Make no mistake – Crete is one of those islands you visit if you want to see some serious amounts of sand to lie down on every day. It’s something of a party island too of course, but there is arguably nothing better than relaxing on a beach you have come all this way to see.

Crete itself is split into four main areas. From left to right, west to east, these are Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi. We’re going to find out what kinds of beaches are on offer in Lassithi, in the far eastern stretches of Crete.

The good news is that there are beaches dotted right along almost every part of the coastline around this end of the island. Some of them, from Agios Nikolaos to Pachia Ammos, are fairly close together, peppering the coastline one after the other and tempting you in lots of different ways. In other places there are more pronounced gaps between the beaches. Mochlos beach and Sitia beach are both on the northern reaches of this end of the island, but there is some distance separating them in this case.

Let’s head to the southern reaches of the eastern end of Crete now though, and see what is on offer at Kakkos Bay beach. This is indeed a sweeping bay that gives you virtually everything you could want scenically speaking from a great beach. It is not quite as built up as the beach you will find at Lerapetra a little further west, but it gives you a quieter and more relaxed feel for sure.

As you can see there is a big mix of beaches in the Lassithi area of Crete. Agios Nikolaos is probably one of the most well known of them all. But if you are staying on the island for a week or more you should make the effort to explore one or two others as well. You may stumble across one that you like better for some reason, and this is without venturing anywhere else on the island. You will certainly be sure to find something you love.