Crete tourist guide

As tomorrow is the 78th anniversary of the Battle of Crete, we would like to remind you of the history of these events that began on May 20, 1941. This operation was codenamed Merkury (German Unternehmen Merkur) and its aim was to master Crete by the German airborne troops. From the very beginning civilians who actively supported the Allied forces took active part in the defense activities. Unfortunately, after eleven days of heavy fighting, the whole island was under the control of German troops, and the Cretans experienced terrible repressions.

German jumpers over Crete on May 20, 1941
(photo source wikipedia.org)

Today we have positive information that will be of particular interest to individual tourists planning to travel by ferry in Greece.

From June 7, a new ferry connection will be opened on the Rethymno-Santorini-Milos-Piraeus route . The passenger ferry " Olympus " belonging to the Sea Speed Lines line will depart from Rethymno at 18:30, Santorini will arrive at 21.30, then will go to the island of Milos, which will arrive at 01.00. The cruise will end at the port of Piraeus at 06.00 in the morning.

If during your stay in Crete you are looking for something unique and unprecedented you can visit on this island, then it should be interesting to you that the Skinakas Observatory has announced the dates of this year's open days. The first of these falls on the next Sunday, May 19. Open days in the observatory are not only an opportunity to see how this place works, but also a unique opportunity to look at the stars using the equipment used by scientists.

Yesterday in Athens, a full list of facilities in Greece awarded the Blue Flag in 2019 was announced. The event was attended by many representatives of tourism from the public and private sectors. 515 beaches, 15 marinas and 4 sustainable tourist ships were awarded throughout the country . This means that Greece was ranked second among all 47 countries participating in the Blue Flag program. In Crete this year, you will see the Blue Flag on 115 beaches and one marina . A full list of places featured on Crete can be found at the end of the article.

Today we have for you a handful of airline news related to Crete airports. At the beginning it is worth mentioning that the procedures related to the ratification of the contract for the construction of the airport in Kastelli entered the final stage. In the middle of last week, the concession for this investment was approved by the local Parliamentary Commission for Production and Trade. Currently, Greek MPs are debating the draft act of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which will be the final document approving this investment.

Agios Nikolaos is a picturesque city of 11,000 inhabitants located in the Lassithi prefecture. One of the most recognizable places in this city is "bottomless" as it was believed to be the Voulismeni lake and the marina, which for many years has been receiving the Blue Flag award for many years. Even if you have spent your holidays here and walked through most of the streets of Agios Nikolaos, you will certainly look forward to seeing the city from above. We invite you today to watch the movie filmed from the drone, from this perspective Agios is even more charming.

The area of the Old Town of Chania is one of the more buzzing areas of this city. Every year in the high season, this place attracts thousands of tourists who use local taverns, shops and other attractions. For many years in the area of the Old Town there are also many hotels and guesthouses offering accommodation in the facilities located in this very picturesque part of the city. Such a diversified number of economic activities focused on a relatively small area leads to a conflict of interest. Although the current tourist season has not yet started for good, the first complaints about disturbing the silence of the night are directed to the local authorities.

In the end, we can give you good information about the opening of the entire trail leading through the Samaria Gorge . Authorities of the National Park today reported that the official opening of the Xyloskalo - Agia Roumeli route will take place tomorrow, 10 May at 7.30 . Although these were preliminary assumptions, it was not certain until the very end that this deadline would be met. All the time, repair work was taking place in the ravine, which hindered the weather.

In spite of tomorrow's inauguration, the management of the Forest District of Chania, however, warns that if the weather conditions deteriorate, the trail may be temporarily closed. So if you are currently in Crete and you plan to go to Samaria, we suggest that you keep track of the availability of the route. We will also keep you informed about any changes.