Vai Palm Beach
Vai is a beautiful unpopulated beach of fine sand and pebbles at the far eastern tip of Crete. It has a unique and luscious palm forest of a species found only on Crete. Even without these wonderful tall, leafy palms, it is a spectacular beach with clear, clean water, excellent snorkelling and plenty of room for everyone. Vai does not have a village or accommodation, in summer season the carpark is full of temporary services such as food, beach gear, cameras and drinks. There are beach chairs and umbrellas to rent, and the nearby monastery runs a restaurant right on the beach which serves delicious traditional Greek food.
The beach itself is worth the drive of 25 kms from Sitia and the palm forest, now protected by the EU, is well worth the visit. Nestled into a valley behind a fresh water pond and creek, the palm forest is home to local birds and animals such as the shy Cretan Marten, a small native mammal like a stoat which we saw darting out of the bushes as we walked near the forest. This palm forest is the largest in Europe, the palms are Phoenix Theophrastii and are unique to Crete. Windsurfing and jet-skiing are popular here, topless bathing is common and nudist bathing is popular at the south end of the beach. This is not a beach for the faint-hearted, it gets really, really crowded in summer. I visited in October and there were hardly any people, yet beach chairs still available and the restaurant open. We visited again in January, the beach was closed and there was not a soul in sight. The bus service is virtually non-existent in the off season. We hitched a ride back to town on a little open-topped work truck. Ahh the joys of travelling, free as birds!
Wildflowers line the roadside, and traditional farming surrounds the palm forest reserve. The locals are very proud of the bananas grown in hot houses here, in fact all over Crete they refer to the bananas grown here with pride.
The village of Palékastro , on the way to Vai from Sitia, is 6km from the Vai beach, there are plenty of cafes serving local food and there is a folklore museum. The beach of Kouremenos, just 5 km from here, is a pretty beach, drawing visitors for its clear waters, great diving, fresh seafood and wind-surfing. There are plenty of rooms, villas and accommodation at this beach. How to get to this beach; getting around in Crete. How to get to Crete; flight, ferries and more. Return from Vai to We Love Crete Homepage
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