Itanos Beaches


North of Vaï and reached on foot or by car, Itanos is a trio of small, pretty beaches watched over by the ruins of the ancient Graeco-Roman town of Itanos. Aside from a taverna a bit inland, there's no infrastructure, and the beaches rarely get crowded.


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Nearby attractions

1. Ancient Itanos

0.08 MILES

About 3km north of Vaï, vestiges of the Graeco-Roman port of Itanos overlook a trio of beaches. Itanos was once an important settlement in eastern Crete…

2. Vaï

0.72 MILES

The beach at Vaï, 24km northeast of Sitia, is famous for its large grove of Phoenix theophrasti (Cretan date) palms. With calm, clear waters, it's one of…

3. Moni Toplou

3.98 MILES

In splendid isolation on a windswept plateau, 15th-century fortified Moni Toplou is one of the most historically significant monasteries in Crete. Its…

4. Kouremenos Beach

4.14 MILES

Kouremenos, about 7km south of Vaï and 3km northeast of Palekastro, is a long, grey sand-and-pebble beach with good shallow-water swimming, although it's…

5. Folk Museum of Palekastro

4.63 MILES

Tucked away in a backstreet and signposted from the main road, this compact and well-presented museum occupies a traditional Cretan manor house, with…

6. Hiona Beach

4.72 MILES

Hiona Beach, 2.5km east of Palekastro, is a quiet sweep of of coarse sand and pebbles backed by clumps of tamarisk trees. It's overlooked by two excellent…

7. Sitia City Beach

9.52 MILES

Sitia's city beach has mostly greyish sand and is lapped by crystalline, kid-friendly waters. Since it extends a couple of kilometres south of the town…

8. Kazarma Fortress

9.54 MILES

Looming high on the hillside above the port, Kazarma (derived from the Italian Casa di Arma) was built by the Venetians in the 13th century but destroyed …