Lasithi
The regional unit has 57 official bathing-water sites; of the 56 with a classification in the 2024 season, all were Excellent (EEA). At most of these beaches the average sea temperature is 22 °C or higher from May to September (NOAA, 1991–2020). In the seat of the regional unit the weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing from April to June, and in October.
- Municipalities
- 4OpenStreetMap, 6 Oct 2026
- Official bathing-water sites
- 57YPEN register, EEA
- Excellent in 2024
- 56 of 56100% of classified sites (EEA)
- Sea at 22 °C or more
- May–Sepat most beaches, NOAA average 1991–2020
- Airports
- 1list of commercial airports
- Ferry ports
- 11ports with ferry terminals (OpenStreetMap)
- Natura 2000
- 14 sitesoverlap the area (YPEN)
- Wildfires 2016–2026
- 30 firesabout 2,733 hectares burnt (EFFIS)
- Zone prices 2021, per m²
- 500–1,350 €297 zones, a tax value and not a market price
When to go
This section is about Agios Nikolaos, the seat of the regional unit not the whole regional unit.
- Jan13°16°
- Feb13°16°
- Mar14°17°
- Apr16°19°comfortable weather
- May20°22°comfortable weather, warm sea
- Jun24°25°comfortable weather, warm sea
- Jul26°25°warm sea
- Aug27°25°warm sea
- Sep25°23°warm sea
- Oct21°20°comfortable weather
- Nov18°18°
- Dec15°16°
- Top figure: air, bottom: sea
- Comfortable weather for walking
- Sea 22 °C or warmer
The weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing from April to June, and in October (average temperature around 20.3 °C, little rain).
The sea is 22 °C or warmer from May to September (up to 25.2 °C).
Monthly rain reaches 80 mm or more in December and January.
Day length is 9 h 47 min at the winter solstice (07:21 to 17:08) and 14 h 32 min at the summer solstice (06:02 to 20:34), Greek time.
- Mean temperature °C
- Rain (mm, right axis)
- Sea °C
- Sea 22 °C or warmer
| Month | Mean temp. °C | Rain mm | Sea °C | Daylight h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.7 | 88 | 15.6 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 12.7 | 73 | 15.9 | 10.9 |
| Mar | 14.0 | 41 | 16.8 | 11.9 |
| Apr | 16.1 | 28 | 19.1 | 13.0 |
| May (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 19.9 | 18 | 22.4 | 14.0 |
| Jun (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 24.0 | 5 | 24.5 | 14.5 |
| Jul (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 26.3 | 2 | 25.2 | 14.3 |
| Aug (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 26.7 | 4 | 24.6 | 13.5 |
| Sep (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 24.5 | 20 | 22.7 | 12.4 |
| Oct | 21.2 | 48 | 20.2 | 11.4 |
| Nov | 17.8 | 58 | 17.8 | 10.3 |
| Dec | 14.5 | 91 | 16.1 | 9.8 |
Temperature and rain: NASA POWER (MERRA-2), period 2001–2020, model cell about 23 km away. The temperatures are monthly averages from a regional model. Sea: NOAA OISST v2.1, period 1991–2020, nearest cell about 23 km away (0.25 degree grid). Daylight: calculated for the 15th of each month. These are regional model values and typical conditions, not a forecast.
Municipalities
The 4 municipalities of the regional unit, with the main town and the official bathing-water sites of each.
- Municipality of Agios NikolaosAgios Nikolaos, 30 beaches
- Municipality of IerapetraIerapetra, 14 beaches
- Municipality of Oropedion LasithiouTzermiado
- Municipality of SitiaSitia, 13 beaches
Best beaches
The 6 official sites with the most seasons of Excellent water since 2011; ties are settled by the latest classification (2024 season). It is the EU's classification by season, not a reading on the day.
| Beach | Latest class | History |
|---|---|---|
| Agia Varvara | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agia Fotia | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Ioannis | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Nikolaos 1 | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Nikolaos 2 | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Nikolaos 3 | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
Towns to know
Cities, towns and villages of the regional unit that have a page of their own, larger ones first. Population only sets the order and is never shown.
Cities and towns
- Agios Nikolaoscity, Agios Nikolaos
- Ierapetratown, Ierapetra
- Sitiatown, Sitia
- Neapolitown, Agios Nikolaos
Villages
- Schisma Eloundasvillage, Agios Nikolaos
- Sisivillage, Agios Nikolaos
- Palaikastrovillage, Sitia
- Koutsourasvillage, Ierapetra
- Makrigialosvillage, Ierapetra
- Tzermiadovillage, Oropedion Lasithiou
- Analipsivillage, Sitia
- Pachia Ammosvillage, Ierapetra
- Mirtosvillage, Ierapetra
- Kalo Choriovillage, Agios Nikolaos
- Agia Fotiavillage, Sitia
- Milatosvillage, Agios Nikolaos
- Vrouchasvillage, Agios Nikolaos
- Mochlosvillage, Sitia
- Agia Varvaravillage, Agios Nikolaos
- Pirgosvillage, Agios Nikolaos
- Vasilikivillage, Ierapetra
- Kato Zakrosvillage, Sitia
- Istrosettlement, Agios Nikolaos
- Xirokampossettlement, Agios Nikolaos
Islands
The inhabited islands of the regional unit that have a page of their own, largest first. Areas come from OpenStreetMap outlines.
- Crete8272 km²
Sights
A short selection from Wikidata, not a ranking of importance: only entries that have a Wikidata item, those with a page of their own on this site first, then those with an English label, then the oldest item. Up to 3 per kind. Coverage is uneven.
Archaeological sites
- ZakrosSitia
- MagasaSitia
- KatalymataIerapetra
Museums
- Archaeological Museum of Agios NikolaosAgios Nikolaos
- Archaeological museum of SitiaSitia
- Neapoli Archaeological Collection (Crete)Agios Nikolaos
Monasteries
- Toplou MonasterySitia
- Kapsa MonasterySitia
- Agios Georgios SelinariAgios Nikolaos
Caves
- Milatos CaveAgios Nikolaos
- Dikteon AndronOropedion Lasithiou
- Trapeza, CreteOropedion Lasithiou
Canyons
- Ha GorgeIerapetra
- Zakros GorgeSitia
- Orino GorgeIerapetra
Waterfalls
- Richtis GorgeSitia
Natura 2000 protected areas
13 Natura 2000 sites with a page of their own in the regional unit. Each page says what the site protects, from the European Environment Agency's Natura 2000 database.
- Voreioanatoliko Akro Kritis: Dionysades, Elasa Kai Chersonisos Sidero (Akra Mavro Mouri - Vai - Akra Plakas) Kai Thalassia ZoniSCI, 39,416 ha
- Dikti: Oropedio Lasithiou, Katharo, Selena, Krasi, Selakano, Chalasmeni KoryfiSCI, 34,656 ha
- Dionysades NisoiSPA, 17,489 ha
- Lazaros Koryfi - Madara DiktisSPA, 13,104 ha
- Oros Thryptis Kai Gyro PeriochiSCI, 8,532 ha
- Ori ZakrouSPA, 3,879 ha
- Voreioanatoliko Akro KritisSPA, 3,714 ha
- Farangi Selinari - VrachasiSPA, 2,377 ha
- Notiodytiki Thrypti (Koufoto)SPA, 1,637 ha
- Moni Kapsa (Farangi Kapsa Kai Gyro Periochi)SCI, 997 ha
- Nisos Koufonisi Kai Paraktia Thalassia ZoniSCI, 839 ha
- Nisos ChrysiSCI, 515 ha
- Nisos Koufonisi, Gyro Nisides Kai Nisides KavalloiSPA, 464 ha
Getting there
The airports and ferry ports of the area as our sources record them. We do not copy timetables or fares, because they would go stale; where an official source exists it is linked below.
| Airport | IATA | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| Sitia Airport "Vitsentzos Kornaros" | JSH | Sitia |
| Port, at the nearest settlement | Terminals in OSM | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| Schisma Eloundas | 2 | Agios Nikolaos |
| Mochlos | 2 | Sitia |
| Agios Nikolaos | 1 | Agios Nikolaos |
| Port unnamed in OSM | 1 | Ierapetra |
| Plaka | 1 | Agios Nikolaos |
| Plaka | 1 | Agios Nikolaos |
Official travel information
- KTEL Heraklion–Lasithi: timetables
- KTEL Chania–Rethymno: timetables
- KTEL Chania–Rethymno: route and stop search
Routes and connections can change by season. Confirm times and service directly with the operator before travelling.
How the numbers were counted
Each municipality belongs to the region and regional unit that OpenStreetMap records for it, and the figures on this page add up its municipalities. Beaches, airports, ports and sights belong to the municipality that contains them (up to 3 km outside the boundary for those on the shore).
Ports: a port is a group of ferry terminals mapped in OpenStreetMap within 1 km of each other (a harbour is mapped as many berths). The name is the nearest settlement. The number of terminals shows how closely the harbour is mapped, not how large it is or how many ferries call.
Fires: the count covers EFFIS burnt areas (roughly 30 hectares and above) whose reference point lies in a municipality of the area, with dates from 23 Mar 2016 to 12 Sept 2026. Natura 2000: each site is counted once, even when it overlaps several municipalities.
Zone prices: the lowest and highest value among the 2021 objective-system zones whose reference point lies in the area. They are tax values, not market prices.
See also
- Creteregion
- All regions of Greecelist
- Greece month by monthlist
- Heraklionunit of the same region
- Rethymnounit of the same region
- Chaniaunit of the same region
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, with the date each was updated.
- Designated bathing waters (locations)Ministry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current bathing season register · Date:
- Bathing water quality classificationEuropean Environment Agency: WISE Bathing Water Directive database · Latest assessed season in the EEA database; every season from 2011 is kept as a per-beach history · Date:
- Monthly climate normalsNASA POWER, MERRA-2 meteorological model · 2001–2020 climatology period returned by NASA POWER · Date:
- Sea temperature (NOAA OISST)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / Physical Sciences Laboratory · OISST v2.1 monthly long-term mean climatology, 1991-2020 period · Date:
- Burnt areasEFFIS: European Forest Fire Information System (Copernicus EMS) · Rolling archive of mapped burnt areas · Date:
- Natura 2000 protected sitesMinistry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current national Natura 2000 network · Date:
- Objective property value zonesMinistry of National Economy and Finance, via data.gov.gr · 2021 revision of the objective value system · Date:
- AirportsFraport Greece; the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (ΥΠΑ/HCAA); Wikipedia (cross-checked for IATA/ICAO codes and coordinates) · Checked 24 September 2026 · Date:
- Everyday places, tourism, transport and natureOpenStreetMap contributors, via the Overpass API · Live database at the time of the query · Date:
- Wikidata landmarks: castles, monasteries, museums, archaeological sites and natural landmarksWikidata contributors · Live SPARQL query snapshot, taken 25 September 2026 · Date:
- Region, unit and municipal boundaries, settlements, seats and ferry terminalsOpenStreetMap (Geofabrik Greece extract, 24 Sep 2026), ODbL · Date:
Page updated .