Kastri beach – Nikiti

This is a small sandy beach at the outskirts of Nikiti. The beach is enclosed by two little capes. One of them ends in a little rocky island which marks the whole place. It is a beautiful beach with calm and clean water, not yet well-known to the visitors.

Access to the beach is through a narrow road that is difficult to locate. You should take the old beach road that leads from Agios Georgios in Nikiti to Ai Yiannis beach. At one point of this road, you will see a steep turn on your left. You should not take this turn. Instead keep going towards the sea direction by following the narrow road. The beach is about 100m away.

The place has an important historical background as the south cape with the rocky island is considered as the most likely location of the ancient city of Galepsus, mentioned by Herodotus. No ruins of the city have been found however. Only a cemetery and some pottery. Nevertheless, the archaeological data indicate a continuous habitation of the area at least until Roman times.

What is most interesting about that specific beach is the sunset. Kastri presents unobstructed view of the falling sun which colors the sky with wonderful blue, red and purple colors. The rocky island cape at the south of the beach is ideal for watching the sunset. If the weather is clear, you may see Mt Olympus breaking the horizon line. Sunset in Kastri is a magic moment. The light becomes heavier, more intense. The sea takes a deep blue color onto which, the last sunbeams reflect. It is in that time that you feel the historical weight of the place. You think of old people that lived there. They should have watched the same setting sun, they should have swam in the same waters. They should have worked the nearby fields. They should have fought for their lives when intruders came. They should have fallen in love under that sun.