Every part of Crete has its loyal devotees and it's hard to pick out highlights, but generally if you want to get away from it all you should head west, towards Haniá and the smaller, less well-connected places along the south and west coasts. It is in this part of the island that the White Mountains rise, while below them yawns the famous Samarian Gorge . The far east , around Sitía , is also relatively unscathed with a string of isolated beaches worth seeking out to the south of the over-popular Váï beach , which lures crowds attracted by its famous palm grove. However, Sitía's new international airport, currently under construction, could change things significantly here in the next few years.

 

Whatever you do, your first main priority will probably be to leave Iráklion (Heraklion) as quickly as possible, having paid the obligatory, and rewarding, visit to the Archeological Museum and nearby Knossós . The other great Minoan sites cluster around the middle of the island: Festós and Ayía Triádha to the south (with Roman Górtys to provide contrast), and Mália on the north coast. Almost wherever you go you'll find a reminder of the island's history, whether it's the town of Gourniá near the cosmopolitan resort of Áyios Nikólaos , the exquisitely sited palace of Zákros in the far east, or the lesser sites scattered around the west. Unexpected highlights include Crete's Venetian forts at Réthymnon and Frangokástello ; its hundreds of frescoed Byzantine churches, most famously at Kritsá ; and, at Réthymnon and Haniá, the cluttered old Venetian and Turkish quarters.