Crete is such an amazing island that we just had to come back...
Following our 2018 holiday to Crete, a couple of years later in 2020 we decided that we simply must return to this beautiful island. There is just so much to explore in Crete that we didn’t get a chance to the first time around, so this time we spent a bit more visiting other parts of the island, and were able to experience a bit more of the culture, delicious food and the beautiful scenery. For this trip, we stayed in two places- near Panormos initially, then near Spili. This blog summarises our favourite places, things to do and some of the best food and drink we had on this trip.
Pottery in Margarites
Hiking the Samaria Gorge
Undoubtedly the most famous gorge in Crete, and most probably one of the most famous in the whole of Europe, the Samaria Gorge is a must-do for those that love hiking, and highly recommend to all visitors to the island in fact. With striking and incredible views, hiking the gorge is a great experience!
We’ve put together a whole blog post on this hike- including on how to get there and hints and tips- click here to read more.
Samaria Gorge
Restaurants in Rethymno
Day trip to Rethymno
The city of Rethymno has a lot to offer-a stunning Fortezza, delicious baked goods and impressive architecture. With a number of museums and attractions to explore, such as the Archaelogical museum of Rethymno, and the beautiful Rimondi Fountain, and quaint cobbled streets, we very much enjoyed spending a day walking around the city, and have since even been back a couple of times.
There are also a number of delicious restaurants we’d highly recommend- check out our blog post here to see our list, as well as other places to visit.
Margarites and Moni Arkadi
Both located not too far from Rethymno, these are two very different places but both worth seeing.
Located a 25 or so minute drive away from each other, Margarites offers a great variety of traditional pottery pieces to either buy for yourself or bring back as gifts. The bright colours, huge variety on offer and intricate details make for a really exciting shopping experience.
On the other hand, a visit to Moni Arkadi is more thought provoking and will leave you feeling serene and in awe, as well as teaching you about the beautiful yet sad memory of the country’s struggle against the Ottoman rule in 1886.
See our blog post here to read more.
Pottery in Margarites
Entrance to Moni Arkadi
Ancient Eleutherna
Map of Ancient Eleutherna
Views from Melidoni cave
The entrance to Melidoni cave
Ancient Eleutherna and the Eleutherna Archaelogical museum
Located near to Margarites and Moni Arkadi, you can find the Ancient city of Eleutherna, one of the most important in 8th/7th century BC Crete, belonging to the Dorian age. We were able to visit one of areas, but unable to take any photos inside. Apparently you can also hike around the area and see the an ancient aqueduct, and cisterns, amongst other ruins.
Nearby you can also find the Eleutherna Archaelogical museum, with a very interesting collection of artefacts found at the nearby sites (again, we could not take any photos here). The museum was small but very good, with many labels and information boards in English- we easily spent an hour or so walking around and is well worth the visit if you are interested in the Dorian age and archaelogy. To find out more about the museum and Eleutherna itself, click here.
Eleutherna Archaeological Museum
Melidoni Cave
As it was located a short drive from Panormo, we decided to visit the Melidoni Cave one afternoon.
Excavations undertaken suggest that the cave itself was inhabited by Late Minoan, and Roman people- as findings include cups, figures and various other objects. As well as being used to live in, the cave was used as a shrine. You can visit the cave today and walk around a pre-defined, well lit path, along which you can see the various chambers and stalactites and stalagmites. Just to note though- there are quite a number of stairs leading down to the cave from the entrance, so may not be suitable for all visitors. There is also a small cafe and shop on site, both with incredible views down to the villages below.
To find out more about visiting and the history of the cave, click here.
Inside the Melidoni cave
Maravel garden
The Folk museum
Spili
For the second part of our trip, we decided to stay near Spili. Spili is a small town around 30km south of Rethymno, and sits on one of the main roads running from the north to south of the islands. However, it is not a busy town, with only a handful of restaurants and tourist attractions, but the surrounding scenery and nearby towns make Spili worth visiting. Spili also has a beautiful Folk Museum and a stunning Maravel botanical garden which are worth visiting.
During our stay here, we spent perhaps a day or so in the town and hiking around, and otherwise did a few day trips to places on the south coastline, such as Loutro, Frangokastello and Prevelli (read more below), making Spili the perfect base for exploring the south coast of the island.
To find out more about where to go and what to do, read our blog post here.
The lion fountains in Spili
Loutro
One of the favourite trips we did was to visit Loutro for a day. Loutro is a picture-perfect village on the south side of Crete, only accessible by boat and foot. It is definitely a must-visit place on the island and feels a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities in Crete.
Click here to read more about visiting Loutro and how to get there- a trip here requires some planning and coordination given the location.
Loutro
Frangokastello Castle
On our way back from our day trip to Loutro, we decided to do a small detour to visit Frangokastello, in particulalry the castle. Whilst Frangokastello is reasonably sized city, there is not too much to do here aside from the castle and the beach. The beach is really great though, very sandy and not busy at all- perfect if you are looking for somewhere away from the crowds.
The castle itself is rather grand- although it was closed for renovation when we visited, it was possible to walk all the way around and take it all in. The castle was built by Venetians in around 1370, and is incredibly well preserved. Whilst it is impressive, we would only suggestion stopping by if you happen to be driving by or want to spend a day at the beach- it is not really worth a whole day trip given the ongoing renovations.
Frangokastello castle
The beautiful Saint Nicholas Church in Foinikas- which you can find along the road from Frangokastello to Spili. There is some space for parking- just be careful pulling in and out given this is quite a busy road.
Preveli beach
We decided to visit this incredibly famous (and popular) beach one afternoon. Well featured online and on social media, Preveli beach is famous for the beautiful view of the Kourtaliotis river, surrounded by palm groves, meeting the sea.
Whilst from above the beach looks beautiful, we found it incredibly busy- and the beach itself is not that great (compared to Frangokastello for example) as it is pebbly and the sand grey. It was also rather windy when we went- so we only stayed for a little while before heading back.
A word of warning though, and something to consider- to get to the beach, you can either hike through the gorge, or park at “Preveli Beach Parking” (at a cost of a few euros for the day). We parked at the parking, which has plenty of space and is easy to get to- however to then get to the beach you need to walk down quite a number of steps, taking around 15-20 minutes. Heading down is easy, but the going upwards on the return may be a bit difficult for some- especially if wearing flip flops. We wore trainers for the walk but saw others wearing flip flops and struggling somewhat- so hence thought it best to warn others! It is also worth considering the time of day you arrive- unlike most other beaches, after a certain point in the afternoon the beach is mostly in shade due to it being in a gorge.
At the beach itself, there was a small taverna selling drinks and food/snacks- we didn’t use it though so cannot say if it was any good.
Overall- there were much better beaches we have visited in Crete, this one looked great in photos online but in reality was not so amazing (and very busy!)… so will leave it up to you to decide if you want to visit!
Palm groves in Preveli
Stpes from the car park to Preveli beach
Preveli beach
Storage jars in Phaistos
Agia Triada
Museum of Cretan Ethnology
Minoan Palace of Phaisos, Agia Triada and the Museum of Cretan Ethnology
Located just under an hour’s drive from Spili, Phaistos Minoan Palace was very high up on our list of places to visit for this trip, particularly having visited Knossos in the previous year (which we’d definitely recommend if you haven’t already been!).
Phaistos has ruins of both a Minoan palace and surrounding villages, and we found the palace ruins to have various signs and information boards throughout, and also the setting to be beautiful. Whilst the most prominent findings was the Phaisos disc (now located at the Heraklion Archaelogical Museum), there were also various storage jars and vases that were found here, now also on display at the museum in Heraklion- but also some still in Phaistos. To find out more about this palace, click here.
Nearby, only a 5 minute drive away, you can also find the ruins of Agia Triada– this is slightly smaller and more of a mystery of a site compared to Phaistos- as it is not apparently feature on any records. There are far fewer infromation boards and visitors are left to walk around and explore on their own. However, this site has led to many interesting findings- various frescoes and linear A tablets. The views and location are similarly stunning- and there were certainly fewer people visiting when we came by, allowing you to immerse yourself in the history a bit more. Click here to read more about Agia Triada.
Another very short drive away you can find the Museum of Cretan Ethnology, in a nearby town of Voroi. This is another must-do if you are in the area- we found the museum to be rather small but to feature a very impressive collection of furniture, pottery and weaving, providing quite a lot of detail on Cretan culture overall. To find out more about visiting, click here.
Tickets for both Phaisos and Agia Triada were around 10 euros per person, and entry to the Museum of Cretan Ethnology was about 5 euros per person.
Minoan palace of Phaistos
Best Food & Drink
Klados Winery
We found Klados Winery by chance, when looking around for things to do near our hotel. Located in Panormos, Klados is a small, family winery which we’d definitely recommend if you are in the area or not too far away.
When we first visited in 2020 we did a tour of the winery, and wine tasting of a mix of both white, rose and red wines (in 2020 this was around 4 euros for 5 wines). Not only does the wine taste great, but you can also enjoy the beautiful views whilst sitting on the terrace.
To find out more about Klados and book your visit, click here.
Terrace and views at Klados Winery
To Siderado
Located in Spili, To Siderado is an incredible family run restaurant, serving fresh food, and with a menu that changes daily. We tried several dishes- and each was delicious. Would definitely recommend this restaurant!
To find out more, read our Spili blog post here which has more photos and details.
Taverna Alekos
Whilst visiting Klados winery, we were recommended Taverna Alekos to visit if we wanted to try some good Cretan cuisine. Located on the main road going via Spili to Rethymno, when we visited Taverna Alekos we weren’t given a menu but rather just what seemed to be a tasting menu for the day, with quite a lot of food- but all incredibly delicious!
The restaurant is located only a 15 minute drive from Rethymno- so whether in the area or a bit further afield, it is certainly worth the drive! To find out more click here.
Rabbit at Taverna Alekos
Wine tasting at Klados Winery
Lunch at To Sideradiko
Anthous at Taverna Alekos
Salad at Taverna Alekos
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