Eastern Crete
Greece Travel Secrets’ potted guide to Eastern Crete and why you should
consider it for a holiday, including seeing Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, Vai Beach
and Zakros.
The Lasithi Plateau in Eastern Crete
Eastern Crete has seen some of the densest tourism
development on the island, particularly in the north between Irakleio and Agios
Nikolaos on the Gulf of Mirabello, where bustling resorts have gobbled up the
coastal landscape.
Beyond the gulf, however, the far eastern region holds some
of the most stunning scenery on the island, from rugged mountains to an
unexpected palm beach.
North-Eastern Crete
Crete’s main centre of package tourism lies east of the
capital, Irakleio, stretching along the north coast to Malia. Here a string of
resorts have all but usurped the old villages with cheek-by-jowl hotels,
apartments, restaurants, bars, travel agencies, and souvenir shops.
Agios Nikolaos in Eastern Crete
Around Agios Nikolaos
Agios Nikolaos, set prettily around a little lake, is
another bustling centre. Amid this hedonistic coastal strip, the ancient palace
of Malia and the Minoan town of Gournia anchor this changing landscape to the
past.
Far Eastern Crete
A short drive inland takes you into another world. The
provincial hill town of Neapoli is a gateway to the windmills and timeless
farming villages of the Lasithi Plateau, High in the Dikti Mountains is the
Diktean Cave, birthplace of the Greek god Zeus. At Kritsa, the fresco-covered
Church of Panagia Kera is an artistic jewel.
The Panagia Kera Church in Kritsa
Sitia and Beyond
A stunning coastal drive, not to be missed, brings you
further east to Sitia, with its attractive waterfront and relaxed pace. From
here you can strike out across a starkly beautiful mountainous landscape to
reach the monastery of Moni Toplou, the palm-fringed Vai Beach, and the remains
of the Minoan palace at Zakros.
Zakros
South-Eastern Crete
Ierapetra, Europe’s southernmost town, is the largest on the
south coast, with some fine beaches in small untouristy resorts on either side.
Here on the south coast it’s a total contrast to the busy resorts on the north
coast.
Our Pick of the Crete Guides
Other Crete pages
Margarites is known on Crete for its pottery, with ceramics shops and workshops lining the streets of this charming small town not far from Rethymnon.
These shopping tips for Crete include advice on buying souvenirs like ceramics, icons, jewellery, leather, weavings, wood carvings, and food and drink.
Western Crete has some wonderful golden sand beaches as well as mountain villages, monasteries, caves, and archaeological sites to discover.
The Byzantine Church of Panagía Kerá near Kritsa and not far from Ayios Nikolaos is one of the most famous in Crete, and close by is the site of Ancient Lato.
The most famous Cretan writers and artists include the painter El Greco and the author of Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis.
This Lasithi Plateau drive on Crete starts in Neapoli and ends in Malia, covering a distance of 80 km (50 miles) and taking two to three hours.
Ancient Gortina is an archaeological site in southern Crete famous for the church of Ayios Titos and for the Law Code inscribed here, the first in Europe.
Visiting Knossos near Iraklion is one of the best things to do on Crete, and this page has a history of the site with visitor information.
Greece Travel Secrets tours the Lyrarakis Winery on Crete and learns about Crete grape varieties such as plyto, dafni, vidiano, vilana, mandilari and kotsifali.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Crete Botanical Gardens near Chania and finds a wonderland of colourful plants, trees, and flowers filling a lovely valley.
What was daily life as a Minoan like on Crete, living in palaces like the ones at Knossos, Malia, Phaistos, and Zakros, and what were their religious beliefs?
Greece Travel Secrets visits Crete and learns about making rakomelo from Jorgos Kourmoulis in Agouseliana.
The best things to do on Crete and top things to see include the Samaria Gorge, the Minoan Palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the towns of Chania and Rethymnon.
Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
Crete’s wildlife and landscape are two of the island’s attractions, including gorges for hiking, rare raptors like the lammergeier, wildcats and ancient trees.
The Snails House in Plouti near Phaistos in southern Crete serves the Cretan delicacy of snails, cooked in several different ways.
Greece Travel Secrets eats at Vegera in Zaros and finds a cheap but wonderful feast of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes cooked daily with fresh local food.
Keramos Studios in Zaros on Crete is an inexpensive two-star hotel/guesthouse with one of the best breakfasts on the island using food from the family’s farm.
Is someone from Crete a Greek or a Cretan? They are both, of course, but most will tell you that they are Cretan first and Greek second.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Irakleio, the capital of Crete, including nearby beach resort hotels and accommodation in the city centre.
The largest of the Greek islands, Crete has four ENUESCO sites, which are Sitia, Psiloritis, Asterousia, and the Gorge of Samaria.
For a Crete olive oil tour Greece Travel Secrets visits Biolea, one of the few olive oil factories on Crete that you can visit.
Cretan music is part of the island’s soul and visitors will hear live music wherever they go, with several distinctive Cretan musical instruments and songs.
We visit and tour the Manousakis Winery on Crete with a wine-tasting and a chance to buy their tsikoudia, sea salt, olive oil and other goodies.
Ancient Gournia is a Minoan archaeological site between Agios Nikolaos and Sitia in Eastern Crete where the visitor can see evidence of a maze of back streets.
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