Explore Crete
SITÍA is the port and main town of the relatively unexploited eastern edge of Crete. It’s a pleasantly scenic, offering a plethora of waterside restaurants, a long sandy beach and a lazy lifestyle little affected even by the thousands of visitors in peak season. The town attracts a number of French, Italian and Greek tourists, and it grows on you, perhaps inviting a longer stay than intended. For entertainment there’s the town beach, providing good swimming, windsurfing and diving. In town there’s a small folklore museum (Mon–Fri 10am–1pm; €2), an excellent archeological museum (Tues–Sun 8.30am–3pm; €2) and a Venetian fort to explore. A colourful weekly market takes place on Tuesdays between 7am and 2pm along Odhós Itanou near the archeological museum.
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Island escape: Gaidhouronísi
Island escape: Gaidhouronísi
One way to escape the urban hubbub for a few hours is to take a boat to the island of Gaidhouronísi (aka Donkey Island or Chrissi Island ) some 10km out to sea from Ierápetra. No one seems to know how the 5km-long island got its name as there are no donkeys; instead you’ll find a cedar forest, the fabulous “Shell Beach” covered with millions of multicoloured mollusc shells, some good sandy beaches and a couple of tavernas. Excursion boats (May–Sept daily 10.30am & 12.30pm out, 4pm & 7pm return; €24, under-12s €12) leave from Ierápetra seafront harbour, and you can buy tickets on the boat or at any of the town travel agents in advance. The voyage to the island takes fifty minutes and the boats have an on-board bar.
