map of Crete Lapithos is one of the mountain villages in the district of Lassithi in the eastern part of Crete. Lapithos can be reached if you take the winding road from Koutsouras leading north into the hills and the mountains into the direction of Stavrochori. On your way you will pass the Agios Fanourios chapel and then a path leading up to the Agios Konstantinos church and a 30 meter high waterfall. The road goes zigzagging through Stavrochori towards the next villages Lapithos and Chrisopigi. For Lapithos take the exit on the left hand side of the road after Stavrochori (indicated by a sign). The village is about a kilometer away from the route and the road runs dead here. After your visit you turn the car around and drive back.

Lapithos is a small village with fig and orange trees and a beautiful small church surrounded by fields of olive trees. You can walk up to the church over a path. The village is already mentioned in a document of the Duke archive of Heraklion that dates from 1368. The name Lapithos is pre-hellenistic and refers to a battle between Lapithes and centaurs, which ended in peace. According to the myth, both the centaurs and the Lapithes were a tribe of the same origin and they both were very good warriors, but the difference was of course that the Lapithes than a human form and the centaurs were half man half horse. Of that fight not much more can be seen today. Lapithos is almost deserted and there are just a couple of older people that grow vegetables in their garden. Facilities as a kafenion, a restaurant or a grocery store we have not seen.