Southern and central Crete: Gortyn, Phaistos, Matala, Preveli and Rethymno

Route description

Crete is an island, so arrive by ferry or flight and check the current timetable, as services are thinner outside summer; if you bring a campervan, book the vehicle crossing. Start in Heraklion, the island’s main city, with its Venetian harbour fortress and the archaeological museum, before turning south into the Messara plain.

Gortyn, near Agioi Deka, is a large archaeological site that was the Roman capital of Crete and Cyrenaica. It has the 6th-century basilica of Agios Titos, the Praetorium and the Odeon, and the Gortyn Code, called the oldest and most complete known ancient Greek law code, is partly housed on site. Heraklion is roughly 45 km away.

Phaistos is a short drive west, a Minoan palace on a ridge above the Messara plain, built from about 2000 BC and destroyed around 1400 BC; the Phaistos Disc was found here in 1908. Paths are tamped earth and stone with handrails, and the royal rooms look towards Mount Ida. Bring water and a hat in summer.

Matala lies on the coast not far beyond Phaistos, with caves carved into the cliff beside the bay. Of uncertain date, they are thought to have been Roman or Early Christian tombs and dwellings, and were later home to 1960s hippies; Joni Mitchell stayed in 1970. The caves are fenced off and protected, and nobody may stay overnight, so check local rules before camping nearby.

Continue west to Preveli, where a palm-fringed beach lies at the end of a descent from the car park; take water and sturdy shoes. Then cross the island towards the north coast to Rethymno, with 16th-century Venetian buildings, a small harbour, the Rimondi Fountain and an Ottoman mosque beneath the Fortezza of 1573 to 1580. The fortress walls run for 1,307 m, and the Guora Gate was the old entrance; the old town lanes are narrow, so park outside.