Heraklion

Why Visit Heraklion? # The smell of grilled lamb fat and wild oregano drifts from an alleyway while a waiter drags a heavy wooden chair across the concrete sidewalk, the legs making a low, scraping groan against the morning quiet. This is Crete’s largest city, a place that often gets dismissed as a mere ferry port or an airport gateway, which works entirely in your favor. Travelers rushing off to the famous southern beaches or mountain villages tend to skip the capital, leaving its shaded squares and Venetian ramparts remarkably free of tourist crowds.