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
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.
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.
The Goules Taverna in Goulediana, south of Rethymnon, has been called one of the best tavernas on Crete and Greece Travel Secrets recently visited them.
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.
The Stilianou Winery near Knossos on Crete uses only Cretan grape varieties, with every bottle numbered, and aims for quality rather than quantity.
Rethymnon is the third-largest city in Crete and has a Venetian fortress, Archaeological Museum, Old Town area and Venetian harbour,
The best Crete hotels include 5-star luxury hotels, historic and romantic Venetian palaces, and several hotels in Hania and Iraklion.
Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
Visiting the Arkadi Monastery near Rethymnon is one of the best things to do on Crete.
Elounda on Crete's north coast is a popular holiday town with a pretty harbour, from where you can take day trips by boat to see the island of Spinalonga.
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.
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.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Eastern Crete including restaurants and tavernas in Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, and Kato Zakros.
The Battle of Crete during World War 2 inspired several books and took place with an airborne invasion over Maleme on the north coast of the island.
Western Crete has some wonderful golden sand beaches as well as mountain villages, monasteries, caves, and archaeological sites to discover.
Driving on Crete is the best way to see Greece’s biggest island and here is our driving advice and some information about Greek driving regulations.
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.
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.
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.
These shopping tips for Crete include advice on buying souvenirs like ceramics, icons, jewellery, leather, weavings, wood carvings, and food and drink.
Greece Travel Secrets discovers Sitia, the main town in eastern Crete, with its relaxing waterfront, inexpensive hotels, good food, and nearby ancient sites.
Icon painting is a centuries-old tradition in Crete and the rest of Greece, and Greece Travel Secrets meets a modern-day icon painter in Elounda on Crete.
For a Crete olive oil tour Greece Travel Secrets visits Biolea, one of the few olive oil factories on Crete that you can visit.
Greece Travel Secrets visits Crete and learns about making rakomelo from Jorgos Kourmoulis in Agouseliana.
Maleme near Chania is where the people who died during the battle of Crete are buried, in the German War Cemetery with the Commonwealth War Cemetery nearby.
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