Holidays in Crete

Holidays in Crete

Why not have vacation in the great island of Crete? It is great place to have a holiday. Where you can great weather and super relaxing time. Crete can be great place to Holiday. Vacations are super places to see Crete. The weather is often incredible.

Crete is one of the thirteen peripheries of Greece. It is also the largest of the Greek islands at 8,336 km² and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean.

Crete straddles two climatic zones, the Mediterranean and the North African, mainly falling within the former ; as such, the climate in Crete is primarily temperate. The atmosphere can be quite humid, depending on the proximity to the sea, while winter is fairly mild. Snowfall is common on the mountains between November and May, but rare at the low lying areas - especially near the coast when it only stays on the ground for a few minutes or hours.

The music of Crete is a traditional form of Greek folk music. The lýra is the dominant folk instrument on the island; it is a three-stringed fiddle similar to the Pontian kemenche. It is often accompanied by the Cretan lute (laoúto), which is similar to both an oud and a mandolin. Thanassis Skordalos and Kostas Moundakis are the most renowned players of the lýra. So why not try some of this while on vacation.

Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece; fifteen percent of all arrivals in Greece come through the city of Heraklion (port and airport), while charter journeys to Iraklion last year made up 20% of all charter flights in Greece. Overall, more than two million tourists visited Crete last year, and this increase in tourism is reflected on the number of hotel beds, rising by 53% in the period between 1986 to 1991, when the rest of Greece saw increases of only 25%. Today, the island's tourism infrastructure caters to all tastes, including a very wide range of accommodation; the island's facilities take in large luxury hotels with their complete facilities swimming pools, sports and recreation, smaller family-owned apartments, camping facilities and others. Visitors reach the island via two international airports in Heraklion and Chania, or by boat to the main ports of Heraklion, Chania, Rethimno, and Agios Nikolaos. So why not try one of the great ports.

Crete's principal cities are: Heraklion (Iraklion or Candia) (137,711 inhabitants), Chania (Haniá) (53,373 inhabitants), Rethymno (31,687 inhabitants), Ierapetra (23,707 inhabitants), Agios Nikolaos (19,462 inhabitants), Sitia (14,338 inhabitants). So why not visit some of these great cities in the island.

Crete is a location of significant ancient history and a popular tourist destination; its attractions include the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, the Venetian castle at Rethymno, and the Samaria Gorge, as well as many other natural sites, monuments, and beaches.