Whilst our intention is to add a full, vilage by village guide, we now include brief details of some of the villages:

Ahladia

With 324 inhabitants(1991), Ahladia is located at 250 metres elevation. It is 9 km from Sitia, at the crossroads after Piskokefalo. It is mentioned by Barotsi as Agladea in 1577, Kastrof as Aghladia, with 258 inhabitants in 1583, and Vasilikata as Achladia. In 1881 it had 358 inhabitants at Limenos Sitias area, in 1900 it had 341 and in 1928 it had 440. In June of 1821, the Turks gathered 300 christians from the villages around (Chamezi, Skopi, Kimourgioti, Sklavediakou) at Ahladia and they massacred them.

Armeni

The picturesque hilly village of Armeni is situated at the plateau of Ziros, 27 km from Sitia through Handra and 23 km through the villages of Papagianades and Etia. It was first recorded in a venetian census in 1583 with a population of 428. Today the village of Armeni is administered by the Municipality of Lefki with a population of approx. 400. The sightseer is impressed by the numerous windmills in the area.
The village is built around a square with tavenas and shops. Shoes are still made by hand by the village cobbler, who has his shop just off the square. The church of Agia Sofia which used to be one of the most important churches of the Eastern Crete is also in Armeni. Amongst its icons, the Holy Mother presents interesting art features. The Cave of Holy Spirit is also in the area of the village of Armeni.

Etia

Etia is a small settlement situated in the Municipality of Lefki. It's 2 klm away from the village of Papagianades driving to the village of Armeni.In a Venetian census was recorded with a population of 564. The village of Etia was at peak of its power around the Venetian occupation and from the presence of the St. John and St. Aikaterini churches one assumes that the village also existed through the Byzantine period as well.

The village used to be private property of the De Mezzo family, a venetian family, where they built their three-storeyed house, the Seragio Serai House, which used to host Turkish officers as well during the Turkish occupation and can be seen nowadays. This House is considered to be one of the most important samples of the Venetian architecture in Crete.

The church of St. Aikaterini used to be occupied by the Turks as a mosque until the Cretan revolution in 1897. At the south of village of Etia there is the hill of Etiani Kefala at an altitude of 715 m. where it used to be a sacred place but unfortunately nowadays looted.

Handras

The village of Handras is in the Municipality of Lefki at the Armeni-Handras plateau and 27 km from the town of Sitia. First recorded in a venetian census in 1583 as Candra and Chandra with a population of 399 like today.

Ancient Minoan sites were found at the Plakalonia area as well as at the Gras and Katrani places. There is a peak sanctuary at the hill of Xykefalo between Handras and Kasteliona at an altitude of 705 m. In spite of its looting a lot of ancient objects were found.

The cave of Panagia Gouda is at the Handra region. This region includes the communities of Voila, Agios Panteleimonas and Pano Panteli. At Pano Panteli there is an old church the Metamorfosis in which there is an inscription that says: Petro Abramo was here in 1486.

Papagianades

The village of Papagianades is situated in the Municipality of Lefki at an altitude of 480 m above sea level. The village is approx. 90 km from Agios Nikolaos and 19 from the town of Sitia.
It was first recorded in an egyptian census in 1834 with 8 Christian families. It was also recorded by Chourmouzi Byzantios in 1842. In the 1881 census the village is recorded with a population of 77 pertaining to the Community of Handras. Since 1940 the village of Papagianades became the seat of the Community with a population of 157. The Ai Lias hill just before entering the village is of local interest as well as the Monastirakia, a ruined Minoan settlement.
There is also the church of Panagia Eleousa with frescoes dated back to the 14th century. The sightseer can sit and relax at the marvelous Panteli, a place in a gorge with lot of trees, joining the villages of Papagianades and Maronia. The chapel of Virgin Mary is worth visiting as well.

Piskokefalo

The village is mentioned at the census of 1577 by Fr. Barozzi, and became the seat of the commanding officer, after the destruction of the town of Sitia in 1538 by the pirate Chairentin Barbarossa. Prof. N.Platon who unearthed the palace of Zakros believed that at the nearby hill of Katrinia there were a peak sanctuary of the Minoan III period, which was of the same significance with this of Petsofa. At the surrounding area there were discovered a large number of findings of the Neopalatial period.
Nowadays Piskokefalo is a beautiful village where a stop is worthwhile. The visitor can see the house of Kornaros, enjoy a coffee or a meal at the village's square, visit the spring at Zou, the old water mill, the church of "Agia Anna" and the small chapel of "Panagia Trapezounta". The main products of the village are olive oil of superior quality and wine.

Tourloti

Tourloti is 27km from Sitia and has about 350 residents in the winter. But many summer visitors and people who originate from Tourloti, prefer to spend their summer vacations there. So, during the summer, population increases up to 800 or sometimes 900 people.
Many social events - christian ceremonies, the celebration of 15th of August, weddings, and other sorts of festivals - take place during summer. In these festivals people dance traditional Cretan dances, drink the famous raki, eat and having a good time.bDuring the summer, Tourloti is a real paradise. Not very crowded, it is ideal for people who are looking for a quiet and relaxing place for passing their holidays.
From the top of the village you can see all of Mirabello Bay, Agios Nikolaos and Elounda.

Palm Beach Vai

Vai beach is located 25 km from Sitia. The combination of a magnificent beach with a rare grove of palm trees makes Vai one of the absolute must sees of Crete.

According to a legend, Arab pirates who came to Crete threw out the pips of the dates they were eating while they were here and that from these came this grove of 5000 palms. It is prohibited to camp overnight within the grove, which covers an area of 60 acres and is protected by fencing under the care of the Forestry Service. It is organised and has been awarded with the EU Blue Flag.
It is an exotic, tropical beach with fine sand and pebbles and crystal-clear blue sea. 6 km far from Palekastro.

Ziros

The hilly village of Ziros spreads over the lower slopes that the locals call Egremno (the Cliff) at an altitude of 590 m. at the pictureque Armeni-Handras plateau. The village is the seat of the Municipality of Lefki. The village was first recorded as Siros in 1577 in the Venetian Barozzi's catalogue of the villages of Sitia. In a census carried out by the P. Castrofilaka it was listed under the same name in 1583, with a population of 448. In 1928 with the first census after the union of Crete with Greece, the population was 742. Today the population of the village is approx. 742 but diminishing.

The Ziros community includes the villages of Kalo Horio, Hametoulo, the coastal settlement of Xerokampos, the deserted Lamnoni and some settlements inhabited seasonally like Agrilia, Lethi, Achladias, Makri Livadi and Anargyros.

The Ziros area has many antiquities from all periods, however no methodical excavations have yet occured. Ancient sited can be found at Plakospilios (roman settlement and tombs), St. John (an Archaic set-tlement), Fonias (a Minoan settlement), Stalos (Minoan tombs and settlement), Katsoulianos (Minoan tombs), Pentalitro (Minoan Acropolis), Katergari Papa Pigadi (Minoan Settlement), Anemomilia (Minoan building), Pirgales (Minoan Villa), Vrisi Hametoulou (Minoan settlement), Limnia or Palaki Mantra Hametoulou (Minoan buildings). An important peak sanctuary of the Middle Minoan period existed at the Plagia hill but now it is ruined.