Crete is Greece’s largest island and contains the archaeological site of Knossos.
Crete lies in the southern Aegean Sea and stretches roughly 260 kilometres from west to east. Knossos, near modern Heraklion, was the principal centre of the Minoan civilisation and is associated with the legendary palace of King Minos and the Minotaur story.
The island’s history also includes Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman periods. Euboea is Greece’s second-largest island and lies close to the mainland, while Rhodes and Corfu are major tourist islands but are much smaller. Crete’s rugged mountains, including Mount Ida, divide its northern and southern landscapes.