Greek Islands to visit, with photos, pictures of Santorini and Crete.

If you asked me which one was my favourite Greek Island

I would have to say that I loved all of the ones that I have visited for different reasons.

I have been fortunate to visit the following Greek Islands -

Corfu, Crete, Kefolonia, Santorini (Thira) and Zante .

Zante has the famous ship wreck beach, Santorini has beautiful Ia (Oia) and beaches of black sand and a volcano to visit, Kefolonia has a some great boat trips and you can visit Ithaka from there. Crete has some wonderful historic sites and dramatic gorges and coastline and a date Palm beach. Corfu was the first Greek island I visited and so will always be special to me.

Santorini is a volcanic island so much of what makes it spectacular and unusual to visit is linked to this.

Some of the beaches on Santorini have black sand. If you visit a beach with black sand make sure you keep your beach sandals close by because the sand can become so hot that it is difficult to walk along the beach bare footed.

The village of Ia stands on the cliff face edge overlooking the waters of the Caldera. Not only is this village beautiful to see with its white houses perched on the cliff; this village is also famous for its dramatic sunsets. Ia is a wonderful place to take photographs

This is also the island that you can take a boat trip to visit a volcano. You can sail across the water of the Caldera and you will be able to walk on Nea Kameni, the volcano 'island'.

From the water of the Caldera you will be able to see the amazing colours of the volcanic rock of the cliff face at Ia.

Crete is the largest of all the Greek islands.

Ancient Crete was the center of the Minoan civilization.

The island of Crete started to develop into a tourist destination in the 1970s and from then tourism began to rival farming as a main part of the economy.

Near Plakias, is one of the most famous sights in Crete it is an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Date palms grow along the bank of the river which flows down the Kourtaliotis gorge (this is the gorge you drive through to get to Plakias).

At the place where the river reaches the sea, there is a famous beach with the palm trees growing. The area is usually full of visitors who come here by car or small boat from Plakias and Agia Galini. If you wish to visit this beach by car check the route carefully I heard of one couple who were in a hire car and had what can only be described as a 'hair raising trip there' - not sure if they used the correct route to the beach. Also the boats are subject to weather conditions... Plakias can be very windy. If you go by local bus you will have a long walk to this beach as the bus sets you down on the road that leads to the monastery at Preveli. However lots of people do visit this beach by getting the local bus. If you come by car you can also visit the nearby monastery but then you have to walk down a lot of steps to get to the beach we stood at the top to take the photos but did not attempt the walk down.

Rethymnon

It is a pleasure to stroll through the Rethymnon and admire the buildings in the older part and also to walk by the harbour.

Rethymnon has buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine and Hellenic-Roman remains, a small Venetian harbour and narrow streets

The beach at Plakias extends east from the village.

It is one of the biggest beaches in Crete, the east end is mainly used by naturists. There are showers on the beach and parking spaces. If it's windy during your stay in Plakias and the northern wind whips flying sand, head west to another beach at Souda. which is more sheltered.There are other beaches near Plakias at Damoni, Amoudi and Mikro Amoudi, which is also a naturists' beach.

Plakias has a long beach, partly pebbles and partly sand.

Plakias is often very windy and on those days you can get sandblasted on the beach.

It is 40 km south from Rethymnon on a good but winding road. You can also get to Plakias along the narrow coastal road.

Plakias is located in a a pretty bay; it has grown from a tiny fishing settlement to a medium size tourist resort. Plakias began to expand after 1970 before that there were only about ten houses there. Plakias is definitely not a place for intense nightlife there are very few discos and it is the other side of the island of Crete that provides the discos and clubs. Plakias does have a lot of restaurants and some bars, shops for holiday essentials, car hire, hotels and self catering accommodation.

There is a bus service from Rethymnon to Plakias (more regular than on most Greek islands but may not be the same as you are use to at home.)

Crete is a large island and there are still parts of it that we hope to return to and explore in the future.

Copyright: the photographs are my own and the copyright of them belongs to me and they may not be used without my permission.