palm trees.

Vathypetrou was presumably the home of a Minoan landowner, and ancient wine-making equipment found on the site indicates that the surrounding vineyards are thousands of years old.

A mere hillock by Cretan standards, but still a challenging climb (starting from Kapetaniana village) with great views of Mt Idi (see Climbing Mt Idi) and the south coast.

This ramshackle settlement along a peaceful, grey sand beach has ambitions to become a fully-fledged holiday resort but hasn’t yet made the grade. It is a pleasant enough place for an overnight stop.