Eastern Crete - Sunflower Books

Whether you walk, drive or picnic in eastern Crete, the mountains will be your constant companions, changing colour and mood from dawn to dusk, as you move through them, round them and over them. You cannot fail to feel their dramatic attraction. The stunning colours and heady scent of flowers and herbs, tucked into rough ground or splashed across a hillside, the warm-sounding buzz of hovering bees, and the massed band of a thousand cicadas will all leave a lasting impression – the ‘special effects’ of the total scene. You may share this rural bliss only with a solitary shepherd, his flocks and dogs, as you walk the hillsides of eastern Crete. Greeks, on the whole, don’t walk — unless they have to for their day’s labour. So be prepared for incredulous looks from the townspeople and faint smiles from the villagers!

Key features:

50 long and short walks, colour-coded for grade
1:50,000 topo maps with waypoints
free downloadable GPS tracks
E4 long-distance hiking route highlighted on all relevant maps
Samaria Gorge, Crete’s most popular walk, described as a day trip from Agios Nikolaos
satnav coordinates to walk starting points
11 car tours and fold-out touring maps of both Eastern and Western Crete – ideal for planning
plans of Iraklion and Agios Nikolaos
strolls to idyllic picnic spots
timetables for local transport
online update service
Area covered: The guide book focuses on the area around Agios Nikolaos — east to Zakros and south to the coast. However, the tours go much further west, so that you can explore much of Crete by car — and there’s a description of the famous Samaria Gorge walk, a very popular day excursion by coach.

The best months for walking in Crete are April to June, September or October.