Lassithi Plateau

Lassithi Plateau: windmills, mountains and the cave of Zeus

At an altitude of around eight hundred meters, surrounded by the peaks of Dikti, the Lassithi plateau is another world within Crete. A vast fertile plain with fields, apple and almond trees, dotted with the legendary white windmills that once pumped water for irrigation. Twenty small villages sit around the plain, with stone houses and taverns serving authentic Cretan cuisine.

This is where, according to legend, Zeus was born. Diktaion Andron, the cave above the village of Psychro, is an impressive site with stalactites and ancient history that is worth the climb.

How to get to Lassithi from Heraklion

The plateau is about seventy kilometers from Heraklion, a journey of about an hour and a quarter. You ascend from Hersonissos and the picturesque Krasi, with its huge plane trees, and the road becomes more and more impressive as you turn upwards, until the plain opens up before you.

It's a route that requires your own car. Public transportation to the plateau is minimal, and the beauty here lies in the small villages and the stops you make whenever you want, not in a bus schedule.

What to see and do

Start from Diktaion Andron in Psychro and spend time climbing and in the cave. Take a walk in the villages of Tzermiado and Agios Georgios, with their small folklore museums and taverns, and enjoy a meal with local products. The tour of the entire plain by car, between the fields and windmills, is an experience in itself.

Good to know

Στο υψόμετρο ο καιρός είναι πιο δροσερός ακόμα και το καλοκαίρι, οπότε πάρτε μαζί κάτι να ρίξετε επάνω σας. Για το σπήλαιο θέλετε άνετα παπούτσια, καθώς η ανάβαση έχει σκαλοπάτια. Πάρτε μαζί ένα ζακετάκι, ακόμη και το καλοκαίρι το οροπέδιο κρατάει τη δροσιά του βουνού.