I'm planning a day trip that will start with an early morning visit of Knossos Palace, in early May.
We will have a car and would like to plan a route that will enable us to see the wine growing region south of Knossos as well. We also would like to plan a stop at the Minoan villa site at Vathypetro.
Any suggestions for the route to go, wineries to visit and places to eat?
We will have the whole afternoon, into the evening, looping back in the general direction of Hersonissos.
Thanks!
Can't help with the wineries part of your question except to say google wineries in Crete and you will come up with all sorts of information as to which are open, when and location. Most seem to have Heraklion as their base...
Vathypetro is about 15kms south of Knossos. Leaving Knossos you keep on the road through the village until you come to Archanes there are actually two villages, lower (kato) Archanes and Archanes). I was with a group and we stopped for lunch here - I can't tell you the name of the restaurant but it was upstairs and overlooked a small square in Upper Archanes. Vathypetro is 5km further on. As I recall the site was not well sign-posted; you have to park by the roadside and walk along a track. Its a stunning setting, high on a hill overlooking the valleys and mountains, including Mt. Iouktas, birthplace of Zeus.) The site is quite small, some room blocks and a room containing the remains of an olive press but the setting is worth the trip.
I was there in late April and the wildflowers were out but we also landed in the middle of a thunderstorm and torrential downpour so lunch at Archanes lasted longer than originally intended!
No specific route to suggest except that the area around Dafnes is filled with vineyards, and I recommended to a couple in 2010 to look for a vineyard around there, and they found several! And also some nice tavernas, they took a picture of their lunch plates, they were delighted with the area.
