Join the main National Road towards Rethymnon and follow this all the way to Heraklion.
It is a good road but with very few dual carriageway sections. After leaving the immediate area of Heraklion you will find it becomes much less busy.
Follow this road for some 60 kilometres until the approach to Agios Nikolaos and you will come to a set of traffic lights.
Turn right at the lights following the signs for Sitia and Ierapetra. There is another set of traffic lights after about 700 metres and here you should go straight on.
The coastal road winds up and down with some amazing views and you should follow it for some 20 kilometres, passing the ancient site of Gournia on your right. Soon after the site you will descend a hill with a steep curve into the village of Pachia Amos. On leaving the village, take a right turn signposted to Ierapetra. This road is the shortest route between the north and south of the island.
Mid way across the island, follow the road as it bears left for Ierapetra (with Kalo Chorio signposted straight ahead). A little further on, you reach a set of traffic lights. Go straight ahead.
As you near Ierapetra you will pass a Lidl supermarket on your left.
(A new road has been built which by passes Ierapetra, but at the time of writing there is a small sign post near the new Chapion supermarket that says Sitia, but it can be a little confusing at the end of the road, to find the left hand turn towards Makrigialos/Sitia.
Therefore it is probably easier to do the following.)
One kilometre after Lidl, you will reach the sign on the right of the road, announcing that you are entering Ierapetra and that the speed limit is reduced to 40k. Slow down and start to indicate that you are tuning left. Take the first turning on the left, which is immediately before the start of the central reservation. When you reach the end of this road, turn left onto the coast road.Follow this road along the coast for just over 20 kilometres and you will come to the village of Makriyialos.
