During our 2021 holiday to Crete, we spent quite a bit of time in the eastern part of the island- around Sitia. This was our first time visiting the east- and we found ourselves quite busy during this part of the trip. We visited various museums, archaelogical sites, did hikes and much more. Compared to some of the other towns and cities in Crete, we found Sitia to be much less touristy and perhaps still developing. However, we very much enjoyed the quieter streets and slower way of life here, whilst still having a lot to see and do!
In this blog post, we’ve set out just a few of our favourite things and some recommendations. We have now done quite a number of trips to Crete, so do check out our other blog posts here.
Seafront at Sitia
A day exploring the town of Sitia
We always visit a couple of museums on our trips, and our stay at Sitia was no different. We visited the Archaelogial Museum of Sitia. It is located in the center of the town, and has a good collection of various finds- ranging from excavations in Sitia itself, to excavations in Lasithi and elsewhere. We spent around an hour or so walking around, and found the museum easy to navigate.
Minoan Pithoi- Sitia Archaeological Museum
The majority of the signs had English translations and descriptions- so it made for a very informative visit. In the exhibition, you can see various seals, statues, pots, utensils and much more- all fascinating to look at, knowing these are from quite some time ago!
Above: Minoan lamps- Sitia Archaeological Museum
Right: Palekastro Kouros- Sitia Archaeological Museum
We would suggest visiting this musem before heading to nearby archaelogical sites to give a bit more context and history. To find out more about visiting the museum and opening times, click here.
Seals from Petras- Sitia Archaeological Museum
Kazarma Fortress – Sitia
Kazarma Fortress
Whilst walking around Sitia, you will come across the beach, marina and cute streets. There are also a number of steps dotted around- including the steps of Hercules. We suggest you spend a bit of time walking around and exploring, but there is one sight definitely worth checking out – the Kazarma Fortress.
This is a Venitian fortress, believed to have been built in around the 13th century when the island was ruled by Venetians. In fact, the whole city used to be walled, but now only the fortress remains. There is not too much to see in the fortress but it is worth a quick visit- to appreciate the grandeur of the fortress, but also admire the views of Sitia down below.
Above: Entrance to the Kazarma Fortress – Sitia
Right: Views out to the harbour from the Kazarma Fortress -Sitia
Below: Courtyard in Kazarma Fortress- Sitia
Ruins at the Petras Minoan Palace- Sitia
Petras Minoan Palace
During our visit to Sitia, we were very lucky to be able to visit the Petras Minoan Palace. The palace is usually closed, but we asked at the Archaelogical museum on how we could visit- and were able to come by the palace when there was some maintenance being done on another day. Petras is located just outside Sitia and is a short drive away.
Information board at the Petras Minoan Palace – Sitia
Remains of walls at the Petras Minoan Palace
Views towards Sitia from the Petras Minoan Palace
Not quite as prominent or famous as Knossos or Zakros, Petras was excavated in 1985- 1997, is smaller in size, and was destroyed and rebuilt on numerous occasions.
Whilst walking around, there are a number of signs indicating what the various ruins – ranging from houses to palace walls. There also used to be a Venetian watch tower on site, having visual contact with the Kazarma Fortress in the town of Sitia itself.
As well as exploring Sitia, there are many other day trips you can do. Below we’ve listed the places we visited- and our recommendations.
Palm trees- Vai beach
Ruins at the Ancient City of Itamos
Toplou Monastery and Vai Palm Beach
Located a short drive away from Sitia, you can find a beautiful Monastery, as well as a beach full of Palm trees and crystal blue waters. You can also find some ancient ruins nearby- and a more secluded beach!
We’d definitely recommend a day trip here- check out our blog post here on what we would recommend you do and see.
Entrance to Toplou Monastery
Zakros- hiking the Gorge of the Dead
We did a day trip from Sitia to Zakros- the Gorge of the Dead. This is a well known hiking route, along the E4 route. It is well signposted and easy to get to by car, so if you are into hiking we would certainly recommend! Given the numerous photos we took during the hike, as well as the visit to the Ancient Palace of Zakros, we’ve decided to put together another blog post on hiking this gorge- click here to read more!
Caves at Zakros Gorge
Hiking the Richtis Gorge
As we enjoyed the Gorge of the dead so much, we decided to also do the Richtis Gorge hike during this visit to Crete. With the parking for the Gorge/start of the hike located just a 15 minute drive from Sitia, this makes for a very nice day out. The hike itself is around 4km in lengh one way, and is mostly moderate in terms of difficulty. The path is well marked, and we found a number of others hikers were also doing this route- so we just followed them. From the parking spots on the side of the road, follow a path down and then the hike itself starts in a forest- in shade. The route then makes its way down towards the coast, passing an impressive waterfall half-way through that is well placed for a refreshing dip. The path then continues on and takes you through a more arid, less-shaded plain, before reaching the sea.
Above: Lachanas bridge along the Richtis Gorge hike
Below: A waterfall along the Richtis Gorge hike
Above: The starting point of the Richtis Gorge hike
Below: The route along the Richtis Gorge hike
To note, there is also parking nearer to the beach, so there are numerous options for hiking the gorge- you can either do it towards the sea, or start at the sea and hike up and then back down, completely up to you. Just be sure to have enough water and snacks with you (and suncream if it is sunny). To find out more about Richtis Gorge, click here.
The beach at the end of the Richtis Gorge hike
Above: Map of Palekastro Minoan Town
Below: Excavations at the Palekastro Minoan Town
Palekastro Minoan Town
On our penultimate day in Sitia, we decided to visit yet another Minoan site- in Palekastro. Located around a half -hour’s drive from Sitia (and close to a beautiful beach), this would make for a great morning activity if you are into archaelogy. We didn’t spend that long walking around as there was not too much to see- given excavations are still ongoing.
Although there were a few signs/information boards, the site is not as big as Gournia for example, but still worth having a quick look around. Excavations here begun in 1902 for a few years, and then again in the 1960s and the discovery of the town is a very useful to help build a picture of every day Minoan life.
The town itself dates back to the Bronze ages, which is incredible given you can still see clearly some of the road outlines, the wells, the houses. A number of important objects were discovered here- including the Palekastro Kouros- which can be seen in the archaeological museum in Sitia (see photo above). To find out more about Palekastro, click here.
Hiona taverna in Palekastro
Located a short distance away on the seafront you can find Hiona taverna. We stopped by here for lunch and had some of the best fresh seafood of our trip- so would very much recommend! See below for some photos.
Above: walls and wells at Palekastro Minoan Town
Archaelogical site of Gournia
Located about an hours’ drive from Sitia lies the archaelogical site of Gournia. This is the most well preserved Minoan town in Crete, and certainly worth stopping at if you are into archaelogy. Entrance is only 2 euros (but please note- they didn’t take cards at the time of our visit, only cash). You can easily spend a couple of hours walking around, reading the various information boards and taking in the ruins. If you don’t manage to stop by the site itself, you can stop on the E75 route if driving towards Sitia, and the site will be spread below you like a map, giving you a great bird’s eye view overall.
Excavations at the site began in around 1901, and when walking around today you can see the cobbled streets which pass by the houses, various industrial areas, including production of clay vases and pottery kilns, and houses for bronze working.
Above, below and left: remains at Gournia
You can also see the remains of the palace- which looks similar to those seen in Knossos and elsewhere on the island, also with store-rooms, an altar and a reception hall. A number of impressive objects were found here- including a stone object with bulls horns, as well as jars and seals. Most of these can be seen on display in the Archaelogical Museum of Heraklion. To find out more about visiting Heraklion (and Knossos), read here and to read more about Gournia itself, click here.
Views over Gournia
Overall, we had a very busy, yet enjoyable week in eastern Crete- ranging from hikes to archaelogical sites. There is a lot more here to discover and explore- and we hope this blog post just gives you a few ideas of what you can do on the island.
Do check out our other blog posts on Crete- from visiting Elafonisi and Balos to Spili and Loutro.
Our favourite food in Sitia and surroundings
Aeroinon restaurant, Piskokefalo
If you are looking for somewhere really good to eat, we came across Aeroinon restaurant- located just a short drive from Sitia in Piskokefalo. The food was incredible- we had some mezes to start, followed by loads of roasted meat. We would highly recommend it!
Palm Beach Vai Restaurant, Vai
After a bit of time in the sun in Vai beach, we went to the nearest restaurant for some lunch. Given this is a small restaurant and located on the beach, we were really impressed at how good the food was, and would certainly recommend it!
Hiona taverna, Palekastro
We popped into Hiona taverna when visiting the Palekastro Minoan Town on a day trip. The restaurant served amazing, fresh seafood and is definitely worth checking out!
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