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.
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
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.
For a Crete olive oil tour Greece Travel Secrets visits Biolea, one of the few olive oil factories on Crete that you can visit.
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.
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.
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.
Chania is the main city in Western Crete with a lovely setting and a beautiful harbour as well as several museums.
Greece Travel Secrets chooses ten of the best beaches on Crete including the beautiful beaches at Vai and Elafonisi.
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.
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.
Visiting the Arkadi Monastery near Rethymnon is one of the best things to do on Crete.
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.
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.
Rethymnon is the third-largest city in Crete and has a Venetian fortress, Archaeological Museum, Old Town area and Venetian harbour,
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.
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 visits the Zacharioudakis Winery near Ancient Gortina in southern Crete, and does a vineyard tour arranged by our guide from Go Crete.
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.
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 recommends where to eat in Western Crete with tavernas and restaurants in Chania, Rethymnon, and Paleochora.
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.
The Stilianou Winery near Knossos on Crete uses only Cretan grape varieties, with every bottle numbered, and aims for quality rather than quantity.
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.
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.
Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
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.
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