The Minoan palace at Kato Zakros lies on the far eastern coast, a 45-minute drive south of Sitia through a striking gorge. It is one of the four major Minoan palaces alongside Knossos, Phaistos, and Malia — and far less visited, partly because the road in is slow and partly because the layout is harder to read than its better-restored neighbours.
The palace sits beside a small modern beach. Wander the foundations of the storerooms, the workshops, and the central court, and then have lunch at one of the half-dozen tavernas on the bay. A serious-walker option is to descend on foot through the Valley of the Dead — a deep gorge full of Minoan rock-cut tombs — from Áno Zakros.