Elounda, Crete Agios Nikolaos, is the capital of the Lassithi
province of Crete. It is built around a picturesque lake.
The Port of Sitia to the east, the cosmopolitan Elounda, with its
high level of tourist infrastructure, and the town of Ierapetra,
southeast at the narrowest point of the island, are also welcoming
you. The beautiful plateau of Lassithi, ornated by its many villages
and hundreds of windmills, relics of a not so remote past when Man
and Nature coexisted in much more reverent terms, the famous
palm-tree forest in Vai, are just some of the beauties that the
county of Lassithi has to offer.
Dikteon Andro cave:
It is the cave where, according to mythology, Zeus was born and it
is situated above the village of Psichro, at an altitude of 1,025 m.
In this splendid cave, Rea took refuge and with the help of the
mother of the Earth, she gave birth to the divine newborn, Zeus,
saving him from his father, Cronos, who facing the danger that one
of his children may take the power, ate every child that Rea gave
birth to. There, Zeus was nursed, according to the mythology, by the
goat Amalthia and in order to venerate her he made her horn a
universal symbol of abundance. (According to another legend, Zeus
was born in Idaean cave in Rethymno county)
Spinalonga:
Lato Etera:
The Dorean town of Lato was built between the 7th and 3rd century
BC and it was named Etera in order to be distinguished from Lato to
Kamara, the ancient city of Agios Nikolaos, which was its port. From
this city, which has been widely excavated, was the Chief Admiral of
Alexander the Great, Nearchos, who in 326 BC was in the head of its
fleet.
Vai:
Ha Gorge:
In front of the beautiful village of Vassiliki, Ierapetra. Rare
morphological phenomenon of nature in all Europe. The bigger gorge
of Europe (height 700m., basis opening 8 m.). Behind the gorge a
canyon is formatted which is inaccessible from the entry of the
gorge, due to the small lakes which are created and which make the
canyon a rare aquatic place.
Archaeological Museum in Sitia:
Exhibits from the periods 3500 BC to 500 AD. The oldest artifacts
come from the wider region of Sitia. The museum is divided into five
chronological parts and displays include a valuable collection of
vases, clay tablets in Linear A script that were found in the
archives at Zakros, figurines from hill-top sacred sites, a grape
press from the neo-palatial period and a Hellenistic wheat mill.
Agios Nikolaos
This picturesque and busy town is a heaven for anyone seeking a
lively, fun filled holiday. Combining considerable local flavour
with a good variety of tourist amenities, the resort focuses on its
'bottomless lake' lined with cafe bars and tavemas.
There are sand, shingle and pebble beaches in various bays around
-the best of which is Almyros (3 km away), with a range of water
sports.
Elounda
Just along the coast, the village of Plaka has a shingle beach
suitable for snorkeling and a spectacular view of the uninhabited
island of Spinalonga with its Venetian castle. Visitors can take the
boat across from both Elounda and Aghios Nikolaos.
Ierapetra
Ierapetra is the ideal starting point for unlimited excursions to
the picturesque mountain and seaside Ierapetra provinces.
From Ierapetra's port are departures to the beautiful, uninhabitant
island of Hryssi (or Gaidouronissi - donkey island). The island is
located 8 miles away from Ierapetra's coasts, in the Libyan sea.
Hryssi, (5 km long by 1 km wide) is almost flat with colorful
volcanic rocks covered in gold sand, purple shells and sand
dunes.
Istron
Istron bay is located along the road to Sitia. The village of
Istron (or Istro) is really an extension of the village of Kalo
Horio located further inland. There is a choice of three good sand
and pebble beaches, shaded by tamarisk trees and protected from
wind.
When on the beach, you can see the ruins of an ancient settlement
in the sea, which is believed by archaeologists to be the place
where ships were built during Minoan times.
Kato Zakros
The Minoan palace of Zakros near the beautiful beach was built
around 1600 BC and it was ruined at the same time with the other
Minoan palaces of Crete, probably because of the explosion of the
volcano in Thira - Santorini today, in 1450. The floor plan of the
palace is similar with the other palaces in Crete and it was not
found despoiled.
Kritsa
Lassithi Plateau
In the village of Agios Georgios there is a folklore museum
containing a large amount of exhibits, which are of cultural
interest. A few meters away from the Folklore Museum operates the
commemorative museum of Eleftherios Venizelos. It exhibits
photographic materials and other historical documents relating to
Eleftherios Venizelos, from the period of his birth through his
involvement in politics as Minister for the State of Crete and later
as Prime Minister of Greece, until the time of his death.
Makri Yialos (30 Km east of Ierapetra)
Makri Gialos was once a tiny fishing village, but has now become
popular resort due to the friendly local hospitality. It is a choice
for those seeking quiet holidays,and visitors returning year after
year. The name Makri Gialos means "long beach", which indeed it is
the long sandy beach with crystal clear and shallow waters. The
beach is lined with a wide range of taverns.
Milatos
Places to visit include the natural underground cave with rare
stalactite combinations and the historical cave on the eastern part
of the village where you can enjoy the unique view of the gorge
underneath it.
Pachia Ammos
is a coastal village with a small harbour and a long sandy beach.
Within a few distance from Pahia Ammos there is the famous
archaeological site of Gournia (2 Km from Pahia Ammos) The location
owes its name to the numerous small antique basins, its ancient name
is not known.
Palekastro
In recent years, Palekastro became the center for wind surfing at
the beach of Kouremenos. With the north winds often blowing, the
naturally clean beach and surrounding waters make the Beach of
Palekastro one of the most popular beach in Greece.
8km away from Palekastro is situated the aesthetic palm tree forest
Vai (picture above). It is a unique biosphere that is surrounded by
the endemic, Phoenix of Theophrastos palm tree. It is the largest
and most beautiful palm groove in Europe.
Sissi
Only 30 minutes from Agios Nikolaos and situated between Malia and
Milatos, this small resort offers an excellent choice for a slow
relaxing paced holiday with its pretty harbour and narrow streets. Sissi has shingle and sandy beach.
Sitia (or Siteia)
Siteia Sitia is a picturesque town, amphitheatrically built into
the sheltered corner of the bay of Sitia. It is located at the far
north eastern end of Crete, it has an airport and a port in direct
contact with Piraeus and the islands of the South East Aegean
(Karpathos). Sitia is famous for the long beaches with fine sand and
for its mild climate, its hospitable fun loving sociable people and
for its fine wines.
Xerokambos
A beautiful place, a valley of green olive trees, fig trees, almond
trees, tamarisks, and Mediterranean plants which have been completed
by a variety of sub-tropical species, due to the mildness of the
climate and the under earth springs which ensure the ideal
surrounding for their growth.
It is a quiet place, beautiful with sandy coves and turquoise
waters.