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At the mouth of the Gulf of Mirabello, Spinalonga is a maze of Venetian battlements. Daily boat trips venture here in summer from Plaka, Elounda and Agios Nikolaos – 5, 20 and 35 minutes respectively (see Spinalonga).

Europe’s southernmost point, where a few simple guesthouses, tavernas and beaches welcome visitors. Boats sail daily in summer from Palaiochora and Chora Sfakion; journey time around 4 hours.

With its sandy beach and vivid blue lagoon, the tiny, tropical-looking island of Elafonisi is barely separable from the Crete shoreline. Daily boat trips from Palaiochora (May–Sep) take an hour each way (see Elafonisi).

The boat from Palaiochora hugs the rugged south coast, calling in at the lazy port of Sougia, before chugging along to Agia Roumeli, a cheerfully ramshackle village at the foot of the Samaria Gorge.

After marching up and down the Samaria Gorge, your journey can be extended along the coast by hopping on one of several daily boats that potter eastwards. All end up at the small port of Chora Sfakion.

Coves and sandy beaches attract boats from Makrygialos, while the remains of a Roman amphitheatre attest to a time when the island grew rich from the trade of murex, a sea mollusc from which imperial purple dye was made.

Chrysi (“Golden”), so named for its sandy beaches, is known locally as Gaidouronisi (“Donkey Island”) because of the Cretan habit of retiring elderly donkeys to uninhabited islands. Daily boat trips from Ierapetra take 30–45 minutes in summer.

A group of endangered Cretan wild goats have made their home on Dia. They can be visited on a day trip from Irakleio.

This island crag just off the Gramvousa peninsula is crowned by a dramatic, crumbling castle. There are several boat trips each week from Kastelli, and excursions through tour agencies in Chania and Rethymno.

If seeking solitude, this remote island could be an ideal stop-off between Crete and mainland Greece to the northwest. A weekly ferry sails between Kastelli, Andikithira, its larger neighbour Kithira and Gythio on the mainland.