Greeces largest island was the centre of the Minoan culture, Europe's first advanced civilisation - which flourished from 2800 to 1450 BC. Today it receives a quarter of all of Greece's visitors, which says something for its commercial atmosphere, yet it offers a thorough package if you're looking for a mix of history, sun, entertainment, luxury and good scenery. Iraklio, the main city, is a modern, wealthy but somewhat charmless place, but the palace of Knossos nearby is the most magnificent of Crete's Minoan sites. The other large towns, Hania and Rethymno, are packed with beautiful Venetian buildings. Paleohora, has been a popular bohemian lay-about for backpackers ever since this quite fishing village welcomed hippies 40 years ago.
To escape this, head to the sleepy villages of the Lassithi plateau among the rugged mountainous interior. Trekking along the 18km Samaria Gorge, on the Southwest coast, is also popular. Most of the resorts and guest houses are situated in fishing villages and towns on the twisted Northern coast and Crete enjoys the longest summer of all the islands in the Med.

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