As one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, there are plenty of things to do in Crete. With some of the best beaches in the Aegean, a wealth of historic sites and plenty of sports and leisure activities, many people choose to go back again and again.

You can either hire a car to go exploring or look at the wide range of excursions available, as you may be able to book some of these from your hotel. You will also find tourist information available in most of the large towns. Crete is the perfect destination for those looking to get away on last minute holidays, as it has pretty much year round sunshine and plenty to see and do.

The island has a fascinating and turbulent history in which many invaders have left their mark. There are Minoan sites to visit across the island, for example at Knossos, Malia and Zakros and there are also Roman remains, such as the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gortys, as well as monasteries and castles.

The huge fortresses at Iraklion, Chania and Rethymno are evidence of the legacy of the Venetian rule over the island for a number of centuries. The Turks also left their mark and you will still find minarets and mosques at some of the large towns, such as Rethymno.

In Plaka, you can visit the islet of Spinalonga. Once a Venetian citadel, it became a leper colony made famous in the novel ‘The Island’. With frequent boat trips taking visitors there, it makes a thought provoking visit and a must for fans of the book.

Three out of the four waterparks on the island are close to Hersonissos, one of the island’s popular tourist resorts and any one of these make a great day out. With plenty of facilities and places to eat and drink in the parks, you can easily stay for the day.

Aquaworld, the first aquarium in Crete, is also located near to Hersonissos. The aquarium mainly features the abundant local marine life, also exhibiting some reptiles from around the world. With knowledgeable staff making it interesting and informative, it is a popular tourist attraction and many visitors make multiple visits to the aquarium during their holidays.

With its pleasant beaches and clear waters, Crete is a good destination for water sports. Many of the beaches are safe for swimming and of course there are plenty of opportunities for boat trips to explore the attractive coastline of the island from the sea.

You can try out wind surfing, water skiing or snorkelling and there are a also a range of sailing experiences, from canoes to speed boats. If you want to try out some of these, then head for the more tourist orientated beaches.

Another different way to see the island is on a horse riding tour, which are available at a number of stables around the island and you can sometimes combine them with a BBQ or picnic. Alternatively, you could try mountain biking or a jeep safari.

There are plenty of other places to visit in Crete. You could try walking along the Samaria Gorge, one of the longest in Europe, driving through the White Mountains, or taking out a pedal boat on Lake Kournas, a scenic and peaceful inland freshwater lake.

For a completely different experience, try visiting the Sasteria, an observatory in south eastern Crete. The observatory will give you a breathtaking tour of the night sky with some knowledgeable and informative guides.

Iraklion is the capital of Crete and there are plenty of things to do in the city, with a number of interesting museums as well as places such as the cathedral, Morosini Fountain or the Tomb of Kazantzakis. There are also an interesting range of shops, cafes and restaurants to wander around.

There are a number of other large towns on Crete to visit, such as Rethymnon, with its Fortezza Castle that was built in 1590. There is also the Archaeological museum, which has a range of ancient objects such as vases, figurines and frescos.

Another town to visit is Chania, a perfect place to browse the shops, indoor food market or visit the pleasant harbour. If you want to see a different side to the island, then take a drive inland and you will be able to visit many pleasant rural villages.

The island of Crete offers a wealth of activities, from sports and leisure, historic sites and museums through to enjoying relaxing in cafes and restaurants. Whatever your reason for visiting, there will be something to interest, amuse or relax you.

This was a guest post written by travelsupermarket.com

Main Photo By Jim Bahn

Thomas Cook Greek Holidays Sale

For this weekend only they are offering great Greek island beach holidays from only £199 with savings of up to 20% per holiday. If you cannot find the exact holiday you are after, the holiday sale also includes offers on Greek flights, hotels and short breaks.

Too Good to be true?

I am always a little sceptical when I see great holiday deals like this and always wonder what the catch is, so lets see if we can find out:

What are they offering: I will use the cheapest holiday to Greece on Thomas Cook and see just what we get for our money (if you click on the banner above it will take you to the Greek holiday deals and you can follow me)

Corfu Holiday in Greece. Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mickpix/

£138 for 7 nights self catering on Corfu including flights!

Corfu Holidays at a three star self catering accommodation from £138, including flights! The accommodation is a family run apartment are ideal for anyone looking for comfortable self catering accommodation in a great location, set in a quiet area just outside the centre of the resort but close enough to absorb the local culture and the island of Corfu has hundreds of miles of coastline and a succession of beaches that absorb its host of visitors, leaving sleepy villages and country lanes untouched and just waiting to be discovered – This all sounds great, almost to great, so whats the catch?

Outbound flight: Departs Manchester on Mon 04 May 09 at 22:20 Arrives Corfu on Tue 05 May 09 at 03:50
Inbound flight: Departs Corfu on Tue 12 May 09 at 04:50 Arrives Manchester on Tue 12 May 09 at 06:30

Well I guess a restriction would be that to get this holiday you have to travel from Manchester airport on the 4th of May, if that is convenient for you, this is sounding very, very good!

If you wanted to travel from London on the same day (4th May) the cheapest holiday I could find to a Greek island was also on Corfu, in Sidari and was for £224, which whilst is not as cheap as flying from Manchester, It is still sounding very tempting! You can try other dates and times for yourself.

Weather in Greece in May
Perhaps the weather is the catch, so what is the weather like in May in Greece?
According to the BBC weather centre:
Athens on average has 9 hours of sunlight and average minimum and maximum temperatures of 16 and 25 Celsius respectively and I would say only has an average chance of rain.
Naxos on average has 8 hours of sunlight and average minimum and maximum temperatures of 16 and 23 Celsius respectively and I would say only has a small chance of rain.
Thessaloniki on average has 9 hours of sunlight and average minimum and maximum temperatures of 14 and 25 Celsius respectively and I would say only has a average chance of rain.

Again this is looking good, I think the temperatures at this time of year in Greece are perfectly fine, not sweltering, but will be more than comfortable.

So In my opinion, yes there are restrictions, but if you need to alter the dates, or place from which you wish to travel from, there are still some pretty good deals to be had from Thomas Cook, so go on spoil yourself: Greece with it’s ancient ruins, stunning beaches, traditional tavernas and vibrant resorts and now with a great price to boot, why not escape the credit crunch and winter and head off on a winter sun holiday to Greece.