CRETE TRAVEL GUIDE

Crete Travel Guide
Venetian Bastions
10 Irakleio’s Venetian walls
are surprisingly intact,
though among a concrete
tide of modern buildings. The
best place to appreciate the
fortifications is from outside
the Chania Gate, with its
elaborate carving. Next to it is the massive Pantokratoros
Bastion.
Irakleio
Practical information
• Map K3
• Greek National Tourism Organisation, 1
Xanthoudidou
• 28102 28203
• 9am–9pm Mon–Fri, 9am–3pm weekends
Top tips
• To see the market at its best, arrive early, when
the stalls are still piled high.The market remains
open all day, Monday to Saturday, but most
produce traders have packed up by midday.
• Plateia Venizelou is lined with pavement cafés
and a good place for a cold drink and a rest after a
morning exploring the market and city.
Irakleio’s Story
The Saracens who occupied Crete in the 9th and
10th centuries built a stronghold on the site of an
earlier Roman-Greek settlement named Irakleio
after the Greek hero Herakles (Hercules). Under
Venetian rule, the name was corrupted into Candia.
It reverted to its original name after independence
from Turkey. The city was heavily damaged by
bombing during World War II, but rose again to
become Crete’s official capital in 1971.
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