Meet with your guide at the terminal of Cretan Spiti Travel at 08.30, we drive to Gortyna, the Roman capital of Crete and Cyrenaica which was first inhabited around 3200 BC. After the visit of Gortyna, we drive through the valley of Mesara to visit the archaeological site of Phaistos and its palace, the most important center of the Minoan civilization, and the most wealthy and powerful city in southern Crete.
After our visit to Phaistos, we drive to Matala where you will enjoy some free time to swim in the crystal clear waters and optional lunch. Finally, we arrive at Zaros, an attractive, refreshingly unspoiled village famous for its spring water, which is now bottled and sold all over Greece, and an ideal base for walkers to explore the beautiful nature. Zaros also has some fine Byzantine monasteries, and delicious farm-raised trout served up in tavernas around town and on emerald-green Lake Votomos which will be visited.
Italian-speaking guide
Highlights of the archaeological finds here include the Odeon from 1st Century AD, the display of the Gortyn Law Code from 5th Century BC, and the Church of St Titus, dating from the 6th Century AD.
This palace was built in the Dorian period and is home to some of the most beautiful frescoes in Greece. Phaestos is also famous for the “Disk of Phaestos”.
Matala is a famous hippie destination as well as a super popular seaside resort on the southern coast, facing the Libyan Sea.
You will make your own way to the meeting points