Travel Guide Hersonissos

Hersonissos is one of those cities that offer everything to tourists in abundance: shopping, leisure, restaurants, except for the peace and quiet, at least in high season in the city centre. As a holiday destination, this town is not representative of Crete and in summer one hears more German than Greek being spoken here. You can still go down to the old port, which still has some of its old-fashioned charm. Hersonissos is made up of several villages on the seafront and in the hinterland, such as Koutouloufari, Piscopiano, Anissaras, Potamies or Gonies. Its population goes from 4,500 inhabitants in winter to 50,000 in summer! Hersonissos was once the name of a Minoan town located on the old port. It prospered in Roman and Byzantine times. The ruins of the Roman period can be seen on the Kastri hill where a Christian basilica was built. The remains of the aqueduct that supplied the port with water can be seen in the village of Potamies. After the Venetian occupation, the port lost its importance and pirate threats forced the inhabitants to retreat into the surrounding mountains. Today's Hersonissos was born and the port became a simple fishermen's den. From the 1960s onwards, the port was transformed into a prosperous tourist destination.