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Agia Pelagia. Agia Pelagia. Agia Pelagia. Agia Pelagia. Agia Pelagia
Agia Pelagia. Agia Pelagia. Agia Pelagia. Agia Pelagia Agia Pelagia

Around Lygaria Beach on Crete

Near Ligaria Beach are off course the excavations of Knossos and several other attractions are not far away. Heraklion and Rethymnon are within easy reach. If you have a car you can make a journey to the south of the island. The closest village to Lygaria Beach is Agia Pelagia. The village of Agia Pelagia, once the site of an ancient Greek city, is situated in a bay 22 kilometers northwest of the capital Heraklion, and set 4 kilometers off the main road. The name Agia Pelagia derives from a monastery 1 kilometer west of the bay. It's a haven of peace compared to some of the other beachvillages that are sometimes placed directly next to the mainroad itself. Agia Pelagia is actually more like a cluster of small villages and beaches, the main beach being the most eastern one, decorated with a small 'boulevard' with restaurants, cocktail bars and a supermarket

An onionfield in full bloom. The rocks at the end of the beach of Agia Pelagia Boats in the bay of Agia Pelagia. Pussycat enjoying the sun in Agia Pelagia Farm in Agia Pelagia
The main beach of Agia Pelagia. A look from the other side of Agia Pelagia towards Ligaria. A storm made the beach of Agia Pelagia disappear. Inside the Agia Pelagia church Agia Pelagia

When driving in from the mainroad it's easy to lose your way in the spiderweb of small roads and the lack of signs (especially when you see a sign saying 'beach' pointing both left and right one might not understand...). The atmosphere in Agia Pelagia is cosy, and its bay looks very pretty, with kaiks in the water and greenish rocks rising out of the of the sea. It's a rather green place with palmtrees and flowers. The main beach is not very long or wide, and it gets shady very quickly at the end of the afternoon. The people in Agia Pelagia belong to the most kind Greek people I have ever met. West of Agia Pelagias' main beach you will also find three more quiet beaches with less facilities. My favourite is the middle one of the three which has only a small 'shop' that sells drinks and ice cream. I like it the best because of the beautiful rocks on the left side of it and because of its quietness. The first beach west of the main beach of Agia Pelagia is called Kladissos. The second beach that you will encounter when you walk eastwards from Agia Pelagia's main beach (the one with only the small shop with drinks). This is my favourite one. It's called Psaromoura and it has some beautiful rocks in the sea. The third beach is called Mononaftis, and has a nice green rock in the opposite. In the neighbourhood of these beaches there are a couple of big holiday resorts, amongst which the big Capsis beach hotel with a pool and lots of small houses.

Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta
Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta

A walk down westwards will bring you to some escavations (near the big Capsis Hotel on the rock), and a small zoo with storks, strange chickens, some baboons and other animals. It's quite a strange surprise, but a funny one. Most of the birds and some of the animals just walk around freely (update 2007: sorry people, the zoo is closed and replaced by a building). If you want to try another more quiet beach in the area you can take the turn just before Agia Pelagia, which will bring you to the sheltered and more quiet Ligaria beach. It is also possible to walk to this beach from Agia Pelagia. On this beach there are also a couple of places where you can have a drink or something to eat and there is a small supermarket. At the beach there are umbrellas and sunbeds for rent. A few years ago a large complex of holiday homes was built here on the hill overlooking the bay, so it is possible that it is a little bit more busy now. So summarized Agia Pelagia comes with all sorts of beaches for different kinds of people and there is a large choice in tavernas, small cosy bars, shops, super markets, hotels, apartments, studios and villas.

Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta
Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta Agia Pelagia Crete, Kreta
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Hans Huisman, https://www.angelfire.com/super2/greece/ 2010