Lassithi Sightseeing, Crete
If you are a history aficionado, Crete is the perfect holiday spot. Lassithi offers a great number of excellent sites to visit. Just grab your map of Crete and go for sightseeing in Lassithi. Located close to the Elounda Palm Hotel in Elounda, is the Ancient Site of Olous (the ancient name of Elounda), which is beneath the water and a perfect place to explore while snorkeling. Next, you can visit the impressive monasteries and churches, the Paleo-Christian Basilica and the stone windmills.
Just a 30-minute walk from Elounda is Kolokytha, a splendid area for swimming, near the ruins of the historical Church of Agios Fokas. From the traditional village of Mavrikiano, which you can reach in 20 minutes on foot from Elounda Palm Hotel, visitors are offered an exquisite view. The island of Spinalonga, host to a wonderful Venetian fortress, can be reached by tour boat from Elounda Bay.
The rest of the Lassithi prefecture is also impressive. The Minoan Palaces in Zakros, the Ancient Cities in Itanos, Praisos and Driros and the Minoan settlements of Myrtos, Hamezi, Palekastro, Pachia Ammos, Makrygialos and Gournia, rival even the famous Knossos and Phaistos Minoan Palaces in Heraklion.
To see some of the wonderful archaeological finds, we suggest visiting the Archaeological Museums in Agios Nikolaos, Sitia and Ierapetra. For a taste of genuine Cretan life, you can tour the Folklore Museums in Agios Nikolaos, Sitia and Ierapetra.
Other interesting sites are the Toplou Monastery in Sitia, the Panagia Kera Byzantine Church in Kritsa, the Venetian Fortress "Kazarma" in Sitia and the Kales Fortress in Ierapetra.
If you like roaming through natural sites, you should include the spellbinding Palm Tree Forest in Vai, the stunning Milatos Cave and the beautiful Cha and Chavga Gorges in your touring schedule. No trip to Lassithi is complete without a stroll through the town of Agios Nikolaos to admire its lake and charming port.
