What's up guys it's Zac and Ine from World Wild Hearts. We're here in Crete, Greece
and in this video we're going to show you the things that you can't miss on this huge island.
It's actually Greece's largest island so there's a lot of space
and you don't want to waste time. Enjoy this video hope it helps your trip.
The seventh best thing to do in Crete is visit Heraklion.
This is the largest city on the island and is also the capital of Crete so it's the perfect place to
start your journey. We rented a scooter which was perfect for exploring this section of the island.
The old Venetian harbor of Heraklion is the most central part of the city and definitely worth
a visit. You can find a fort, shipyards, many restaurants, bars, and shops here. But Heraklion
also has a traditional selection of cuisine and beautiful beaches and architecture around.
The city has a long history and has Arab as well as Venetian influence.
It's a great destination for anyone who loves a combination of history beaches and food.
The sixth best thing to do in Crete is to spend time at Elafonissi Beach. This pristine beach
is located on the west coast of the island about 72 kilometers southwest of Chania.
The clear turquoise waters have brought travelers here for centuries
and it was very busy when we were there as well. In front of the lagoon on the eastern
side of the beach there are umbrellas, showers, lifeguards, snack bars and changing rooms.
Today we are at Elafonissi beach and it's known to be a very pink beach but actually
today we can't really see it. Maybe at certain moments of the day, but it's still really cool
to come here because the ocean is very quiet it's very pretty. It's very blue
and there's a lot of spots where you can relax on the beach.
Did you know that Crete has a wine region? Right outside of Heraklion you can find hundreds of
wineries. Heraklion has attracted ever greater attention as a wine destination in recent years
and more than two-thirds of Crete's vineyards are found here.
The region accounts for about 80 percent of the island's wine production.
With cool winters and long dry summers accompanied by rich mediterranean sunshine, this region would
have been just as ideal when the first vines were cultivated here an incredible four thousand years
ago. We went wine tasting in the nearby town of Dafnes and highly recommend it not only is
the setting extremely beautiful, but the wine tastings are also affordable and delicious.
The fourth thing you can't miss in Crete, Greece is Matala Beach. This beach is
located 68 kilometers to the southwest of Heraklion which is about an hour drive.
It's one of the most popular tourist destinations of Crete and is a true hippie town with some
incredible cave and rock formations. These caves were supposedly graves of the Roman and Christian
era. Carved in the soft white limestone thousands of years ago in the northwest walls of the bay
there are several underwater caves as well. Many of them have rooms
stairs beds or windows, suggesting that they were once used as residences. To visit these caves,
you have to pay a small entrance fee but also just staying at the beach of Matala is also worth it.
Today we are in Matala in Crete and it's this beautiful little beach town and there's a lot
of rocks around. And you can actually visit these caves we're in right now actually on and
it's four euro to enter and yeah it's really incredible so you should definitely do that.
At number three, we have the Knossos ruins which are widely considered to be Europe's oldest city.
The palace of Knossos is located just south of modern-day Heraklion
near the north coast of Crete. Built by the old civilization called the Minoans,
it covers about 150 square feet or 14,000 square meters. Apart from its construction
and architecture, the palace of Knossos is most famous for its connection to Greek mythology,
namely the tales of the labyrinth and the minotaur as well as the tale of Daedalus and Icarus.
We went on a guided tour in the ruins and highly recommend that since there's not a ton
of informational signage throughout the facility. With a guided tour, you will gain a greater
understanding of this city's importance throughout the history of Greece and Europe in general.
Chania is by far our favorite city in Crete. On one hand, it's beautiful and different from the
other cities in Crete and on the other hand it's a great base to explore the island's
highlights from. The city itself is located on the northwest coast and is known for its 14th
century Venetian harbor, narrow streets, and waterfront restaurants. The old town
and Venetian port take you back through time and form a great example of how Venetian,
Turkish, traditional, and modern architecture can co-exist in harmony. We explored the city
of Chania and the surrounding area for about three days but wish we'd stayed longer.
Gyros... like a typical traditional greek dish.
Balos Beach is the number one thing to do in Crete in our opinion. The panoramic views from above
are some of the best we've seen throughout our travels so far. You can get there by ferry from
the nearby port of Kissimos or by car following a dirt road. Both offer different experiences.
We decided to go by rental car and really enjoyed exploring at our own pace.
The car experience was also not as bad as some blogs make it out to be
and we never felt unsafe. In fact, there were hundreds of rental cars who took the road there.
Balos is located in a wild remote area and about one hour to the west of Chania.
It's so spectacular that you may want to spend a full day here.
So we're sitting here at Balos beach. We have a nice view of the lagoon
and it's really beautiful, one of the world's most photographed beaches actually
for good reason. Especially if you come by car, you can get a good viewpoint from above.
And there's little spots here where you can see pink sand actually, which is really unique.
So we're just going to enjoy it and have a good time here at Balos Beach.
Thank you guys for watching our video about Crete in Greece. We hope you really enjoyed it,
and definitely check out our channel because we have a lot of other videos. We also spent,
for example, a week in Santorini and also some time on Milos island. We have
videos about that too, and also don't forget to subscribe to our channel. And we have also
a free giveaway in the description below that you can download. So catch you on the next adventure.