Lasithi Plateau

The Lasithi Plateau is a broad, fertile upland basin cradled by the Dikti mountains in eastern Crete, sitting at an altitude of roughly 800 to 850 metres above sea level. This setting makes it one of the few inhabited plateaus at such a height anywhere in the Mediterranean. Reaching it involves a scenic climb on winding mountain roads, and the reward is a sudden opening out onto a flat, green patchwork of fields ringed by bare grey peaks, a landscape quite unlike the coastal resorts below. Measuring roughly eleven kilometres by six, the plain has been cultivated for centuries thanks to its rich alluvial soil and reliable water. Fields produce potatoes, the area's most important cash crop, alongside grains, apples, cherries, almonds and a variety of vegetables. The plateau's villages, eighteen or so in number, cluster around the rim at the foot of the mountains, leaving the central plain free for farming, and they are linked by a circular road of around twenty-three kilometres that makes touring straightforward by car. Lasithi is perhaps most famous for its windmills. For irrigation the plateau once bristled with many thousands of small white-sailed windpumps that drew water from wells to feed the fields, a sight that became emblematic of the region. Most have since fallen out of use, though preserved examples can still be seen, and a separate line of older stone windmills crowns the Seli Ambelou pass on the approach from the north, a popular photo stop for visitors arriving from the coast. Beyond farming and windmills, the plateau is a base for exploring the surrounding mountains and the celebrated Dikteon Cave near the village of Psychro, traditionally linked to the birth of Zeus. Villages such as Tzermiado, Agios Georgios and Psychro offer tavernas serving hearty mountain cooking, small folklore museums and a glimpse of traditional Cretan rural life that moves at a noticeably slower pace than the resorts. The plateau lies roughly seventy kilometres east of Heraklion and is most often visited as a day trip by car from the northern resort towns such as Malia, Stalida and Hersonissos, a drive of around an hour up the mountain roads. It suits travellers interested in scenery, photography, traditional villages and gentle exploration, and pairs naturally with a visit to the Dikteon Cave.