Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Taverna Spinalonga
T
28410 41804.
With an outdoor
terrace facing the sea and island, this taverna has perhaps
the most economical fish meals, fresh from the day's catch.
Daily lunch & dinner.
PLÁKA
Taverna Giorgos
T
28410 41353,
W
giorgos-plaka.gr.
Serves good seafood, fish and traditional Cretan dishes on a
large terrace facing out to sea opposite Spinalónga island.
Daily lunch & dinner.
SHOPPING
Eklektos
Papandreou 13.
Guide books and reading
matter in English, it also stocks walking guides and maps
for the area. Located 100m uphill from the square in the
direction of Áyios Nikólaos.
Lasíthi Plateau
Scores of daily tour buses visit the
LASÍTHI PLATEAU
to view the “thousands of
white-cloth-sailed windmills” which irrigate the high plain. In fact there are very few
working windmills left, although most roadside tavernas seem to have adopted many of
those made redundant as marketing features. The drive alone is worthwhile, however,
and the plain is a fine example of rural Crete at work, every inch devoted to the
cultivation of potatoes, apples, figs, olives and a host of other crops; stay in one of the
villages for a night or two and you'll see real life return as the tourists leave.
7
Lasíthi villages
Tzermiádho
is the largest village on the plateau, on the northern edge, and one of the
least touristy; here there's a number of tavernas and
kafenía
and a couple of places to
stay. Travelling clockwise around the plateau,
Áyios Yeóryios
has a couple of tavernas
and rooms and a lovely little-visited Folk Museum, while
Psykhró
is the most visited
village on the plateau, as it's the base for visiting Lasíthi's other chief attraction: the
birthplace of Zeus, the
Dhiktean Cave
.
The Dhiktean Cave
Daily: June-Sept 8am-7pm; Oct-May 8.30am-3pm • €4
In legend, Zeus's father, the Titan Kronos, was warned that he would be overthrown by
a son, and accordingly ate all his offspring; however, when Rhea gave birth to Zeus in
the
Dhiktean Cave
, she fed Kronos a stone and left the child concealed, protected by
the Kouretes, who beat their shields outside to disguise his cries. The rest, as they say, is
history (or at least myth).
The cave lies 1km southwest of Psykhró, where a signed road takes you up to a car
park (€2); from here the cave is a ten-minute climb, or you can go up by mule (€15).
The cave has been made more “visitor friendly” in recent years, with the introduction
of concrete steps and electric lighting, so inevitably some of the magic and mystery
have been lost, but it's still a worthwhile visit. The steps meander down to the bottom
of the cave where there is a small lake surrounded by impressive stalactites and
stalagmites.
ARRIVAL AND TOURS
LASÍTHI PLATEAU
By bus
Services run around the plateau to Psykhró direct
from Iráklion and from Áyios Nikólaos via Neápoli. Both
roads offer spectacular views, coiling through a succession
of passes guarded by lines of ruined windmills.
Wildlife tours
Petros Zarvakis is a wildlife expert and
leads guided wild-flower and bird-spotting hikes (April-
Sept) into the mountains surrounding the plain, and also to
the summit of Mount Dhíkti; Ask for him at the
Ta v e r n a
Petros
at the Dhiktean Cave or call direct on
T
28440 31600
or 694 56 16 074.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Dias Village
Áyios Yeóryios
T
28440 31207.
This
economical and friendly hotel can offer basic rooms with
shared bath, and there's a small taverna below with
wholesome home-cooked food. The same family also rent
out more superior en-
suite
rooms at their nearby sister
hotel,
Maria
. April-Oct.
€25
