Crete Overview

On an island barely 250km long, palm-tree forests collide with mountain ravines; sheltered, white-sand coves lie alongside slopes of olive groves; and windmill-strewn plains are minutes from limestone caverns. Crete’s diversity is as cultural as it is environmental. Isolating mountain ranges have preserved rural lifestyles that seem completely removed from the cities and tourist towns along the coast. Its location as the southernmost point in Europe invited influence from the Egyptians and Phoenicians along with the Turks, Venetians, and Germans, the echoes of which can be seen in everything from ancient ruins to WWII memorials strewn across the island. Fusing together Eastern, African, Mediterranean, and European influences, the laid-back sensibility of this island is distinctly Cretan.

The seeds of civilization (as well as the first olives) were planted in Crete, with records of life on the island dating back to 6000 BC. Its ruins predate Hellenic culture, attesting to the advancement of Minoan society. Disasters—earthquakes, a tidal wave from an enormous volcanic eruption on Santorini, and Mycenaean invasions—plagued third millennium BC Minoan society until the civilization was wiped out entirely. Power struggles ensued for the next 3000 years as empires strove to claim this hotly contested island as their own. Dorians occupied the island in the eighth century BC, followed 1000 years later by Romans. Next, Crete fell under rickety Byzantine rule before Arabs conquered the island in AD 827, only to lose it again to the Byzantines. In 1204, the Byzantines again ceded the island, this time to Frankish crusaders. When it was finally sold to the Venetian Empire, Crete became a thriving commercial hub dominated by Venetian nobles and local merchants. In 1646 the island fell to the Turks, who reigned over the resentful islanders until the Cretans finally won independence in 1898, 70 years after most of Greece. After the Balkan Wars, Crete joined the Greek state. A strong guerrilla resistance combated the German occupation here during WWII, leaving the islanders with a justifiable sense of pride about their indomitable nature.

Though Crete is divided into four prefectures—Chania, Iraklion, Lasithi, and Rethymno—the territorial divisions do not undermine the feeling of unity. According to a Greek saying, a Cretan’s first loyalty is to his island, his second to his country. Crete’s sense of identity, however, also expresses itself in an overwhelming hospitality, as natives strive to show visitors why their island is so exceptional. Don’t be surprised to be invited in to share watermelon or a bottle of raki with your pension hosts on a hot day. Locals are eager to share their insider knowledge of secluded beaches and gorgeous hikes with interested visitors. Yet Crete’s spirit is almost impossible to capture or define, as its best qualities—the relaxed pace of life, rebellious streak, and seemingly infinite diversity—are only minuscule samples of the island’s rich offerings.