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Crete is the largest island of Greece and provides a lot of options for tourists in form of its quiet coves, resort hotels, fabulous mountain villages, hidden beaches and beautiful plateaus that truly rewards a perceptive world traveler. Enticing moments and memorable combinations of place and time that offer truly enriching experiences is what Crete is all about. The most visited time at Crete is from April to October and you can book your flights to Crete in advance, if planning your vacation during these months.

Slowly more and more travelers are venturing into the island in the months between October and March when Crete is sometimes sunny and sometimes cooler. During these months Crete is cold enough sometimes for a thick jackets and sweaters. Some tourists deliberately choose this season simply because it is least crowded. Apart from the natural atmosphere the town of Iraklion is worth visiting.

The Rocca al Mare also called Great Koules is the fort that protected the harbor of Iraklion. It is an impressive two storeyed fortress that stored military supplies and foodstuffs apart from housing a prison and officers' quarters. Genoese constructed the fort in 1303 and was built again in 1523 because the fort was devastated by an earthquake. The magnificent fort has 3 relief carvings. One of them is of the Lion of St. Mark. The upper storey of the fort consists of a theatre used mainly in the summer months.

As you start walking through Heraklion, beginning at the fishing harbor very near to the modern port, you will come across the giant Venetian fortress. The fortress was built originally by the Venetians. At that time it was known as Rocca al Mare. In the recent times it has been renamed as Koules which happens to be its Turkish name. For many centuries the fortress was used to protect the town from invaders, the same purpose that the giant city ditches and walls served. The fortress consists of the longest walls in whole of Europe.

With its gigantic cells and hallways, the fort also served as a prison to people who rebelled against the rules imposed by the occupiers of Crete. Koules was built on two tiers and today it gives a commanding view of the entire town from its battlements. The fortress used to be equipped with a mill, a water tank and a bakery making it extremely self sufficient in all respects.