A Drive along the Lassithi Plateau: From Stalida to Zeus’s Birthplace
Buy for a Group
Reviews
About the Tour
About the Tour
The Lassithi province’s enchanting beauty is best contained on its famous plateau, where the Venetians once declared it a forbidden area on penalty of amputation. That is until a famine led to windmill-based farming and its settlement. On this driving tour, you’ll discover the area’s fascinating history and the legendary myths that define this province.
Our tour starts and ends in the village of Stalida and passes the Minoan Palace of Malia, where you’ll have the option of making a quick history-filled detour. The highlight of the tour is the Diktaion Andron Cave, Zeus’s birthplace, in the village of Psychro located on the plateau. You’ll have a chance to descend into this cave and be amazed by the 15-meter-high chamber with its beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.
In the second half of this tour, you’ll weave by the gigantic plane trees in the village of Krasi. Back at Stalida village where our tour ends, you can enjoy its beautiful sandy beaches, where hotels and taverns were once built by the locals of Mochos (a village with a love for festivities on its cozy square).
Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:
- Hear the special story of Agios Georgios, the bulletproof icon, while exploring the Selinari monastery and find out why the church was built in one night, during a full moon
- Find out how one of the former residents of the Neapoli became Pope Alexander (for a short while!)
- Enjoy a beautiful view over the olive tree fields at the nuns' monastery of Kremasta
- Pass the Lasinthos Eco Park, where local traditions and customs are exhibited live in a workshop format
- Encounter typical Cretan tavernas, where all the food is prepared with love and passion, and always sprinkled with a dash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Learn about the entire water system that has been constructed on the Lassithi plateau to fill the Aposelemi reservoir
- Understand the importance of the Kera Kerdiotissa monastery’s chain, used every year on September 8th, during the celebration of Mary's Day
- See the water well of Krasi, where villagers have done their laundry in the shade of its ancient plane tree for over a century
Discover Cretan enjoyment in its ultimate form as you drive from the northern part of the island into mountainous regions and enjoy its folklore and festivities.
Tour Producer
Tour Producer
Mr. Routaki
Bio of AJ alias Mr. Routaki:
Since 1995 I have been coming to Crete. An island that has stolen my heart. The Samaria Gorge was my very first working area and in the following seasons many more regions followed in a wide variety of professions.
And always surrounded by friendly guests who had all kinds of questions. That is why the Routaki routes also provide the information desired by you as a guest of the island.
After completing my tourism education (M.T.R.O.) I found the right activities in this wonderful profession.
Guide, tour leader, resort host, underwater-cameraman, restaurant owner, Jeep safari guide or sailing (flotilla) leader. All these experiences I use nowadays when compiling my information and stories which I incorporate into my car routes and city walks.
Daily life on Crete interwoven with the stories of the many acquaintances I have been able to listen to over the past thirty years.
The first routes were created in 2006 using CDs (and even cassette tapes!!). Parts of routes from back then have now, with the help of the VoiceMap app, grown into a beautiful portfolio of day trips in the three languages I master; Dutch, English and German.
The Infotheek on my Routaki.com website will continue to grow and many more routes and walks will follow.
Some of my goals are to apply augmented reality and to show you the traditions of the olive harvest or wedding ceremonies even outside the usual periods.
I continue to immerse myself in the Cretan culture traditions and customs. I read about recent developments and combine this for you into a wonderful holiday day experience.
Through the many ‘interest media’ I am happy to keep you informed.
Preview Location
Preview Location
Location 47
Turn left for the birth cave of Zeus
In 1908, Arthur Evans, the famous archaeologist conducted excavations here after dynamically opening the cave with explosives. Initially disco... Read More
View locations and route
How VoiceMap Works
Major Landmarks
Major Landmarks
-
Monastry of Saint George
-
Monastery Keragoniotissas
-
Neapoli
-
Megali Panagia
-
Kremasta Monastery
-
Skapanis teau - Ὀροπέδιο Λασιθίου
-
Zorbas Tavern
-
Lasinthos Eco Park
-
Megali Vrisi
-
GREEK MYTHOLOGY thematic park
-
Cave of Diktaion Andron
-
Monastery of the Mother Mary Vidiani
-
Lasithi Plateau Windmills
-
Homo Sapiens Museum
-
Panagia Kera Kardiotissa Monastery
-
Fantastic valley view
-
Μνημειακός Πλάτανος
-
Lithos
-
Ναός Ευαγγελισμού της Θεοτόκου και Αγίας Παρασκευής
-
Monastery of Virgin Mary Theogennitor
Getting There
Getting There
Route Overview
-
Start locationStalida 700 01, Greece
-
Total distance95km
-
Final locationEpar.Od. Stalidas - Gonion, Stalida 700 07, Greece
-
Distance back to start location285.08m
Directions to Starting Point
The route starts at the Eko gaz station in Stalida (Stalis). To start, pull out of the gas station and turn in the direction of Malia and Agios Nikolaos at the traffic lights. Signs indicate it clairly. It depends on where you were parked how to get on this main road.
Although this route will bring you to the Lassithi plateau, you don't follow that sign at the start.
Show Directions
Tips
Tips
Places to stop along the way
Minoan Malia Palace, Selinari, Monastery of Kremasta, Lasinthos Eco park, Dyonissos Tavern, Zeus Birth Cave, Monastery ‘Mother Marty Vidiani‘, View on Embelos pass, Monastery Kera Kardiotissa, Huge tree and tavern Selena in Krasi, Square of Mochos with Lythos tavern and the beautiful church.
Best time of day
The route can be completed year-round, except during periods of heavy rain or snowfall, and is designed for a full day.
In winter, roads are often closed due to heavy snowfall. Additionally, many taverns close outside the tourist season, which typically runs from May to October.
The actual driving time is around 4 hours, but there are plenty of opportunities to explore the area or take enjoyable breaks.
Precautions
Tips: Bring along a smartphone battery charger, Maintain an average speed of 55-60 km/h, Wear appropriate clothing for churches and monasteries, Purchase the correct language version of the route (Dutch or English), Ensure that the route is NOT set to the audiobook setting, Disable automatic screen turn-off (don't forget to turn it back on afterward), If you have one, bring a smartphone holder.
Get The App
Get The App
Questions and Reviews
