In Heraklion, which lies only 25 km from Bella Vista, you will have the opportunity to visit the archeological site of Knossos, the famous Minoan Palace and the 4 big museums of the city:
The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, housing the major exhibits of Minoan Crete
- The Historical Museum of Crete
- The Museum of the Battle of Crete
- The Natural History Museum
The famous Spinalonga is a very small island with a Venetian fortress; it was used as a leper colony until 1950. You can arrange a boat trip to Spinaloga from Elounda or Plaka, a small traditional village with a lot of nice fish taverns and a lovely view of the summer sunset.
Traditional villages
Between Hersonissos and Stalida there is a scenic route driving from Stalida to Mohos village. The road is full of curves but the views are panoramic, especially at sunset. The area around Hersonissos is filled with traditional picturesque little villages that are worth to visit: Koutouloufari and Piskopiano are located at walking distance form Old Hersonissos. Visit also
Mirtos or Myrtos, Vrahassi, Mohos and Krasi.
Plateaus
From Krasi the road continues to Lassithi Plateau and Diktaion Antro, which according to the mythology was the birthplace of Zeus.
Another not so well known but also beautiful plateau in the area is Katharo Plateau which is located at an altitude of 1200 meters and it is 26 km from Agios Nikolaos and 12 km from the plateau of Lassithi.
Monasteries
Cretan people have a large religious history. There are a lot of Christian orthodox churches in the island, but the most worth visiting religious buildings are the monasteries.
You can visit Koudoumas, Toplou Monastery, Kapsa Monastery and Savathiana Monastery.