Sitia
Greece Travel Secrets discovers Sitia, the main town in eastern Crete,
with its relaxing waterfront, inexpensive hotels, good food, and nearby ancient
sites.
The Harbour at Sitia in Eastern Crete
We loved Sitia right from our very first visit. We'd driven
there from the wonderful Istron Bay Hotel, which we were sad to be leaving as
we think it's one of the best hotels on Crete. It's only an hour's drive but
it's a beautiful one with good winding roads and views of the mountains and
occasionally the sea.
Hotel Elysee in Sitia in Eastern Crete
We'd booked a room for a few nights at the Elysée Hotel,
right on the waterfront. Its two-star rating didn't bother us as we know that
in Greece you don't judge a hotel by how many stars it has. Two-star hotels can
be just as good as three-star and four-star hotels, and much cheaper.
The Elysée was perfectly clean and comfortable, we got a
room at the front with a balcony overlooking the sea, and the owner immediately
took us under his wing, introducing us to his delightful wife and young
children. It was the Easter weekend and he invited us to watch some of the
processions with him and his family, giving us a better insight into Greek
Easter customs.
Mountain Scenery near Sitia in Eastern Crete
Where to Stay in
Sitia
The Elysée was excellent and we'd definitely recommend it,
but to be honest there were two other two-star hotels along the same seafront
promenade - the Itanos and the Flisvos - and I bet we'd have been happy in
either of them.
We were soon wandering along the seafront and looking
forward to having Sitia as our base for a while. Even though it was Easter, the
town seemed very quiet, certainly compared to bigger places like Agios Nikolaos,
where we'd been earlier in the week. Sitia has a much more-laid back and
relaxed feel to it than most places. It's got a bit busier since we were first
there, but not much.
Our Pick of the Crete Guides
What to Do in Sitia
Archaeological Museum
Sitia's Archaeological Museum is excellent, helped by the
fact that there are a number of fine Minoan sites in the area. That's another
reason we chose to stay there for a few days, as Sitia makes a good base for
touring this part of Eastern Crete.
There's information about the Palace of Zakros, too, which
is about an hour's drive from Sitia on the east coast. It's one of our
favourite spots on Crete.
Scenery near Sitia in Eastern Crete
Folklore Museum
This was founded in 1975 and is in a beautiful building.
It's worth a look-in to see its collections of traditional costumes, textiles, icons,
kitchen items, furniture and especially (for us) musical instruments.
Taverna Tables in Sitia
Where to Eat in Sitia
Our absolute favourite place to eat in Sitia was a
restaurant called The Balcony, but we won't tell you how good it was because it
closed not long ago. Very sad.
When we didn't eat at The Balcony we simply walked along the
waterfront and checked out the menus and daily specials. We liked Sitia because
no-one was standing outside the restaurants trying to persuade you to come in,
which can become an irritation in bigger and busier places like Chania and
Rethymnon.
Sitia Cat
Sitia Tourist Office
Karamanli Street
Tel.: +30 28430 28300
Some other Crete pages
Sir Arthur Evans is the archaeologist famous for the excavations he made at the royal palace of Knossos on Crete.
This Amari Valley drive in southern Crete starts and ends in Ayia Galini, takes four to five hours and cover 100 kilometres or 62 miles.
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.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Zacharioudakis Winery near Ancient Gortina in southern Crete, and does a vineyard tour arranged by our guide from Go Crete.
Agios Nikolaos is a pretty and popular town on the north coast of Crete and this page on Greece Travel Secrets covers its history, museums and beaches.
This olive grove walk from Limnes to Vrises on Crete also takes you through orchards and gives close-up views of some of the island’s windmills.
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.
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.
Greece Travel Secrets suggests where to stay in Eastern Crete with our favourite hotels in Zakros, Elounds, Sitia, Agios Nikolaos, Istron Bay, Myrtos, Neapolis.
Crete festivals and events include Carnival Easter, Whitsun, Christmas, many other religious feast days and public holidays.
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?
This Airbnb in the quiet village of Malaxa, a 30-minute drive into the hills above Chania, is a peaceful retreat with a delightful and thoughtful artist owner, with wonderful views and amenities.
The Snails House in Plouti near Phaistos in southern Crete serves the Cretan delicacy of snails, cooked in several different ways.
How to see eastern Crete in five days, with its beaches, Minoan palaces, timeless villages, unique churches and mountain and coastal scenery.
Greece Travel Secrets goes hiking in southwest Crete with Ramblers Walking Holidays based in Paleohora and hiking the E4 footpath and to Anidri and Azogires.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Cretan Botano herbs and spices shop near Matala in southern Crete in search of the herb man of Kouses.
These shopping tips for Crete include advice on buying souvenirs like ceramics, icons, jewellery, leather, weavings, wood carvings, and food and drink.
The largest of the Greek islands, Crete has four ENUESCO sites, which are Sitia, Psiloritis, Asterousia, and the Gorge of Samaria.
Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
Western Crete in five days allows time to visit Chania and Rethymnon, enjoy the beaches, hike the Samaria Gorge and see the monasteries at Arkadi and Preveli.
Greece Travel Secrets visits Visual Arts Crete who offer accommodation and run art courses at their home and studio in the village of Kastellos near Rethymnon.
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.
This Rouvas Gorge walk starts and ends in Zaros in southern Crete and should take three to four hours with a distance of eight kilometres or five miles.
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.
Western Crete has some wonderful golden sand beaches as well as mountain villages, monasteries, caves, and archaeological sites to discover.
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