Sitia Resort

Sitia is the easternmost town on Crete with a beautiful beach and white-plastered edifices. It is the birthplace of the writer Vintsentzos Kornaros, the author of the epic poem Erotokritos. About 5 km north of the resort, there is an airport with flights to Athens and the islands of Karpathos and Kasos.

What to do in Sitia

Above the town, you will find a partially restored Venetian fortress which now serves for theatre and music festivals. Sitia has an archaeological museum with findings from the Minoan palace of Kato Zakros, and a Museum of Folk Architecture with exhibits from the 18th and 19th century. The town has its picturesque streets with the craftsmen´s workrooms, old shops, and fruits and vegetables are sold directly in the streets.

Sitia surroundings

In the close surroundings of the resort, you can visit several archaeological sites - in the south-east, the Minoan farms of Piskokéfalon, Zu and Ríza, in the south the Mycenaean dome tomb close to Achladi. 5 km further in the east, you will find Agia Fotia, ´the town of the dead´ - a vast Minoan necropolis, and after 16 more kilometres in the east, you can visit the fortified Moni Toplou monastery from the 17th century. About 23 km east of Sitia, you will find Paleokastro - the ruins of a Minoan settlement. When driving towards the south-east on a romantic road, after about 45 km you will arrive at the partially uncovered ruins of the town of Kato Zakros - including the archaeological findings of the Minoan palace of Kato Zakros.

History of Sitia

In the ancient times, the town was called Eteia. Sitia has an old Venetian port and a dominant Venetian fortress. The town was destroyed a lot by earthquakes in 1303 and 1508, and pirate attacks. In 1538, it was ravaged by the Ottoman fleet of Chaereddin Barbarossa and it remained abandoned for almost two centuries.

Where else to go on Crete?

Some of the most visited resorts on Crete are: Adelianos Kampos, Agia Fotia, Agia Galini, Agia Marina, Agia Pelagia, Agios Nikolaos, Achlia, Amoudara (West of Heraklion), Analipsi, Anissaras, Bali, Damnoni, Erimoupoli, Ferma, Fodele, Galini, Georgioupolis, Gouves (Kato Gouves), Heraklion, Hersonissos, Chania, Ierapetra, Kavros, Elounda, Kalamaki, Kissamos, Kokkini Hani, Kolymbari, Lygaria, Makrigialos, Maleme, Malia, Matala, Mirtos, Missiria, Paleochora, Panormos, Perivolia, Pigianos Kambos, Plakias, Platanias (Chania), Rapaniana, Rethymno, Sissi, Skaleta, Stalida - Stalis, Stalos, Stavromenos and Stavros,