4.7out of 5 on Google
Crete· Λασίθι
Lasithi & the east
Agios Nikolaos and Elounda on the Mirabello gulf, the palm forest at Vai, and the emptiest roads on Crete once you pass Sitia.
- 🏛️ 4 attractions
- 🏖️ 7 beaches
- 🍽️ 4 restaurants & tavernas
- 🛏️ 4 where to stay
- 🍸 3 beach clubs & nightlife
- Luxury
- Peace & quiet
- Beaches
Elounda is where Crete keeps its expensive hotels, strung along a sheltered gulf facing the fortress island of Spinalonga. Agios Nikolaos next door is the town version: a lake joined to the sea, tavernas around it, and a life that does not stop in winter.
East of Sitia the island empties. Vai has the only natural palm forest in Europe and a car park that fills by eleven; Xerokambos and Kato Zakros have neither. From Heraklion airport, reckon on an hour and a half to Elounda and three to Zakros.
🏛️ Lasithi & the east
Attractions · Lasithi & the east
🏖️ Lasithi & the east
Beaches · Lasithi & the east
🍽️ Lasithi & the east
Restaurants & tavernas · Lasithi & the east
🛏️ Lasithi & the east
Where to stay · Lasithi & the east
🍸 Lasithi & the east
Beach clubs & nightlife · Lasithi & the east
4.6out of 5 on Google
4.6out of 5 on Google
4.6out of 5 on Googlebeach club
2,428 reviews
Beach club
Closed · opens 09:00
Hotels on the map · Lasithi & the east
Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, studios and villas — so you can judge the distance to the beach, the port or the village from here rather than guess from an address.
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Partner links · GetYourGuide
Tours and day trips from here
Boat trips, guided tours of the ancient sites and tickets bookable ahead — free cancellation on most.
- Balos lagoon & GramvousaThe boat from Kissamos avoids the long dirt road to Balos and adds the Venetian fortress on Gramvousa.See boat trips →
- Samaria Gorge hikeA long, all-day downhill walk to the Libyan Sea, open only in the warm season. Organised trips solve the logistics at both ends, including the boat out.See guided tours →
- Knossos, skip the lineThe Minoan palace outside Heraklion is busiest mid-morning; a guide makes sense of the partial reconstructions.Check tickets →
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Where to stay
The other parts of Crete
Chania & the westThe Venetian harbour, the Samaria gorge and the lagoons of the far west — Balos and Elafonissi. The prettiest base on the island, and the furthest from Heraklion airport.6 attractions · 6 beaches · 8 restaurants & tavernas · 4 where to stay · 5 beach clubs & nightlife- RethymnoA Venetian old town with a Fortezza above it and a long sandy beach running east from the edge of the centre. The middle of the island, so nothing is far.7 attractions · 13 beaches · 8 restaurants & tavernas · 11 where to stay · 3 beach clubs & nightlife
- Heraklion & KnossosThe island's capital and its airport, with Knossos on the edge of town and the Archaeological Museum that holds everything found there.7 attractions · 6 beaches · 6 restaurants & tavernas · 7 where to stay · 3 beach clubs & nightlife
Before you go
Car hire from local firmsIsland rental companies rather than the international desks — usually cheaper, often with full insurance and no card deposit. On Crete, Kefalonia or Naxos a car is what gets you to the beaches the buses do not reach.Compare local cars →Scooter, ATV & bike hireThe classic island runabout for coves and hilltop villages. Wear the helmet, check what the insurance excludes, and be honest about gravel roads — they are where most rental accidents happen.Find a scooter →Car hire, budgetAn aggregator that tends to surface the lowest headline prices. Read the fuel, insurance and ferry clauses — many contracts do not allow the car on a boat.Compare prices →
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