Click on the map ( Thanks to www.westCrete.com ) for a more detailed plan of Eastern Crete. The "museums"  thumbnails will take you to my pages of the most important museums and the one for sites has some of the more famous monasteries as well as the better known archaeological sites in the region ( Thanks to the Greek Ministry of Culture's site: 'Odysseus'

Essential Links

The District of Aghios Nikolaos (Ag. Nik. to some, sadly!), commonly called Lassithi, is the furthest east of the four areas (nomoi) and the most popular with package tourists. Outside these tourist domains though Aghios Nikolaos as a region is remarkably unspoilt and is a fantastic area to take a walking holiday.

 Some of the towns and villages within the district are detailed below:

Thanks to Maraki for all her help. SJ

Aghios Ioannis    see Interkriti's Page

 Aghios Nikolaos itself is a very pretty town with a lovely harbour and a channel that cuts into the town, which can be easily crossed by a little bridge. It has a 'bottomless' lake 210 feet deep (sorry!) known  “Voulismeni”  and dozens of discos and bars. Originally called Lato Etera in Minoan times the port was also used by the Venetians but it's importance suffered as a result of another port being built at Elounda. Dozens of bars clubs and discos can be found here, so you won’t go thirsty but it is possible to find an underlying feel of “Greekness “ here  which you won’t find in the other “bartowns” of Stalis, Hersonissos and Malia.  There is always the "Fluffy Duck pub" if you feel like a bit of British company and the owners (Steve and Vicky) are very nice.

Accommodation:

Click on the image, to see the Mantraki apartments, which look very nice indeed!

Also:

Bousoulas apartments.  

The Museum   

See Interkriti's page  

See Interkriti's page to the Marina

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

Chamezi is a village where every September one can get involved in a festival called "Kazanemata" which is a celebration of the traditional distilling of that Cretan fire-water, raki (tsikoudhia).

Chrisopigi      The walk from Chrisopigi to Chandras is the penultimate stage in the E4 route, going East. The times and difficulty of this walk are not given but I would estimate around 4 hours of pretty straightforward stuff. I shall let you know in 2003. Nowhere to stay and not a great deal of reason too either! The E4  picks up straight through the village.  Oreino is far nicer and probably has accommodation as well as the three or four kafenioia

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

Chrissi Island   See Interkriti's page

The Diktean Cave On mount Diktean at over 1,000 metres above sea level, the Diktean cave is a must if you are in the area. Legend has it that the God Zeus was born here. There is an overwhelming feeling of eerieness here and whilst the cave's entrance is enormous, I wouldn't venture too far in if you are overtly claustrophobic. When you reach the back of the cave you will find a lake, which reflects the stalactites above, known as "the cloak of Zeus" Psychro - also on the E4 -in the Lassithi plateau, is the village closest to the Dikteian cave, makes a bit of a song-and-dance about it all, with signs pointing in the general direction of the cave. It is an important archaeological site, no -doubt, but the latest thinking is that "Dikteian Zeus'" birthplace, might well have been Palekastro.

Elounda (7 miles North of Aghios Nikolaos is primarily a tourist town. Personally I like it and a trip by boat to the erstwhile leper colony of Spinalonga is a must. The fortress was built to protect Elounda from invasion, in 1579. See Interkriti's pages

Gournia is about 10 miles East of East of Aghios Nikolaos  was a Minoan town dating back to the 16^th century B.C. The Ministry of Culture's page

 Ierapetra I have changed my mind about Ierapetra. I always used to think of it as a dirty, microcosm of Herakleion, but it actually does have quite a charm, especially around the town square. People here are friendly and there is a real feeling of Greekness about the place. I was once stranded there as a result of misinformation on the chances of getting a caique from there to Zakros on the East coast. In my experience this can’t be done. The Venetian Fortress here dates back to 1626. The Museum  See Interkriti's pages

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

Kalamafka See Interkriti's page

 Karfi Highly recommended is a trip up to the Minoan site of Karfi with it’s spectacular views, though it is quite a walk to get there.

Kasos is the place to visit for those with a need to hug a tree as the tree with the largest circumference in Europe can be found here.

Kritsa (7 miles inland from Aghios Nikalaos is worth visiting for the church of Panaghia Kera, where there are some beautiful Byzantine wall paintings and for the weaving activities that take place there. See Interkriti's pages

 The Lassithi Plateau at around 3,000 foot above sea level is a splendid area to pass a few days, though the wind sails are a bit of an eyesore to some. Personally I like them, they add a kind of other worldliness to the region, but they are the most peculiar sight. The old fashioned windmills that were such an attraction in the past have all but vanished as far as anything other than pretty remnants of a bye gone age in various villages. There are 20 villages altogether with accommodation available in some of them. The largest village is Tzermiado, which boasts a resident population of around 1500 people. Psiro too has accommodation and I have heard that it is rather nice but have yet to visit it, though I have followed the trail up to the Dikteon cave birthplace of Creto-Zeus. Jeanne Oliver recommends a walk from Tsermiando to Psiro which sounds rather good. Highly recommended by none other than me (the Rough Guide to Crete also speaks highly of it) is the Hotel Dias in Aghios Georgios . By no means luxurios, this is a good, old-fashioned, inexpensive, charmingly run (Niki and Manolis Hatzakis) hotel, with great food. The village itself is my favourite of all the ones that I have visited in Lassithi. The Windmills of Lassithi

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

Lefki Region Check out the Interkriti site to the following villages in the South Eastern Crete:

Moni Toplou is worth visiting for two reasons. In common with other monasteries its history has been linked with the struggle for freedom against oppressors and you can see from the architecture that the need for defence was paramount. The Ottomans finally stormed it in 1821, ironically the year of the outbreak of the Greek war of independence on the mainland. Resistance fighters were housed here during W.W.II, leading to Nazi reprisals including the execution of the abbot. The name itself is derived from the Turkish for “with a cannon”. The other reason for visiting is more fittingly religious with a fabulous 61 scene icon painted by Kornaros (not the author of Eritokritos) and dubbed “The Lord Though Art Great"  see the Greek Ministry of Culture's site

Makriyialos    Accommodation via the interkriti site: Ikaros Villas  and Creta Sun A nice place, though at first glance a bit(!) touristy, running-on from two or three other similar villages, the whole are has become a bit of a sprawl. Saying that, the food and accomodation is good, as is the beach and this is a nice place to spend a few days.

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

Myrtos is a nice small town about 15 KM's west of Ierapetra with some good tavernas and plenty of accommodation for those wishing to stay there. See Interkriti's pages

Papagianades See Interkriti's page   A nice village, which boasts a kafenion, a moving war(s) memorial and friendly patron. Worth a visit, though don't expect to leave thrilled skinny!

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

Pefki   See Interkriti's page

Plaka is a seaside village around 15 KM's East of Aghios Nikolaos.

Psyrcho cave     See The Ministry of Culture's page

Sissi    See Interkriti's Sissi page

Siteia (45 miles East of Aghios Nikolaos), the birthplace of the great Cretan poet Kornaros (author of Eritokritos), is a nice looking town, but a town is exactly what it is, so those after a quiet holiday may find it rather on the large size. If you make it there I can personally recommend the restaurant "Kali Kardia", though beware of the tsikhoudia! From the port of Siteia you can go to Karpathos and Rhodes by ferry and a new airport is on the verge of opening. The people of the Eastern side of Crete suffered less during W.W.II as a result of it being under Italian rather than German control - a somewhat better devil all round. Worth checking out is Interkriti's Siteia pages - Interkriti Siteia - and Dinos' Siteia pages.  The archaeolical museum is a must for two reasons. Firstly, there are a number of the rare "Linear A" script tablets (still undeciphered, but bearing more than a passing resemblance to the later "Greek" script of "Linear B"), and the fabulous "Palekastro Kouros", a statue, half a metre high, adorned of gold and ivory (Chriselaphantine)and a touch of burnt wood to boot...absolutely magical!

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

  Spinalonga (aka "the isle of tears") opposite Elounda was a leper colony for almost 50 years from 1903. Nowadays it is a tourist attraction and is visited more for the venetian built castle which dates back to 1579

         Vai Beach is a popular sandy beach in the North East corner of the island, if you are in the UK you may remember it from an advert for a certain chocolate bar with a coconut centre. Palm trees line the beach and bodies abound upon it especially during the high season

Vassiliki was a Early and Mid Minoan town, famous for its "Vassiliki style" pottery, with the "tea-pot" style earthenware. Can't find a place to stay here, which is a shame. The village is a delight, with the kafeneion set against a backdrop of mountains; close to the wonderful archaeological site, replete with "red house" and a small pond with coy (sic) carp. At least they were coy with me.

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

Vrahissi    See Interkriti's page

Xerokampos Is one of my favourite places to "get away from it all". It's small and far enough away from any main town or tourist development that only a few people venture here. A great beach and fabulous walks make Xerokampos an ideal escape.    Accommodation via the interkriti site: Liviko View described as "excellent" by the "Rough guide to Crete" and Ambelos Villas

A nice site to Xerokampos can be accessed by clicking the banner:

Zakros The site of Zakros on the east coast is a must. Alone among the Minoan sites, Zakros was found with its treasures unplundered and that all important archaeological word 'context' could be applied properly for the first time. Though the smallest of the great palaces Zagros’ importance as a port is evident and some superb artefacts have been found here, the most famous being the stone bull’s head is now housed in Heraklion museum. The site of Zakros is at Kato (lower) rather than Ano (higher) Zakros. The Site   Worth checking out is Interkriti's Zakros pages Interkriti Zakros  The tiny hamlet of Kato Zakros is well worth a visit, but accommodation is - like its shopping facilities - at a premium. Remember, if you smoke (filthy habit, but someone's got to do it!), buy your fags, before arriving. Ano Zakros is a terrific place. The hotel "Zakros" is basic but all one would need in a place such as this. The Kafeneia are plentiful and varied and the pizza restaurant is rather good. The E4 Route either starts or ends here, depending on the direction you are travelling. If you plan to walk it this is the link to the Kato Zakros to Chandras part.

Is, or shall be, part of my walk, currently being serialised for "Interkriti"

Essential Links:

Accommodation: This is for accommodation in Aghios Nikolaos:   Bousoulas apartments

All other Cretan links can be found here  

Climbing, mountaineering and walking Climbin'Crete and The Greek Mountaineering Club of Chania

Explore Crete Explore Crete An excellent generic Cretan Site

Interkriti    Interkriti   My favourite site to Crete

Add you link by e-mailing me: E-mail Jackson ; if deemed suitable, it'll cost you not a drachma nor  even a Euro.

If you like our Cretan pages you can  vote for us by clicking...HERE: ...Thanks a lot. S.J.