The villages and beaches of Agia Pelagia & Lygaria
Agia Pelagia & Lygaria are seaside fishing villages built in the centre of a picturesque bay, it is located 23 km northwest of Heraklion at a distance of 25 km from the airport of Heraklion and 23 from the ferry port.
Agia Pelagia has the last few years become a holiday and vacation resort offering all sorts of tourist services and its sandy beaches attract many visitors. Worth visiting is the nearby cave, with the name “Evresi”, where – according to legend – local people found the icon of Agia Pelagia (Saint Marina)
In the village you can find many taverns, offering traditional but also international dishes, bars, cafes, shops and boutiques, which will invite you to short strolls through the little streets.
Surrounded by mountains and hills, Agia Pelagia lies right in the middle of Crete which makes it easy to be used as a base for tours and excursions around Crete Island. The town is surrounded by 9 smaller sandy and rocky beaches and the central bay. The smaller bays are reached easily by foot for those who prefer more privacy rather than big beaches.
Near Agia Pelagia you will find some interesting places to visit, like the Minoan Palace of Knossos, the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, the traditional villages of Achlada, Fodele and Anogia up to the highest mountain of Crete “Psiloritis” (2.456m high).
Swimming is good here – the bay is partly protected from the open sea, so even when the summer wind roughs the sea along the Crete coasts, you will find calm waters here. The central beach offers beach bars, scuba diving, jet skis and other water sports. Relax and sunbathe, paint, write and enjoy the beach bars and small local tavernas surrounding the beachfront! Souvenir shops selling alabaster and lots of other souvenirs!
Lygaria offers further dining on the beach and continues on the same coast-edge road you come to Agia Pelagia.
