Kronios Cave

Lasithi Province


Approaching Tzermiado from the south, look for the sign pointing to the Kronios Cave, reached via a path leading to a series of stairs. Excavations have yielded objects going back to Neolithic times, when the cave likely served as a shelter. The Minoans used it as a burial site. Bring a torch and watch your footing when exploring the two chambers with their stalagmites and stalactites, many of which have been tampered with.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Lasithi Province attractions

1. Cretan Folk Museum

2.32 MILES

This endearing museum opens a window on Crete's rural past, with exhibits spread over a 19th-century stone farmhouse and a slightly younger neoclassical…

2. Kerá Kardiotissas Monastery

2.59 MILES

Continuing on from the Aposelemis Dam takes you to Kerá, home to one of Crete’s most cherished monasteries, the Panagia Kardiotissa. Its teensy chapel is…

3. Dikteon Cave

3.67 MILES

According to legend, Rhea hid in this cave to give birth to Zeus, far from the clutches of his offspring-gobbling father, Cronos. A slick and vertiginous…

4. Aposelemis Dam

5.99 MILES

En route to/from the village of Krasí you will pass the controversial Aposelemis Dam, the construction of which was completed in 2012. Formerly wedged…

5. Kernos Stone

6.54 MILES

This disc with 34 impressions around its edge is on the western side of the Palace of Malia's Central Court. Archaeologists believe it probably had a…

6. Grain Silos

6.54 MILES

These eight well-preserved circular pits are believed to have been grain silos.

7. Palace of Malia

6.54 MILES

The Palace of Malia, 3km east of Malia, was built at about the same time as the great Minoan palaces of Phaestos and Knossos. The First Palace dates back…