Geraki is a village located near Gerakiani Lagkada, at the foothills of Lasithi mountains, just 42 km away from Heraklion. The village is known for its agriculture and livestock practices, with its residents producing wine, raisins, cereals, and dairy products. Visitors can also explore the Byzantine church of Michael Archangellos in the village. Geraki’s cultural center is very active, hosting numerous events during the summer season. The village celebrates its patron saints, Agia Paraskevi on July 26th and Michail Archangelos on November 8th, with a typical Cretan feast twice a year.
Things to do in Geraki
The things to do in Geraki start with the Byzantine church and the cultural centre in the village, then spread into the Pediada countryside to Minoan sites, cafes and gorges. Geraki is a farming village in the foothills, and the list below runs from the nearest outwards.
- Drive over to Agia Paraskevi. The settlement lies 2.2 km away at 400 m, in the Kasteli region, with around 120 residents, olive groves on every side, a few tavernas and cafes, and a small church dedicated to Saint Paraskevi that local people visit on pilgrimage.
- Walk the Minoan settlement of Kastelli. The site is 5.7 km from Geraki.
- Stop for coffee within 6 km. Two cafes stand that far from the village, Niki’s Coffee at 5.8 km and Cafe-Bar Kastelli Pediados at 5.9 km. Three more places sit at the same remove, Koutoúphi and Oxyd at 5.9 km and Decauville at 6 km.
- Descend the Eligas gorge. The gorge cuts the western side of Koupa mountain above Miliaradon, in Embaros, and it is canyoning ground rather than a walk: nine rappels and about 230 m of height between entrance and exit. The Eligas waterfall itself stands 150 m and falls in 5 or 6 stages, the largest of them 50 m, fed in winter by the Papa Lagos springs. At the exit the water joins the Baritis, the main tributary of the Anapodaris river.
- Trek into the Erganos gorge. The canyon sits on the south-eastern side of the Afendis Christos peak, above the villages of Embaros, where the Baritis river crosses the Erganos plateau and its vineyards at 900 m. Plane trees, cypresses and oaks fill it, and only a short section is passable on foot, with the ground changing after the first 20 minutes of descent.
Beaches in and around Geraki
Geraki has no beach. Geraki stands inland at the foot of the Lasithi mountains, 42 km from Heraklion, so a swim means driving out to the coast, and Hersonissos is the nearest of the north-coast resorts. What the country around Geraki holds instead is gorges, Minoan sites and the vineyards, olive groves and grazing that the village lives on.
Geraki village Map
Explore Geraki village is located at Geráki village, in the Heraklion region of Crete. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
