As you’re heading up the hill to Koutouloufari, you turn right at the well in the centre of the road, which brings you into the charming hillside village of Piskopiano.

Charming Piskopiano

The village of Piskopiano is similar to that of Koutouloufari but has been established longer, and has more of a history to it. The village itself is an excellent holiday getaway for anyone looking for a quiet and relaxing break away. There are a select few restaurants, cafes and gift shops along the main village road.

If you want the best of the nightlife, but want a retreat to a quiet place after then choosing a holiday in Piskopiano is definitely the way to go. Hersonissos is just a mile down the hill, along with its lovely sandy beaches, waterpark and great shopping

What to do in Piskopiano

Piskopiano is nestled on the hillside to the right of Koutouloufari village so you can certainly walk into this charming little village, try the food on offer here, or browse through its many gift shops. If shopping is your passion then Hersonissos is a gentle walk down the hill where you will find a wealth of local and designer fashion shops.

A great place to visit if you have kids is Star beach Waterpark, with free entrance you only pay for the sunbeds and rides. The beaches of Hersonissos are lovely and sandy and the beach gently shelves into the crystal clear waters.

If you want to try something different and include a bit of sightseeing on your holiday then when you get to the bottom of the hill cross over the main road to find Gregory’s horse stable, they have an excellent reputation around Crete and will take you up into the mountains on horses matched to your personality, when you get up to the main mountain villages, you are treated to a wonderful BBQ lunch with free flowing wine and Raki.

There is an amazing little museum just to the right of Star beach called the Lychnostatis Open Air Museum. Here you can look back on Cretan cultural heritage, see how life was lived and admire the many sights, from old working olive oil presses, wine presses, working water windmills and much more.

The entrance fee into the museum is around 5 euros for adults and children around 2 euros with free guided tours around the many different displays.

Colourful Houses on Spinalong Island in Agios Nikolaos

Piskopiano Village

Where to eat in Piskopiano?

There’s quite a few Taverna’s and restaurants crammed into this hillside village, your first point of call must be the Taverna Lychnos, a well placed Greek restaurant with exceptional service and exquisite food. You must try the Moussaka here, and also the Stifado and roast belly of pork. A unique aspect of this restaurant, is that if you arrive at the right time of year you can even join in on grape pressing which is how they get the wine ready for next year.

Another great place to try is restaurant David’s where the prices are very low but the food quality is very high. It has a very traditional look and feel and you can tell its a quality restaurant as the locals also eat here.

Moving onto Taverna Dionysus where you can pick up an excellent cheap breakfast, Greek style of course but very good and sets you up for the day. The speciality of this restaurant has to be the Stifado, which you have to try before you leave. If the Stifado stew is not for you try their excellent chicken dishes. For the kids they do some lovely pizza’s so you can keep everyone happy.

For a quick takeaway try Pizza in Piskopiano, the pizza here is freshly made and baked and far outstrips anything you would find in a equivalent takeaway in the UK.