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Agios Nikolaos

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:14:36 +0000

Agios Nikolaos is 65 kilometres east of Heraklion. Agios Nikolaos, or just Agios as the locals call it, dominates the beautiful Merabello Bay, on the northeast coast of Lassithi Prefecture in East Crete.
Agios Nikolaos has a population of 10,000. Though small, it is the second largest town in Lassithi Prefecture, the easternmost prefecture of Crete.
Agios Nikolaos was one of the first towns in Crete to feel the effects of tourist development, and the famous lake of Agios Nikolaos, around which the town centre is built, continues to impress visitors.
Agios Nikolaos is set on the largest natural bay in Crete, Mirabello or Merabello Bay, named for the beautiful view (mira bella) of the sea from the town. The history of Agios Nikolaos is marked by its harbor in the Ammoudi area, which is still the commercial port of the town. This site was chosen for a major harbor in East Crete, because the islets of Agioi Pantes before it offered better defenses against possible attackers and good shelter from the northwesterlies, which can blow quite strongly. In the Venetian period, the harbor of Agios Nikolaos had a capacity of 25 galleys, a fairly significant number for the time, and served the needs of East Crete. Today, you can travel from here to Piraeus and various islands.

Rent a car Agios Nikolaos

Rent a car at Agios Nikolaos with Caravel Car Rentals.

Our fleet of the latest models offers cheap car hire and is available to you whether it is for business or pleasure. With Caravel Car Rental Crete, customers you don’t have just a car. You have 40 years of experience at your side. And all this at the best prices in car rental services in Crete.

You can take a look at the great variety of our cars here.

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Elounda

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:12:33 +0000

Elounda is located in east Crete, north of Agios Nikolaos and south of the seaside resort of Plaka. Elounda was once a picturesque fishing village in the lovely Mirabello Bay. The inhabitants lived from farming, fishing, salt extraction from the Venetian saltpans, and emery mining. In the hills around Elounda is found a mineral unique to Greece, “akonopetra” or whetstone, a type of fine emery used to make whetstones and emery paper to hone tools used in many different jobs. The emery of Elounda had long been known in Europe by the name of “Turkey stones” or “Naxos stone”. Once discovered by tourism, Elounda developed into a resort famous for its beautiful scenery and the luxury hotels which are still being built in the area. It is said to be the place with the most five-star hotels in Greece.

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Heraklion City

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:10:48 +0000

Heraklion is the largest city in Crete, located roughly in the centre of the north coast. Heraklion has a population of 131,000 (2001 census), but it is thought that approximately 200,000 people live in Heraklion Municipality and the neighbouring Alikarnassos Municipality today.Heraklion is the 4th largest city in Greece. It has the largest port and airport in Crete. Heraklion Airport is also known as “Nikos Kazantzakis” International Airport, in honour of the most famous Cretan writer worldwide. Over the approximately 3,000 years of its existence, Heraklion has had a turbulent history. We do not know precisely when the low hill which now forms the centre of the city was first inhabited. In antiquity the main urban centre was Knossos. As for the name Heraklion, it probably comes from the Idaean Herakles, legendary founder of the Olympic Games. The history of Heraklion can be divided into the following periods:

Minoan Heraklion, creation of the first settlement by the name of Heraklion (9th century BC)
Byzantine Heraklion or Kastro
Arab Heraklion Chandax Great Castle
Second Byzantine Period
Venetian Heraklion or Candia
Turkish Heraklion
Heraklion at the turn of the 20th century Heraklion in the Second World War

Heraklion is the main city on the island of Crete and usually the starting point for holiday visitors wishing to explore the island. The city, built on a fairly steep hillside, has a huge harbor to accommodate ferries and cruise liners, and an international airport. Heraklion is busy, bustling and full of hotels, fast food outlets, shops and traffic. The main square of Plateia Venizelou is a pedestrian mall sporting cafés and restaurants, with some fascinating shops in the surrounding streets. Like many Greek cities Heraklion’s architecture was influenced by Venetian occupation, and a Venetian fortress dominates the harbor. Heraklion’s pride and joy, though, is its archaeological museum, which contains the world’s most comprehensive collection of arte facts from the Minoan civilization, which flourished on Crete around 1600 BC. Heraklion is close to the major archaeological site associated with the Minoans at Knossos.

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Lassithi Plateau

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:08:15 +0000

Lassithi Plateau is one of the few areas in the Mediterranean with permanent inhabitants at an altitude over 800 metres. Lassithi plateau is 11 kilometres on the east-west axis and 6 kilometres on the north-south – an area of 25 square kilometres.

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Matala

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:06:17 +0000

At 66 kilometers south of Heraklion, the beach of Matala, on the southern coast of Crete, was the site of summer celebrations in honor of the Goddess of fertility from the Minoans and yet the ancient port of Phaistos. According to mythology, when Zeus kidnapped Europe from Asia, he brought the first Matala. Much later, namely the 70’s, the beach with the tourquoise waters of the Libyan Sea and the impressive caves that resemble houses, became a gathering place and escape from daily routine, thousands of young children from Greece and abroad (Flower Children). Today Matala beach is one of the most famous beaches in Greece.

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Sitia City

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:04:05 +0000

Sitia is a nice amphitheatre city with population over 11.000 residents. This town is a refuge for thousands of Greek and foreign visitors that starting off to visit various traditional villages at that area. Sitia is famous for its Cretan hospitality. Visitors discover with amazement that every corner of Sitia hides various archeological treasures certifying great culture tradition. Sitia is named after the ancient city Itidos or Itia that is located at East Crete.

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Spinalonga Island

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:01:30 +0000

The island of Spinalonga (official name Kalidon) is located in the eastern part of Crete, near the town of Elounda. Harking back to the Venetian occupation, the name Spinalonga is Italian, meaning “long thorn”. In 1579, the Venetians built a fortress on Spinalonga over the ruins of an acropolis. They kept control of the island until the Ottoman Empire took possession of it in 1715. The island is notable for being one of the last active leper colonies in Europe, being used in this manner from 1903 until 1957.

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Vai Beach

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 12:59:39 +0000

Vai, or more specifically the palm forest of Vai, is one of the most popular sights in Crete and one of the most beautiful and special places in the whole Mediterranean. Vai draws thousands of visitors each year. They come not only for its wonderful palm forest, but also for the large sandy beach spread out at its foot. In the 1980s Vai was decreed a protected area and cleaned up. Today it is considered one of the most beautiful parts of Crete and the beach has been awarded a Blue Flag by the European Union.

Vai Beach

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Archanes

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 12:56:03 +0000

While in Archanes, it is worth visiting the exquisite byzantine churches of the area, the Folklore Museum, the Museum of Cretan History and Tradition, the sculpture workshop, the restored olive oil factory and the Church of the Holy Mary of Archanes, where icons and ecclesiastic vessels and implements of great importance are on display. Another important monument is the Morosini aqueduct at the gorge of Agia Eirini. This aqueduct is considered to be a great project of its time. It used to supply the city of Heraklion which suffered from drought with water from the springs of Archanes through a stone built water pipe that was 15 km long. It was used during the Venetian Period, during the years of the Turkish occupation and more recently until 1927. This village has been characterized as a historical and traditional architecture heritage.

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Phaistos Palace

webmaster — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 12:53:45 +0000

The Minoan site of Phaistos is 63 kilometers south of Heraklion city. This was the second most important palatial city in all of Minoan Crete. The layout of the palace is similar to Knossos, with rooms arranged around a central court. Pottery deposits indicate that the site was inhabited in the Neolithic era around 4000 BC and then destroyed by the earthquake that leveled many Minoan places. Ancient texts refer to the palace’s importance and note that it minted its own coins.

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