This tiny island (roughly three miles long by half a mile across) is a beach lover's paradise. Uninhabited and with no accommodations, this virgin isle has only a handful of beachside tavernas and docks, making it a popular boat day trip from Crete.

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This tiny island (roughly three miles long by half a mile across) is a beach lover's paradise. Uninhabited and with no accommodations, this virgin isle has only a handful of beachside tavernas and docks, making it a popular boat day trip from Crete. Chrissi is almost pancake-flat with colorful, volcanic rocks covered with gold sand, purple shells, and sand dunes. The highest hill on the isle is only 100 feet high and borders an old Lebanon cedar forest, probably the last one in Europe. On the western side, there's a well-preserved chapel dating to the 13th century, an old port, Minoan ruins, carved Roman graves, and a lighthouse. But unlike other parts of Crete, history takes a back seat to nature, with a rich underwater marine life and more than 50 species of fossils and ancient shells. From the middle of May until late October, there are excursions to the island daily from Ierapetra, and visitors must adhere to strict guidelines to preserve the isle's natural beauty.

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