Boat from Ierapetra · 15 km Chrissi Island
A protected, uninhabited islet of juniper forest and shell-white shoreline, seen on a swim-stop cruise across turquoise water.
Lassithi · 15 km
Ierapetra
Europe's southernmost city
The place
Ierapetra is the southernmost city in Europe and the largest town of Lassithi, set 35 km south-east of Agios Nikolaos beside a wide, fertile valley of greenhouses and olive groves. It's the nearest town to Achlia, 15 km along the coast.
The old quarter of Kato Mera runs back from the harbour in a tangle of whitewashed lanes, with the Venetian Kales fortress at the water's edge and the so-called House of Napoleon among its stories. The long town beach and a lively waterfront of tavernas and cafés stretch out from there.
It's the place to come for a proper market, a supermarket run, a pharmacy or a long lunch by the sea — a real town rather than a resort.
