Day trip
Makrygialos and the south-east beaches.
Photo: Marinella Grce Orell / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Lasithi
- Start town
- Ierapetra
- Typical duration
- 4–6 hours
- Type
- Day trip
Makrygialos is the beach resort of the south-east, with a long sandy shore and smaller coves toward Koutsouras. It is also the usual harbour side for Koufonisi boats. A shore day is the beach and the village. A boat day is the island, and you should not pretend you will do both well. The Roman villa remains are a short extra if you like ruins with your swim. Shade is better under hired umbrellas than on the open sand.
Drive east from Ierapetra. The main beach is in the village. If a boat is involved, confirm the quay before you park.
It suits a beach day from Ierapetra or a base for the Koufonisi boat. Skip the island and the full beach on the same date.
Makrygialos and the south-east beaches needs 4–6 hours from Ierapetra. The months that usually work are May to October. The road or the boat is part of the day, not a preface you can ignore. Carry water and shade for the hours away from Ierapetra, and do not book a sunset table at home until you know the return. Makrygialos and the south-east beaches is one day from Ierapetra. A beach, gorge or monastery with a similar photograph is a different outing when the route changes.
Is it worth it
Makrygialos and the south-east beaches is worth the hours from Ierapetra when it suits a beach day from Ierapetra or a base for the Koufonisi boat. It is also the usual harbour side for Koufonisi boats. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because Makrygialos is the beach resort of the south-east, with a
- Shoes that match the ground on Makrygialos and the south-east beaches. Drive east from Ierapetra. The main beach is
- A layer for the start in Ierapetra. May to October still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Makrygialos and the south-east beaches takes 4–6 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- May to October is the window to trust for Makrygialos and the south-east beaches. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Ierapetra with 4–6 hours clear. Drive east from Ierapetra. The main beach is in the village. If
- Search “Makrygialos beach day eastern Crete” and check that the meeting point really is Ierapetra.
Related tours
Boat tripKoufonisi island from Ierapetra
Ierapetra6–8 hours
Koufonisi here is the island south-east of Crete, with sand, a ruined Roman theatre and a long empty feel. It is not the Koufonisia of the Small Cyclades. Boats leave from the Ierapetra coast, often toward Makrygialos, and the crossing is weather-dependent. The island has little shade and no town. You bring water and you catch the boat home. A cancelled morning is common enough in a meltemi week to keep the day optional. The usual length is 6–8 hours, and the months that usually work are May to September. It suits people who want a remote beach and a ruin and can accept a cancellation. Skip it if the group needs services, or if the name mix-up with the Cyclades was the reason it sounded familiar. Confirm the departure harbour the day before. Makrygialos and Ierapetra are not the same quay.
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HistoryKapsa monastery above the south coast
Ierapetra3–4 hours
Kapsa is a monastery built into the cliff above a gorge mouth, east of Makrygialos. The approach is a narrow road and a short walk, and the building is the sight. Clothing rules apply. The beach below is a simple cove if the season and the monastery’s rhythm allow the combination. It is a quiet hour, not a theme. Do not rush it between a Koufonisi boat and a drive back to Agios Nikolaos. The usual length is 3–4 hours, and the months that usually work are Year round, the last road is narrow. It suits people already on the south-east coast. Skip it if the group will not dress for a monastery, or if the narrow road is a genuine problem for the driver. Drive east of Makrygialos and follow the monastery signs. The last stretch is slow. Morning is cooler on the cliff path.
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Day tripMyrtos beach day
Ierapetra3–5 hours
Myrtos is the long pebble-and-sand beach village west of Ierapetra, with a simple seafront and a mountain wall behind it. The day is a swim and a lunch, not a list of sites. The beach is open to the south wind. When that wind is up, the surf is the story and the tavernas are the better half of the visit. It is an easy drive from Ierapetra and a more honest beach day than a rushed Chrissi crossing in marginal weather. The usual length is 3–5 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits anyone based in Ierapetra who wants the sea without a boat. Skip it in a strong south wind if the swim was the only goal. Drive the coast road west from Ierapetra. The village sits on the beach. Parking is in town. Walk from there.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 4–6 hours from Ierapetra. It suits a beach day from Ierapetra or a base for the Koufonisi boat.
- May to October. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Ierapetra.
- Drive east from Ierapetra. The main beach is in the village. If a boat is involved, confirm the quay before you park.
- It suits a beach day from Ierapetra or a base for the Koufonisi boat. Skip the island and the full beach on the same date.
- Makrygialos and the south-east beaches is worth the hours from Ierapetra when it suits a beach day from Ierapetra or a base for the Koufonisi boat. It is also the usual harbour side for Koufonisi boats. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.