Ferry from Sitia to Heraklion

Sitia Guide

The port town of Sita is located on the Greek island of Crete which lies in the Aegean Sea. On the island, Sita is to the east of Agios Nikolaos and to the north east of Lerapetra. The town is generally not much visited by tourists and is not particularly well developed and can trace its history back to Minoan times. Excavations have been unearthed in the neighbouring site of Petras which date back to the end of the Neolithic period, 3,000 BC through to the Bronze Age, 3,000 - 1,050 BC. In support of the Petras findings, excavations at other archaeological sites on the island, such as Itanos and Mochlos, have found artefacts from Minoan times. Petras has, over its history, also been under the control of the Venetians who used it as a base for their eastern Mediterranean operations. The site was destroyed by an earthquake in 1508, and again by pirates in 1538 and by the Venetians in 1651.

The port at Sitia connects Sitia and eastern Crete with several other Greek islands as well as with the port of Piraeus on the Greek mainland. The town also has a marina which accommodates smaller fishing boats and yachts.

Heraklion Guide

Located on the Greek island of Crete, Heraklion is the island's largest city and is one of the main urban centres in Greece. The city can trace its history back to at least the 9th century AD when its development began and then later came under the influence of the Arabs, the Venetians and the Ottomans. Popular sites in the city with tourists include the fortification walls that are essentially the boundary of the old city. These were first built by the Arabs and then reinforced by the Venetians. From the seven bastions, only the Martinengo bastion survives to this day and is where visitors will find the tomb of the renowned writer N. Kazantzakis, overlooking the city. The city was also a venue during the 2004 Olympic Games, and hosted games of the football tournament.

Located in the city's old port, visitors can still see the vaulted tarsanades where ships used to be built and also the 16th century Koule Fortress. From the port, ferries depart to destinations including Santorini, Ios, Paros, Mykonos and Rhodes. There are also ferry services to the Greek mainland port of Piraeus.