Lassithi Ierapetra

More about Ierapetra

Ierapetra offers a lot of things to see and do. Its small port is particularly impressive, as it is adorned by the ruins of the Venetian Kales fortress, which was built in the 13th century AD and now hosts cultural events. Around the city, there are numerous other monuments, such as the beautiful Turkish mosque and the Ottoman fountain in the old town, or the fine Church of Afentis Christos. This church was built in the 14th century and has some nice frescoes. It also boasts an interesting Archaeological Museum, while the old Town Hall houses the Ierapetra Digital Museum, which constitutes an attempt to showcase the cultural, as well as the natural wealth of Ierapetra and the surrounding area.

The wider region of the Ierapetra municipality is also renowned for its beautiful hiking trails and its spectacular gorges, being a true heaven for nature lovers and extreme sports enthusiasts. These gorges rank among the most beautiful ones in Crete and, apart from the Ha Gorge, which requires special canyoning equipment, most of them are fairly easy to cross. Other worth-exploring gorges include those of Havgas, Sarakina, Mylonas and Red Butterflies, which owes its name to the swarms of butterflies it is home to (though their number has been greatly reduced after the forest fire of 1993).

Plenty of tourist facilities can be found in Ierapetra, including accommodations of all kinds, bars, cafes and taverns, mostly concentrated in the harbor. Boat tours to the exotic island of Chrissi (or Gaidouronissi) are also organized from Ierapetra. In 2012, Ierapetra won the Gold Quality Coast award, ranking second among the top 100 chosen European destinations!