Welcome to Crete Car Hire

We Hired a Car in Crete of Greece,July 2009. After checking around for special car hire offers, i decided to make a reservation at Car Hire in Crete -Athenscars. i really made the best decision. I was excited the car was the one i chose,  over the internet web page of car hire in Crete-athenscars. People welcomed us at Heraklion airport, helped us finding the wright way to our accomodation in Chania.

Our days were spent one by one fantastic. I was pleased the car we hired was well maintained and clean, to drive all around the island, mostly when my husband decided to drive up to the white mountains of Chania-Omalos, having no problem at all.

Car Hire in Crete -Athenscars was the wright choise for us. I recommend all visitors take a look at https://www.athenscars-crete.gr/car-hire special rates in Crete. Thank you for making our holidays pleasant,

Book You Hire car Cheap and easy, Cretecars offers the most competitive car hire rates.Check our offers and choose from a wide range of 19 car hire categories to find the best possible car rental deals.Economy car hire in Crete and best value car rental in Greece.Athenscars Kreta autovermietung, Ganz neue autos, sehr gunstige preize , Kreta mietwagen.

Crete offers of the week 

HERAKLION PORT CAR HIRE

Crete Car Hire –athenscars is a specialist in cheap car hire in Crete. We are located close to the Heraklion airport and Heraklion port, in the centre of the north coast of Crete with stations covering all major areas. Car Hire in Crete is well worthwhile, and enables you to see more of the largest of the Greek islands, and as many as possible of the numerous places of interest that are to be found here. Crete car Hire allows you to visit historical sites such as the Archaeological Museum of Haraklion(just in the Freedom square), and the ancient Minoan ruins at Knossos(5km far from the city center) and Phaistos(located in the southern part of Heraklion region 70km far), or simply to explore the many fantastic sandy beaches(most blue flagged from EU). You can also use our Car Hire Crete to venture into the stunning mountain ranges, which are peppered with caves and portioned by incredible gorges(mainly in Chania region), like the one at Samaria in Chania region, but be careful of the road quality in some points of the island which is over 39years old in most of its long).

We offer cheap car hire in Crete with free delivery to Heraklion airport, Chania airport, all ports, towns and hotels in Crete. Your car rental can also take you on a tour of the cities, towns and villages of beautiful Crete whether to the largest city and capital of it, Heraklion; to Agios Nikolaos, blessed with awesome natural beauty; to the harbour town of Hersonisos; or to the small resort village of Paleochora south of Chania city.Cheap car hire in Crete is best sourced using our price comparison, and booked in advance for certainty and simplicity. An airport pick up will allow you to reap the benefits of our car hire services from the very beginning of your holiday, and will make transfer to your resort easy. Booking your car hire from either Heraklion Airport or car Hire from Chania Airport is recommended as we serve both places with personnel ready to correspond to all, even for those arriving the last minute!

Plan your Holidays to Crete - Crete hotels with benefit Fly & Drive! - Find Cheap flights to Crete

Crete Car Hire– athenscars has been established as one of the most reliable and trustful car rental companies in Crete. It is important to refer the last 10years athenscars is showing a concern for the environment and turned to an eco-friendly car hire policy by providing hybrid cars.

All our cars are new and very well maintained. They are delivered always on time and free of charge to every location in Crete, including all Crete airports and ports.

Browse our cars and choose the one you like. Check to see the space of cabin as well as the capacity of the vehicle. Make sure the correct size of car is chosen for your needs. Donot forget we do upgrade the vehicles and can provide another hire car in Crete of the same size. Don’t forget to check our Crete Car Hire Special Offers, which are updated frequently. Select the car you want and get an instant Price Quote for your preferred time period and delivery location in Crete – at the airport port or your accommodation. The next step in booking a car from Crete Car Hire – Rentcars24.com is to fill in your personal information and click on the BOOK-RESERVE button. As soon as you validate your email address, then the booking is considered final and no credit card deposit is required - You will pay us on arrival.

When you arrive in Crete, a representative of our company will deliver the car you have booked to the airport or any other location you have chosen in Crete. If you have chosen an airport or a port as the car delivery location, then look for our representative carrying the Rentcars24.com + your name written on a sign.

Hike the Samaria Gorge in Crete.

Crete among Greek Islands The Greek Island Crete is the largest of all, offering numerous golden sandy beaches to laze on and a plethora of history to enjoy; car hire in Crete is the perfect way to explore your chosen island.

Heraklion Port

Only a 5 minute car journey away from Heraklion Airport and even closer to Heraklion city itself also known as Iraklion(Handakas), arrange car hire Heraklion Port and explore this bustling part of the island of Crete. Discover the two parts of the Port using car rental Heraklion Port. Wander through the bustling ferry port, or for something altogether more scenic, head to the old Venetian Harbour and marvel at the fishing boats and yachts. Travel to the Venetian fortress of Koules and learn about the history of the famous Cretan monument. Stroll down the marble stairs at the end of the street and you will find the Venetian shipyards.

Journey to Rethymno in your hire car from Heraklion Port and head to the old Venetian quarter. Survey the narrow streets and visit the pretty little shops dotted around this area. Relax on the long sandy beach, and stop off at a local taverna and try some traditional Greek cuisine.

Crete is filled with a variety of wonders for all to enjoy, see as much as you can with car hire Chania Port, car hire Platanias, car hire Sissi or car hire Souda.

Find out more about driving in the Greek Islands, or read our Greek Islands travel guide. You may also like to view information about other destinations in the Greek Islands.

The Greek language spoken on the island has a distinct Cretan Greek dialect with an extended vocabulary that is Crete-specific. Cretan wine and tsikoudia, a potent distillate, are the traditional drinks. Crete has its own distinctive Mantinades poetry. The island is known for its Mantinades-based music (typically performed with the Cretan lyra and the laouto) and has many indigenous dances, the most noted of which is probably the Pentozali. Cretan authors have made important contributions to Greek Literature throughout the modern period; major names include Vikentios Kornaros, creator of the 17th century epic romance Erotokritos (Greek Ερωτόκριτος), and in the 20th century Nikos Kazantzakis. In the Renaissance, Crete was the home of the Cretan School of icon painting, which influenced El Greco and through him subsequent European painting.

Cretans are fiercely proud of their island and customs, and men often don elements of their traditional dress in everyday life: knee-high black riding boots, black shirts and black headdress consisting of a fishnet-weave kerchief worn wrapped around the head or draped on the shoulders. Black is the color of mourning, and since Cretan families are notionally considered so extended as to include greatgrandparents or second cousins (although they may have little actual contact) as well as all their respective in-laws, one is theoretically justified to be in continuous mourning for some relative or other, however distant. On festive occasions those who are not in mourning wear white.

Economy

The economy of Crete, which was mainly based on farming, and fishing, began to change visibly during the 1970s. While an emphasis remains on farming and stock breeding, due to the climate and terrain of the island, there has been a drop in manufacturing and an observable expansion in its service industries (mainly tourism-related). All three sectors of the Cretan economy (agriculture, processing-packaging, services), are directly connected and interdependent. The island has a per capita income close to 100% of the Greek average, while unemployment is at approximately 4%, ½ of that of the country overall. As in other regions of Greece, olive growing is also a significant industry; a small amount of citrons are still cultivated on the island.

The island has three significant airports, Nikos Kazantzakis at Heraklion, the Daskalogiannis airport at Chania and a smaller one in Sitia. The first two serve international routes, as the main gateways to the island for travellers.

Tourism

Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece. Fifteen percent of all arrivals in Greece come through the city of Heraklion (port and airport), while charter journeys to Heraklion last year made up 20% of all charter flights in Greece. Overall, more than two million tourists visited Crete last year, and this increase in tourism is reflected on the number of hotel beds, rising by 53% in the period between 1986 and 1991, when the rest of Greece saw increases of only 25%. Today, the island's tourism infrastructure caters to all tastes, including a very wide range of accommodation; the island's facilities take in large luxury hotels with their complete facilities, swimming pools, sports and recreation, smaller family-owned apartments, camping facilities and others. Visitors reach the island via two international airports in Heraklion and Chania, or by boat to the main ports of Heraklion, Chania, Rethimno and Agios Nikolaos. Popular tourist attractions include the archaeological sites of the Minoan civilisation, the Venetian old city and port of Chania, the Venetian castle at Rethymno, the gorge of Samaria, the islands of Chrysi, Elafonisi, Gramvousa, and Spinalonga.

Archaeological sites

here are a large number of archaeological sites which include the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, and the diverse archaeology of Koufonisi, Crete which includes Minoan, Roman and World War II ruins.

Enviromentally protected areas

There are a number of environmentally protected areas. One such area is located at the island of Elafonisi on the coast of southwestern Crete. Also, the palm forest of Vai and the Dionysades islands, close to the coast of northwestern Crete, have diverse animal and plant life. Vai has a palm beach and the largest natural palm forest in Europe. The island of Chrysi, 15 km south of Ierapetra, has the largest naturally grown Lebanon Cedar forest in Europe.

Development

Newspapers have reported that the Ministry of Mercantile Marine is ready to support the agreement between Greece, South Korea, Dubai Ports World and China for the construction of a large international container port and free trade zone in southern Crete near Tympaki; the plan is to expropriate 850 ha of land. The port would handle 2 million containers per year, while as of 2007, there has been no official announcement of a project not universally welcomed due to its environmental, economic and cultural impact.^[1] As of January 2009, it appears the project has been canceled, in part due to the strong opposition from the local population, mostly on environmental grounds.^[2]

^{Crete-immigration-Holiday homes}

Crete's mild climate attracts interest from northern Europeans who want a holiday home or residence on the island. EU citizens have the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality.^[3] A growing number of real estate companies cater to mainly British expatriates, followed by German, Dutch, Scandinavian and other European nationalities wishing to own a home in Crete. The British expatriates are concentrated in the western prefectures of Chania and Rethymno and to a lesser extent in Heraklion and Lasithi.

Neolithic settlement

The first human settlements on the island, dating to the aceramic Neolithic, used cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs as well as domesticated cereals and legumes; ancient Knossos was the site of one of these major Neolithic (then later Minoan) sites.^[4]

Minoan civilization

Crete was the center of Europe's first advanced civilization, the Minoan (c. 2700-1420 BC).^[5] This civilization wrote in the undeciphered script known as Linear A. Early Cretan history is replete with legends such as those of King Minos, Theseus, Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus passed on orally via poets such as Homer. Beginning in 1420 BC, the Minoan civilization was overrun by the Mycenean civilization from mainland Greece. The oldest samples of writing in the Greek language is the Linear B archive from Knossos, dated approximately to 1425-1375 BC.^[6]

^Mythology

Crete has a rich mythology mostly connected with the ancient Greek Gods but also connected with the Minoan civilization. The labyrinth of the palace of Knossos has the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur where the Minotaur was slayed by Theseus. The Paximadia islands are believed to be the birthplace of the goddess Artemis and the god Apollo. Their mother, the goddess Leto, was worshipped at Phaistos. Europa and Zeus made love at Gortys and conceived the Kings of the Minoan civilization. King Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades. The goddess Athena bathed in Lake Voulismeni. The ancient Greek god Zeus launched a lightning bolt at a giant lizard that was threatening Crete. The lizard immediately turned to stone and became the island of Dia. The island can be seen from Knossos and it has the shape of a giant lizard. The islets of Lefkai were the result of a musical contest between the Sirens and the Muses. After losing the contest the Sirens were so distraught that their wings fell off, turned white, and fell into the sea at Souda Bay where they formed the islets.

Music of Crete- local instruments and the ancient instrument-Cretan Lyra

The music of Crete is a traditional form of Greek folk music called κρητικά (kritika). The lyra is the dominant folk instrument on the island; there are three-stringed and four-stringed versions of this bowed string instrument, closely related to the medieval Byzantine lyra. It is often accompanied by the Cretan lute (laoúto), which is similar to both an oud and a mandolin. Thanassis Skordalos and Kostas Moundakis are the most renowned players of the lyra.

The earliest documented music on Crete comes from Ancient Greece. Cretan music like most traditional Greek began as product of ancient, Byzantine, western and eastern inspirations. The main instrument lyra, is closely related to the bowed Byzantine lyra. The Persian geographer Ibn Khordadbeh (d. 911) of the 9th Century, in his lexicographical discussion of instruments, cited the Byzantine lyra (Greek: λύρα - lūrā), as similar to the Arabic rebab and a typical Byzantine instrument along with the urghun (organ), shilyani (probably a type of harp or lyre) and the salandj ^[1]. Bowed instruments descendants of the Byzantine bowed lyra (lūrā) have continued to be played in post-Byzantine regions until the present day with few changes, for example the Calabrian Lira in Italy, the Cretan Lyra, the Gadulka in Bulgaria, and the Armudî kemençe (or πολίτικη λύρα) in Istanbul, Turkey.

Following the Crusades, however, the Franks, Venetians and Genoese dominated the island and introduced new instruments and genres and in particular the three-stringed lira da braccio. By the end of the 14th century, a poetic form called mantinada became popular; it was a rhyming couplet of fifteen syllables. The introduction of the violin by the end of 17th century was especially important.

Some of the earliest popular music stars from Crete were Andreas Rodinos, Yiannis Bernidakis (Baxevanis), Stelios Koutsourelis, Stelios Foustalieris, Efstratios Kalogeridis, Kostas Papadakis, Michalis Kounelis, Kostas Mountakis and Thanassis Skordalos. Later, in the 1960s, musicians like Nikos Xylouris and Yiannis Markopoulos combined Cretan folk music with classical techniques. For the above choices, Nikos Xylouris received the negative criticism of conservative fans of the Cretan music but he remained popular, as did similarly-styled performers like Charalambos Garganourakis and Vasilis Skoulas. Nowadays, prominent performers include Antonis Xylouris or Psarantonis, Giorgis Xylouris, Ross Daly, Stelios Petrakis, Vasilis Stavrakakis, the group Chainides, Zacharias Spyridakis, Michalis Stavrakakis, Mitsos Stavrakakis, Dimitrios Vakakis, Georgios Tsantakis, Michalis Tzouganakis, Elias Horeftakis, Giannis Charoulis, etc.

As Magrini (1997) has argued, modern marketing of Cretan music has concentrated on the lyra as the most distinctive Cretan instrument, to the extent that other instruments are seldom heard. This includes the violin, as well as the bagpipes [askomadoura].

source: www.wikipedia.org

View Athenscars s.a. company Profile.

“Athenscars” est  le  meilleur  fournisseur de voitures en Crète. Vous nous trouvez aux points stratégiques, a l’aéroport port hotel de Héraklion  et celui de la Chania. Nous  pouvons  envoyer  des voitures partout sur l’ile, a touts les stations balnéaires touristiques, aux ports etc. La qualité de notre service, le respect a vous, nos  clients et a la valeur de votre argent et les solutions que nous vous offrons depuis 1973 sont formidable. C’est la raison de votre préférence a nous .Les “Athens cars” envoie des voitures aux aeroports, aux ports et aux hôtels de toute la Crête sans chargement. Vs ns trouvez sur la juste “location de voitures” Web site.

L’ile de la crête est idéale pour faire des vacances, se reposer et s’amuser .C’est une ‘e vacances, se reposer et s’amuser. C’est une évidence que l’internet des touristes qui louent des voitures pour faire le tour de la crête  s’augment chaque année .louez une voiture de “Athenscars”et visitez les places les plus éloignées de l’ile .Louez une voiture de “Athens cars” des spécialistes de la Crète et gagnez d’argent et du temps! Cherchez ns via internet. C’est votre meilleur choix qui satisfait vos besoins. Ecrivez les informations nécessaires pour les réservations de la voiture et envoyez nous le message. Vous allez recevoir un e-mail-réponse qui confirmera votre réservations desiree.L’usage du crédit carde n’est pas obligatoire. Le « Athens cars »offre le service spécial sous les prix bas. Ns sommes a l’heure a la palce indiquée avec le model de la voiture de votre choix indiquée avec le model de la voiture de votre choix. Le « Athens cars » a gagne votre confiance et respect parmi plusieurs autres locations de voitures en Crête. Ns avons une grande variété de voitures et ns offrons les meilleurs accords a nos clients. Ns reconnaissons qu’une partie respective de notre clientèle n’a pas l’envie de compromettre.

Contact our online service by phone or send an SMS:
tel. 0030 6936790870, 0030 2810821424, 00302810220680.
AthensCars, Crete - Greece,