Riga to Crete, Greece from €164

🌍 About crete

Heraklion is the gateway to Knossos, the Bronze Age Minoan palace 5km south with what's considered Europe's oldest throne room (around 1500 BCE) — but the frescoes and finds aren't there. They're in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in town, the only place to see the real Minoan art, so do the museum and the site together or the palace feels like empty walls. Eat dakos: a hard barley rusk soaked just soft, piled with grated tomato, soft mizithra cheese, olive oil and oregano — Crete's better answer to bruschetta. Walk out along the Venetian harbour to the Koules sea fortress. Come May–June or September–October: hot but not scorching, and far thinner crowds than July–August, when the site bakes and prices peak. Winter is mild and quiet but many tavernas close.