Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ISLAND ESCAPE: GAIDHOURONÍSI
One way to escape the urban hubbub for a few hours is to take a boat to the
island of
Gaidhouronísi
(aka Donkey Island or Chrissi Island ) some 10km out to sea from Ierápetra. No
one seems to know how the 5km-long island got its name as there are no donkeys; instead
you'll find a cedar forest, the fabulous “
Shell Beach
” covered with millions of multicoloured
mollusc shells, some good sandy beaches and a couple of tavernas. Excursion
boats
(May-Sept daily 10.30am & 12.30pm out, 4pm & 7pm return; €24, under-12s €12) leave from
Ierápetra seafront harbour, and you can buy tickets on the boat or at any of the town travel
agents in advance. The voyage to the island takes fifty minutes and the boats have an
on-board bar.
the seafront, as a town, most people find it pretty uninspiring. The tavernas along the
tree-lined seafront are scenic enough and there is a decent EU blue-flagged beach
which stretches a couple of kilometres east. Although there has been a port here since
Roman times, only the
Venetian fort
guarding the harbour and a crumbling Turkish
minaret remain as reminders of better days. What little else has been salvaged is in the
one-room
archeological
museum
(Tues-Sun 8.30am-3pm; €2) near the post office.
7
Makryialós
MAKRYIALÓS
, some 27km east of Ierápetra, was originally composed of two distinct
villages. It has gobbled up its neighbour Análipsi to form a single resort, strung out along
the coastal road. There are still quiet spots along the long beach, one of the best in the east,
a strand of fine sand which shelves so gently you feel you could walk the two hundred
nautical miles to Africa. To the west lies the village's small harbour, lined with tavernas.
Many rooms and apartment places here are pre-booked by package tours, so while still a
very pleasant place to stop for a swim or a bite, it can get pretty busy in high summer.
Mýrtos
MÝRTOS
, 15km west of Ierápetra, lies just of the main road, and although developed
to a degree, it nonetheless remains a tranquil and charming white-walled village kept
clean as a whistle by its house-proud inhabitants, and most of the summer you'll find
plenty of space on the long shingle-and-sand beach. A village
museum
(April-Oct
Mon-Fri 3.30-7.30pm), located to the side of the church, houses some of the finds
from a couple of excavated hilltop
Minoan villas
, Fournoú Korifí and Pýrgos (which
can be found just of the road from Ierápetra a couple of kilometres east of the village,
and signed), in addition to a folklore section.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
IERÁPETRA AND THE SOUTHEAST COAST
By bus
Ierápetra bus station is on Lasthenous, north of
town.
Destinations
Áyios Nikólaos (8 daily 6.30am-8.30pm;
1hr), Iráklion (8 daily 6.30am-8.30pm; 2hr 30min),
Makrigialos (8 daily, 6.15am-8.15pm; 30 min), Mýrtos (6
daily
6.30am-8.15pm;
30min),
Sitía
(6
daily
6.15am-6.15pm; 1hr 30min).
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist o
ce
In the seafront car park in Ierápetra. (Mon-
Sat 9am-1pm
W
ierapetra.gr). Provides a detailed town
map and leaflets.
Services
Ierápetra Express travel agency, 100m north of
the town hall on Platía Eleftherías, is a good source of
information.
Tours
Prima Tours in Mýrtos (
T
28420 51530,
W
sunbudget
.net) offer guided walks and provide internet access.
ACCOMMODATION
IERÁPETRA
Camping Koutsounari
7km east of Ierápetra on the
Makryialós road
T
28420 61213.
Offers plenty of shade on
fixed camping positions right next to a long sandy
beac
h,
with access to the new pool bar next door. May-Sept.
€18
Ì
Cretan Villa
Lakérdha 16
T
28420 28522,
