As I mentioned in many of my previous posts, Crete is not only beautiful beaches, turquoise waters, good food and nice people. It has a lot of history, we are talking here about 5000+ years and remember that it is sometimes considered the cradle of the European civilization. 

I am a history geek and I am super passionate about archaeology and ancient history, so every time I go to Crete I research and go to each archaeological site I can. And this is what I did back in October.

I had Gortys on my must see list for a long time. But every time I went somewhere else (remember that Crete is a huge island) and since I was going in the summer months, not a fan of crowded spaces.

This hidden gem, not so known to the tourists, lies only 45km away south of Heraklion, in the municipality of the same name, only 1.5km from Agioi Deka (3mins by car or 20 mins walk). 

Gortys (or Gortyn/Gortyna) dates back to the Neolithic period, around 7000 years ago. It was a very important site of the area, next to Knossos, but gained its reputation during the Roman occupation. Here was the capital of Roman province Creta and Cyrenaica (modern day Libya). It is refenced by Homer in The Odyssey and by many other Latin writers. One of the first Christian churches was built here and it still stands today (Cathedral of St. Titus) and the city was destroyed by the invasion of the Arabs in the 9th century AD.

What you can still see today at the main site:

1. The ancient Odeon

2. Basilica Saint Titus

3. The theater

4. The “Queen of Inscriptions” or the Law Code of Gortyna – the oldest and most complete example of ancient Greek law, literally written in stone in the Dorian dialect. They are visible, but you cannot enter the area where they are

Across the street, just 15min walk, there are 3 hidden archaeological gems:

1. The Temple of Apollo

2. The Temple of the Egyptian Gods

3. The Praetorium – the seat of the Roman Governor of Crete and the Agora

How to get here:

1. By car – you can stop on your way to Matala or any other beach in the south. There is a parking lot next to the site and it’s free

2. By bus – take the bus from Heraklion Central Bus Station, direction Moires. Make sure you tell the driver your stop, Gortys 😊 it takes approx. 1h to get there, but the landscape is breathtaking. On the way back to Heraklion, add approx. 15-20 mins to the departure hour from Moires. Buy roundtrip ticket from Central Bus, there is no bus ticket office at the site and you cannot pay by card to the driver.

3. By organized trip – AFAIK, there is only one local travel agency that organizes trips to Gortys and it is usually mixed with Matala.

Things to know before you go:

· Entry fee is 6E, can be paid by card

· There is a small cafeteria there, where you can have a coffee, drinks or snacks. Toilets are free of charge

· Wear comfortable shoes, hat, sunscreen. As all archaeological sites, it is in the open air and there is little shadow

· Smoking is prohibited, as well as wearing high heels

· To get to the sites across the road, you will have to pass through a huge olive grove 😊 the ruins are not open to the public, but you can see them through the fence. Be careful, the terrain is not paved and you can easily scratch your legs. Use Maps to get there, as there is a hidden entry in the road fence, otherwise you will get lost in the grove (like I did). 

Stay tuned. More will follow 😊