• Phaestos Palace

    The hill of Phaistos was inhabited as early as the Final Neolithic period (4500 - 3200 BC), when an extensive Neolithic settlement was established, succeeded by a settlement of the Prepalatial period (3200 - 4900 BC). These early settlements were followed by the foundation of the First Palace of Phaistos (1900- 1700 BC), which was built on the NE part of the hill in order to control the whole of the fertile plain of the Messara.Around this palace arose, in the Minoan period, the extensive city of Phaistos, which continued to flourish until Hellenistic times (323-67 BC).The First Palace was built around 1900 BC.

  • Saint Nicolas Gorge

    The gorge of Agios Nikolaos, Gafaris or Rouvas is bounded by the peaks of Ambelakia from east and Samari from west. This is the most important gorge of Psiloritis and central Crete and took its name from the homonymous Byzantine church in the south entrance. This is an ecosystem with rich flora and fauna, smaller canyons and interesting geological formations and cliffs of rare beauty.