Strolling around Kritsa & Café Saridakis Kritsa, Crete

Charming small houses, cobblestones lined streets, shops with handmade goods plus a relaxed and almost silent atmosphere. Located in the eastern part of the Greek island, Kritsa offers an insight into a “typical life on Crete”, as well as numerous shopping opportunities. Kritsa is just about 10km from the famous harbour city of Agios Nikolaos. Kritsa is actually one of the oldest villages in Crete, with evidence of occupation dating back four thousand years. Also, the area around Kritsa, in general, has had a very long history, with settlements in the 12/13th century BC.

As a starting point for the off-road ride to the Lasithi peak level at over 1000 meters, on the second route of the Land Rover Experience Greece 2017, it was nice to stroll around a town and enjoy the nice weather. There wasn’t lots of free time in Krista scheduled, luckily it was still enough for a short walk and a fresh orange juice in a Café, Kafenion / καφενειον in Greek. In particular, I went to Café Saridakis Kritsa / καφενειον σαριδακης κριτσα, right at one of the main streets, Kritsotopoulas. All over Town cute, small taverns and cafes invite you to linger, while trees give shade and provide a lukewarm breeze for pleasant temperatures.
Besides the ancient location, Kritsa is nowadays a centre of weaving on Crete, which can be seen live thanks to the friendly people in Kritsa.

Even if it’s just for a quick stop on your way to somewhere else, a visit to Kritsa is always worthwhile and highly suggested by me. The next time I definitely need so spent more time there, and visit the Panagía Kerá church from the 13th century or the ruins of the ancient hill settlement Lato (which was founded in the 7 century BC and is located 4km from Kritsa).