Ierapetra

The town of Ierapetra has been in existence since ancient times, when it had important trade links with North Africa. Roman remains, a Venetian fort, a Turkish mosque and minaret still exist.

In the centre of the town there is a long promenade with lots of shops, tavernas and hotels, and the little harbour with its Venetian fort. Many of the local inhabitants of the area around Ierapetra work in agriculture, and so it is common to see the long greenhouses for growing vegetables, while inland there are lovely pine forests and olive groves. The kilometre long sand and shingle beach with numerous attractive little coves, has two beaches which have been awarded a Blue Flag. Near to Ierapetra, there are many villages. The region of Ierapetra lends itself particularly for walking, or for boat trips to the nearby bays, to the golden Island of ‘Crisi” or Koufonisi with its unusual crushed-shell beaches. There are many interesting outings to be made, for example a visit to Agios Nikolaos, to the vast Lassithi Plain with its windmills, to the Butterfly Gorge or to the beautiful palm strewn beach at Vai.