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
Malia on the north coast of Crete is renowned for its nightlife and beaches but also has the Minoan Palace of Malia, one of Crete's many archaeological sites.
The best Crete hotels include 5-star luxury hotels, historic and romantic Venetian palaces, and several hotels in Hania and Iraklion.
This drive along the west coast of Crete and inland from there will take a whole day and starts and ends in Kastélli Kissámou, west of Chania.
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.
Visiting the Arkadi Monastery near Rethymnon is one of the best things to do on Crete.
The area east from Paleohora along the south-west coast of Crete includes resorts like Agia Galini, gorges like the Imbros Gorge and quieter towns like Sfakia.
Greece Travel Secrets page on Phaistos or Faistos, the site of one of the finest Minoan palaces on Crete and is where the mysterious Phaistos Disc was found.
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 Dalabelos Estate offers luxury eco-tourism accommodation on Crete in the hills near Rethymnon with its own farm, vineyard and olive groves.
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.
The largest of the Greek islands, Crete has four ENUESCO sites, which are Sitia, Psiloritis, Asterousia, and the Gorge of Samaria.
Matala Beach on Crete is a guest blog for Greece Travel Secrets from the We Love Crete website, inviting you to Awaken Your Inner Hippy in Matala, Crete.
Greece Travel Secrets chooses ten of the best beaches on Crete including the beautiful beaches at Vai and Elafonisi.
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.
Western Crete has some wonderful golden sand beaches as well as mountain villages, monasteries, caves, and archaeological sites to discover.
Studies have shown the Cretan Diet as one of the healthiest in the world, involving lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh fish, and moderate amounts of wine.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Cretan Botano herbs and spices shop near Matala in southern Crete in search of the herb man of Kouses.
Crete festivals and events include Carnival Easter, Whitsun, Christmas, many other religious feast days and public holidays.
Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
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.
Rethymnon is the third-largest city in Crete and has a Venetian fortress, Archaeological Museum, Old Town area and Venetian harbour,
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.
Driving central Crete in three days gives you time to see the highlights including the Minoan palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the beaches and the Diktean Cave.
How to make Petimezi, the sweet Cretan syrup made from wine must, is explained to Greece Travel Secrets.
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.
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