Ligaria

The name of the area originates from the wicker tree “Ligaria or Ligia” which covered the area. It is an area of special beauty hills with small fertile valleys. Ligaria was used little for anchoring ships. The sacred temple of the Panagia of Ligariani is located 250m from the edge of a slantΒ­ing hill. Nowadays, with ideal rent rooms, cafes and taverns as well as souvenir shops, the settlement offers the opportunity for enjoyable and relaxing holidays.

Ligaria is located 21km north west of Heraklion and 1km east of Agia Pelagia. The Bay of Ligaria is closed and well protected from the winds blowing in the region. Nearby there are the ruins of the old monastery of Panagia Ligariani, where many monks lived in the past. The region gets its name from the monastery, which in turn gets its name from the beautiful plant “osier” (ligaria in Greek), with the flexible stems and the beautiful flowers, which used to abound in the area.