Sitia Archaeological Museum


This is a compact showcase of archaeological finds from eastern Crete spanning the arc from Neolithic to Roman times, with an emphasis on Minoan artefacts. Pride of place goes to the Palekastro Kouros – a statue carved from hippopotamus tusks that was once fully covered in gold leaf. Standout finds from the palace at Zakros include a wine press, a bronze saw and cult objects scorched by the fire that destroyed the palace.

Other notable finds are fragments of Linear A tablets found at Petras and Zakros as well as Minoan larnakes (clay coffins).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Folklore Museum

0.26 MILES

Anybody curious about traditional life in Sitia should spend half an hour or so nosing around this two-storey museum in a handsome 19th-century building…

2. Venetian Building

0.34 MILES

Just below Agia Ekaterini, the main church, look for a Venetian building that was once the administrative base of a French garrison based in Sitia during…

3. Sitia City Beach

0.43 MILES

Sitia's city beach has mostly greyish sand and is lapped by crystalline, kid-friendly waters. Since it extends a couple of kilometres south of the town…

4. Kazarma Fortress

0.46 MILES

Looming high on the hillside above the port, Kazarma (derived from the Italian Casa di Arma) was built by the Venetians in the 13th century but destroyed …

5. Petras Archaeological Site

0.73 MILES

About 2km southeast of Sitia on a low hill overlooking the sea is the site of an important Minoan settlement. You can see the remains of two houses from…

6. Moni Toplou

6.38 MILES

In splendid isolation on a windswept plateau, 15th-century fortified Moni Toplou is one of the most historically significant monasteries in Crete. Its…

7. Folk Museum of Palekastro

8.32 MILES

Tucked away in a backstreet and signposted from the main road, this compact and well-presented museum occupies a traditional Cretan manor house, with…

8. Zakros Natural History Museum

8.99 MILES

A short distance past the village square en route to Kato Zakros, this little museum shines a spotlight on local flora and fauna through modest displays…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "greece/crete/sitia/attractions/sitia-archaeological-museum/a/poi-sig/505050/359439",
      "position": "superzone"
    }