Sitia
General Data
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Category
Ports -
Geographical Area
Greece -
Latitude
Lat 35° 12' 30'' N -
Longitude
Long 26° 6' 33'' E -
VHF
12
Features
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Maximum Draught
7 m -
Shelter
north, north-east and north-west winds -
Boat Posts
15 -
Port Entrance Times
24 h/24
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Dangers
mooring places at the edge of the breakwater are not safe in case of strong southern wind -
Hardships
southern winds
Dock Services
Fuel
Water
Energy
Slide
Slipway
Crane
Travel Lift
Toilets
Showers
Fire Services
Engine Reparations
Electric Reparations
Weather Forecast Service
Anchorage Staff
Security Staff
Scuba Divers
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Further Services
Gas station in the city centre
Description
Located on the north-eastern coast of Crete Island, not far from the Gulf of Mirabello and St. Nicolas, Sitia is not a typical mass tourism destination, despite its excellent marine and air links to Athens and the Piraeus; maybe this can be traced back to the fact that the local airport is not an international one.
Anyway, Sitia is a nice city located in a crinkled, sometimes rocky, stretch of coast, rich of beautiful sandy beaches, such as Vai, very popular in Crete, which offers a wonderful, almost carribean field of palm trees. Unfortunately, the atmosphere of this "heaven on earth" is a little damaged by the massive presence of people, cars and buses in summer.
The first attraction of Sitia are its picturesque roads, rich of nice shops and excellent restaurants. The city also has an archaelogical museum housing many Minoan remains and a Venetian fortress which overlooks the harbour, called Kazarma.
Not far from Sitia, there's the archaelogical site of Kato Zakro, with many Minoan remains and what remains of an ancient large building.
Sitia has a commercial harbour,generally used by ferries which sail from the Piraeus (and not only), which offers few mooring places.
Getting Sitia is not difficult. But remind that the northern coast of Crete is generally exposed to strong Meltemi winds which become stronger precisely near the two eastern and western edges, by causing some confused streams.
Anyway, the entrance of the harbour is large and easy and the harbour itself is spacious. Boats can moor laterally in the inner part of the northern breakwater, where depth reaches about 7 metres. The outer edge of this area, comfortable for bigger boats, is also that one most exposed to southern winds which might be very annoying and dangerous.
The harbour offers no services: no electricity, no water, no toilets, no fuel (but there's a gas station in the city centre).
However, Sitia is big enough and you'll certailnly find all you need in the city centre: fruit and vegetables, supermarkets, banks, taverns and restaurants