Kato Zakros in eastern Crete

Kato Zakros is one of my absolute favourite places in Crete, as a matter of fact, in whole Greece. It is not because it is beautiful here, or that the beach is like paradise, or that the village is cosy. Rather it is owning to the feeling of being far from civilization, and because it is so quiet and tranquil. And also it is owning to something that I can not really describe, it's something magical with Kato Zakros, and the magic can only be experienced on site.

Kato Zakros. It is not bigger than that.

To experience this magic, you have to stay overnight. In the daytime, there may be quite a lot of people here; the beach is popular, as well as hiking in the Valley of the Dead and many come to see the excavations at the The Minoan Palace of Zakros about 100 metres above the beach.

The Minoan Palace of Zakros is one of six Minoan palaces in Crete.

This is where the Valley of the Dead begins.

Kato Zakros is located as far east as you can get in Crete. The nearest town is Sitia 44 kilometres away. It is about 35 kilometres to the famous palm beach of Vai. Chania is located 300 kilometres away. Well, talk about the end of the world.

Tavernas along the beach promenade in Kato Zakros.

The village is small and compressed. Here are a few tavernas and pensions. The pebbly beach is long. If you continue past Taverna Akrogiali you will find some smaller beach strips where you also can go for a swim.

Part of the long beach in Kato Zakros.

The part of the beach that is furthest away.

Behind Coral Front Beach is this small nice beach.

The best thing about Kato Zakros is not the beach, it's the lovely evenings and mornings. The evenings are pitch-dark and you fall asleep to the sounds of the waves, no disturbing noise from cars or scooters. Mornings are even better, you wake up to the sounds of the waves, and if you're alert in the morning you'll see Greece's most beautiful sunrise.

This is how I wrote in my blog after our first night in Kato Zakros: "Woke up by the waves about six am. I woke Camilla up, she went out of bed, reluctantly. I started the computer and wrote a little. We went out about seven o'clock. Calm, short waves were heard, no one than we were out, but where was the sun? We began to see something red in the east, and east is the right place for the sun to rise. We walked a little further and waited with high expectations. And see, a small object came out from the sea and we went closer. It was the most beautiful sunrise we have ever seen. It is not often you see the sun rise out of the sea. Just magical!"

The full moon is also amazingly beautiful.

If you enjoy good Greek food (who does not) I highly recommend Taverna Akrogiali. The owner Nikos Perakis is a very nice man. Do not miss their Mixed Grill, it's really good. If you are lucky you will be served by Georgios - Eastern Crete's most ingenious waiter. He taught me to roll two dice and get a 6 on both of them when we played Tavli (Backgammon), just one such thing. :-)

Taverna Akrogiali in the evening.

Taverna Akrogiali is a perfect place to play tavli (backgammon).

If you like hiking, the Valley of the Dead takes two hours to walk one way from Kato Zakros to Zakros. But you don't have to walk the entire gorge, it's enough to walk a little bit to experience this beautiful gorge, and you don't have to be an experienced hiker. Another nice hike is the one that goes to Pelekita Cave. That hike starts in the far part of Kato Zakros and goes along the coast.

Here begins the hike to Pelekita Cave.

The hike to Pelekita Cave goes along a very snorkel-friendly sea.

ACCOMMODATION IN KATO ZAKROS

To really get to know Kato Zakros, and to experience the magical evenings and mornings, not to mention the sunrise, you should stay overnight. There are not so many accommodations options, but there are usually enough since there are not so many who stays overnight. Below are suggestions for good hotels in Kato Zakros.

Book Yiannis Retreat here »

Book Kato Zakros Palace Apartments here »

Book Coral Front Beach here »

Book other hotels in Kato Zakros here »

WHAT YOU MUST NOT MISS WHEN YOU VISIT KATO ZAKROS

Don't miss hiking in the Valley of the Dead, which you can read about here »

READ MORE ABOUT CRETE HERE »