Places to visit in Crete, Greece
14 places to visit in Crete, Greece, each with LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own: Knossos, Malia, Phaistos and more. Stand at any of them with the app open and the stamp is yours, confirmed on site, in your Crete volume.
3 UNESCO World Heritage sites · 1 Heritage site · 4 Famous places to visit · 6 Hidden gems
UNESCO World Heritage sites in Crete (3)
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Knossos
The largest Bronze Age site on Crete, about 5 km south of Heraklion, occupied from the Neolithic period. Its reconstructed Minoan palace, excavated by Arthur Evans from 1900, has painted halls, storerooms and the legend of the Minotaur's labyrinth.
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Malia
A Minoan palace site on the north coast of Crete, built around 1900 BC and rebuilt after an earthquake. Its central courtyard, storerooms and a round stone table used for rituals can still be seen near the sea.
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Phaistos
A Bronze Age Minoan palace and town in south central Crete, set on a ridge above the Messara plain. It is where the Phaistos Disc was found in 1908, a clay disc stamped with a spiral of still undeciphered symbols.
Heritage sites in Crete (1)
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Samariá Gorge National Park
A gorge about 16 km long in the White Mountains of western Crete, running from the Omalos plateau to the sea at Agia Roumeli. Walkers pass the narrow Iron Gates, where the walls stand just a few metres apart.
Famous places to visit in Crete (4)
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Elafonisi
A small island off the southwest corner of Crete, reachable on foot through shallow water in summer. Its pink tinged sand comes from crushed shells, and the lagoon and dunes form a protected nature reserve with rare plants.
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Gavdos
The southernmost island of Greece and of Europe, south of Crete. It has only a few dozen year round residents and quiet beaches such as Sarakiniko, with a ferry from Hora Sfakion.
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Mount Ida
The highest mountain on Crete at 2,456 metres, also called Psiloritis. In myth Zeus was raised in a cave on its slopes, and the Nida plateau and Ideon Cave are popular with walkers and climbers.
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Spinalonga
A small island fortress in the Gulf of Elounda, fortified by the Venetians in 1579. From 1903 to 1957 it was a leper colony, a story told in Victoria Hislop's novel The Island.
Hidden gems in Crete (6)
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Arkadi Monastery
An Orthodox monastery on a plateau 23 km southeast of Rethymno on Crete. Its church dates from the 16th century. In 1866 Cretans sheltering inside blew up the powder store rather than surrender to Ottoman forces, and it became a symbol of Cretan resistance.
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Fortezza of Rethymno
A Venetian citadel on a hill above the old town of Rethymno on Crete, built in the 16th century. The Ottomans captured it in 1646, and its ramparts now enclose a mosque and the remains of the Venetian church.
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Gortyn
An archaeological site on Crete about 45 km from Heraklion, the Roman capital of the province of Crete and Cyrenaica. It holds the Gortyn Code, a law text carved into a wall in the fifth century BC, and the ruins of the Church of Saint Titus.
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Gramvousa
Two small uninhabited islands off the Gramvousa Peninsula in northwestern Crete. The larger holds a Venetian fortress on a rocky summit, and boats from Kissamos stop at the pale sand beach below it.
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Heraklion Archaeological Museum
One of the largest museums in Greece, in the centre of Heraklion on Crete. It holds the most complete collection of Minoan art in the world, including the Phaistos Disc and frescoes from Knossos.
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Preveli
A site on the south coast of Crete in the Rethymno region, known for its monastery above the Libyan Sea. A palm lined stream runs down to a sheltered beach below, reached by a footpath from the car park.
Collecting in Crete
What are the best places to visit in Crete?
LOQAH lists 14 places in Crete. The best known include Knossos, Malia, Phaistos, Samariá Gorge National Park and Elafonisi. Each has a stamp of its own to collect when you are there.
How many LOQAH stamps are there in Crete?
14, and more are added over time. Each place has LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own.
How do I collect a stamp in Crete?
Open LOQAH at the place and get its stamp. LOQAH checks where you are once, at that moment; at the place itself the stamp is confirmed on site, with a gold badge.
I have been to places in Crete before. Can I add them?
Yes. In Earlier trips, choose Crete and swipe through its stamps, or import your Google Timeline. Each one goes into your volume with the date, if you know it.
More in Greece
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 40 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.