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Ierapetra sights

We offer you a brief description of the sights of Ierapetra with photos and we recommend you to visit this ancient city to feel the movement of time. What to see in Ierapetra?

Top 8 Sights of Ierapetra

It is the southernmost city in Greek Crete, an important commercial and tourist center of the entire island. Ierapetra is located on the south coast, next to the Libyan Sea. Its history goes back several millennia.

The city was born in the Minoan civilization, later, along with other Cretan cities, it was conquered by ancient Rome. And in the 9th century Ierapetra was destroyed and turned into a real pirate base.

During the Venetian domination of Crete a fortress was built in the city for protection against pirates. The city also survived the Ottoman conquest. There is a legend that Napoleon stopped here on his way to Egypt.

Embankment

This is one of the most beautiful places in the city, intended for evening walks of locals and tourists. Here you can see a large ancient temple, modern luxury hotels, expensive restaurants and old stone houses.

The waterfront of Ierapetra is one of the attractions of Ierapetra

There are mountains, ruins of a Roman port and beautiful views of the sea. The most wonderful seascapes are the boat trips along the promenade of Ierapetra on the Libyan Sea.

Old Town

In the old part of Ierapetra is still preserved the atmosphere of antiquity and the Middle Ages, when Venice reigned here. In the historic part of the city you can see the old stone houses, standing here for several centuries.

The Old City - Ierapetra (Crete)

Here in the middle of the 19th century was built a unique Orthodox church, the domes of which were made of cedar and have survived to this day. Tourists will be interested in visiting the local Museum of Archaeology with the statue of Persephone.

Napoleon’s House

In one of the narrow streets of the Old City is a two-story house where Napoleon, the future Emperor of France, spent one night. Since then, the local townspeople have cherished this mansion and the memory of the emperor.

Napoleon's House in Ierapetra

Interestingly, you can’t go inside the house, you can only see it from the outside. Its late 18th-century owners presented a letter from the great Corsican with his personal signature to the townspeople as proof of Napoleon’s presence in their home.

Kales Fortress

According to local legend, this fortress was built in the 13th century by a pirate from Genoa. And for the first time it was mentioned in the chronicles in the 14th century. A century later, the fortress was badly damaged in an earthquake, was destroyed almost to the ground.

Ierapetra - Fortress of Kales

The new fortress was built in the 17th century by the Venetians. It is known that in those days, pirate attacks on the inhabitants of Mediterranean islands were a big trouble. When the Turks captured Hierapetra, they saved the fortress because of its strategic position.

Museum of Archaeology

The building of this museum is located in the center of the Old Year. Until the end of the 19th century there was a Muslim school – madrasah, and after the victory of the Greeks over the Turks there was immediately placed a museum.

The Museum of Archaeology, a landmark of Ierapetra

The museum’s collection includes artifacts from the Minoan, Doric, ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Here you can see statuettes for ritual ceremonies, ancient statues, ritual vessels, ceramic dishes, jewelry, etc.

Beaches

The city is famous for its luxurious beaches. It develops not only sightseeing but also beach tourism. To this end, there are many excellent sand and pebble beaches with breaking waves of the cleanest sea water.

Ierapetra Beaches - Crete

From the beaches of Ierapetra industrial production, shipping and commerce are far enough away that for many years in a row they receive the highest rating for environmental cleanliness and safety.

Chrysi Island

This uninhabited island is located a few kilometers from Ierapetra in the Libyan Sea. Here grows a cedar forest, the age of the trees in which more than 200 years. For many hundreds of years the main income of the islanders was fishing and salt mining.

Chrysi Island near Ierapetra

Today you can see the ruins of the Minoan civilization, Roman tombs, the chapel of St. John the Baptist. The island has become a sanctuary where tourists come in the summer to enjoy the unspoiled nature and sandy beaches. The island has become a nature reserve, where tourists come in the summer to enjoy unspoiled nature and sandy beaches.

Red Butterfly Gorge

This natural landmark, a picturesque gorge, is located in the southeast of Crete, near Ierapetra. In the heat of summer, many red butterflies flock here to escape the scorching sun.

Red Butterfly Gorge - A Natural Landmark of Ierapetra

While traveling through the gorge, tourists meet many streams and waterfalls with pure, crystal water, find themselves in a lush pine forest, etc. Today, this gorge is a nature reserve, which is under the protection of the state.

Video tour of Ierapetra

Ierapetra on the map of Crete

The city of Ierapetra on the map of Crete

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