The beach at Itanos, on the Greek Island of Crete, is known as Vai Beach and is a curve of golden sand backed by Europe's largest natural palm grove.
Why go?

Sitia Beach:Organized beach with sun beds, umbrellas (for a fee) and showers near to the town of Sitia. The beach and the sea floor are partly sandy and partly with small pebbles. Sitia is a nice town and the beach is within walking distance.

It is very long ( about 1000 m ) and it only gets crowded near the harbor. There are some flat areas near the east end of the beach where campers can park.

Kato Zakros Beach: The settlement of Kato Zakros, only 8 km away from Pano (upper) Zakros, 25 from Palekastro and 44 from Sitia is a most impressive small fishing village, hidden away in the southeast corner of Crete, behind a beautiful tamarind-fringed beach.

There are several excellent fish tavernas on the beach, ideal for relaxed, long lunches or for romantic evening meals.

Karoumes Beach (or Chohlakies Beach): At the village Chohlakies begins a magnificent accessible Karoumes gorge that ends after 1,5 hour walking to the pure and scenic bay of Karoumes. Chochlakies village is located between Palekastro and Zakros.

Skinias is the name not only of the beach, but of a larger region, 4 kms south-east of Palekastro, between the beaches of Hiona and Karoumes.

The quickest way to reach Skinias is along a dirt road starting from the settlement Agathias, 1 km eastern from Palekastro to the Plativola area and the little temple of Agios Spyridon.

Kouremenos Beach and windsurfing in East Crete.

The longest beach of Palekastro area (1.5 km length) is only 2 km far from Palekastro village and 20 from Sitia. It is sandy and the bottom is ideal for divers. Very close to the beach you can find some taverns that serve fresh fish any time.

Mardati Beach: Only 4.5 kms away from Palekastro you can find the lesser-known beach of Palekastro area. The reason people don't choose it, is the 1600m rough, dirt road that goes there. The bay is encircled by rocky hillrocks, but the beach has less sand and more pebbles. The blue waters are crystal-clear.

There is a little tavern in the shade of its few trees 200m far from the beach

Xerokambos is located in an untouched region, 48 km from Sitia, 10 km from Zakros and 28 km from Palekastro. Mountains, olive groves and magnificent isolated beaches make up the breathtaking scenery. Xerokambos boasts probably the finest beaches in the area and is ideal for those seeking peace, quiet and relaxation. Public transport stops in Zakros, therefore anyone wanting to explore the area would need to hire a car.

Psili ammos Beach

An exceptional beach with fine, golden sand and turquoise waters. The hills create a natural division for privacy.

Its name means Fine Sand and the sand extends up to the hill.
In order to reach this remote beach, you have to walk 10 min. starting from Vai, palm beach.

Photos of this beach you can see here

Palm beach Vai

Vai beaches are located 25 km from Sitia. The combination of a magnificent beach with a rare grove of palm trees makes Vai one of the absolute musts of Crete.

Itanos beaches are located 2 km north from Palm beach Vai, 8 from Palekastro and 26 from Sitia. The sandy beach of the ancient town of Itanos or Erimoupolis.

There is another longer sandy beach that you can get to - on foot - over the low hill to your left, where the main road stops.