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Ierapetra is the most southerly town in Europe and is known for its particularly
mild climate. The town of Ierapetra has been in existence since ancient
times, when it had important trade links with North Africa. Roman remains,
a Venetian fort, a Turkish mosque and minaret still exist. The journey
from Heraklion takes about one and a half hour. In the centre of the town
there is a long promenade with lots of shops, tavernas and hotels, and the little harbour with its Venetian fort.
 Many of the local inhabitants of
the area around
Ierapetra work in agriculture,
and so it is common to see
the long green houses for growing vegetables, while inland there are
lovely pine forests and olive groves. The kilometre long sand and shingle
beach with numerous attractive little coves, has two beaches which have
been awarded the Blue European Flag. Near to Ierapetra, there are many
little villages. The region of Ierapetra lends itself particularly for
walking, or for boat trips to the nearby bays, to the golden Island of
‘Crisi” or Koufonisi with its unusual crushed-shell beaches. There are
many interesting outings to be made, for example a visit to Agios
Nikolaos, to the vast Lassithi Plain with its windmills, to the Butterfly
Gorge or to the beautiful palm strewn beach at Vai.
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