WHAT TO SEE

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Chania Old Town

The old town of Chania with the beautiful Venetian harbor is the heart of the city of Chania and its prefecture that beats loudly during the summer.

Numerous people, tourists and residents of Chania, people of all ages, come here and collect what the historic old town and the enchanting Venetian harbor has to offer. Get to know the history of the old city of Chania, which consists of historic districts, squares and neighborhoods.

  1. Kasteli, the hill where the history of the city of Chania began to be written, and always constituted the acropolis or the core of the city.
  2. Topana, which was the prestigious district of the city.
  3.  Hebrew, where the Jews who settled in Chania created their own neighborhood.
  4.  The Sanctuary that was the square where the Christians of the city, during the Ottoman domination, and the most central square of Chania in the later years.
  5. Splantzia, which was the Turkish macaque, when the Turks settled in Chania.

Chania Old Town

The old town of Chania with the beautiful Venetian harbor is the heart of the city of Chania and its prefecture that beats loudly during the summer.

Numerous people, tourists and residents of Chania, people of all ages, come here and collect what the historic old town and the enchanting Venetian harbor has to offer. Get to know the history of the old city of Chania, which consists of historic districts, squares and neighborhoods.

  1. Kasteli, the hill where the history of the city of Chania began to be written, and always constituted the acropolis or the core of the city.
  2. Topana, which was the prestigious district of the city.
  3.  Hebrew, where the Jews who settled in Chania created their own neighborhood.
  4.  The Sanctuary that was the square where the Christians of the city, during the Ottoman domination, and the most central square of Chania in the later years.
  5. Splantzia, which was the Turkish macaque, when the Turks settled in Chania.

Elafonisi Beach

Elafonisi is located 76km west of Chania and 5km south of Chrysoskalitisa Monastery, in the southwesternmost tip of Crete. Elafonisi is an oblong peninsula, which often breaks in two parts by water giving the impression of being a separate island. Elafonisi is a Natura 2000 protected area. The island is full of sand dunes with sea daffodils and jupiners. The endangered loggerhead sea turtle and several more rare animals and plants find shelter on the island; it is strictly forbidden to remove any plants, animals, shells and sand from the area.

Exotic beaches with white sand and turquoise water, reminding of the Caribbean, are formed on either sides of the peninsula. The sand is pinkish in many places, taking its color from millions of crushed shells. Near the breaking point of the peninsula, the sea water does not exceed 1m in depth, creating a small lagoon, ideal for children. You can easily cross the lagoon in order to reach the opposite site of the peninsula, while carrying your staff with you, because the water is very shallow there.

Balos – Gramvousa

Balos is famous for its turquoise waters, the wild natural beauty and the beautiful exotic scenery. During the summer, Balos is visited by thousands of people, who arrive mostly by the ferries running from Kissamos port. If you do not like crowds, you’d better avoid to visit the beach in July and August. Also, a perfect idea is to arrive at Balos in the morning, before the boats arrive from Kissamos. These few hours of remoteness in such a heavenly place will remain etched in your memory forever.

The lagoon of Balos has white sand and exotic white, vivid blue and turquoise waters. The sea is very shallow and warm, ideal for young children. In many places the sand has a lovely pinkish color, because of millions of crushed shells. Beyond the rocks at the boundaries of the lagoon, the water is deeper and colder, ideal for a snorkeling. The lagoon and the wider area, with rare species of flora and fauna, are protected under the Natura 2000 program. Eleonora falcons, shags and cormorants nest in the caves of the area. Moreover, the area is a shelter for the protected monk seal and the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).

Balos – Gramvousa

Balos is famous for its turquoise waters, the wild natural beauty and the beautiful exotic scenery. During the summer, Balos is visited by thousands of people, who arrive mostly by the ferries running from Kissamos port. If you do not like crowds, you’d better avoid to visit the beach in July and August. Also, a perfect idea is to arrive at Balos in the morning, before the boats arrive from Kissamos. These few hours of remoteness in such a heavenly place will remain etched in your memory forever.

The lagoon of Balos has white sand and exotic white, vivid blue and turquoise waters. The sea is very shallow and warm, ideal for young children. In many places the sand has a lovely pinkish color, because of millions of crushed shells. Beyond the rocks at the boundaries of the lagoon, the water is deeper and colder, ideal for a snorkeling. The lagoon and the wider area, with rare species of flora and fauna, are protected under the Natura 2000 program. Eleonora falcons, shags and cormorants nest in the caves of the area. Moreover, the area is a shelter for the protected monk seal and the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).

Seitan Limania

The wider area is named Seitan Limania, after the wild landscape, the steep cliffs and the strong sea streams which are considered dangerous. Here are situated three parallel narrow coves, well protected from the waves.

In the northern cove a tiny fantastic beach is shaped, with deep azure waters, namely the beach of Stefanou. The beach has fine pebbles and sand, transferred there from the nearby quarry through the canyon Diplohahalo. On the right and the left sides of the cove, huge marble rocks are standing high to protect the beach from the bad weather. The fame of the beach has faced a rapid increase since 2010, some years after the asphalt road reached the place; the beach is crowded in during peak season. There is a narrow steep path starting from the parking place and leading to the beach, so make sure you wear sneakers. Also the beach during July-August gets crowded so we suggest to visit the beach very early in the morning in order to have the best possible position in front of the baech and that way enjoy the sea.

Samaria Gorge

The Samaria Gorge is the longest trekking gorge in Europe and also the most famous of all. Thousands of tourists flock here daily in the summer season to walk from the top to the bottom. For many visitors, it is the sole purpose of their visit to Crete. The length of the gorge, which belongs to the European E4 path, reaches 18km and takes almost 4-7 hours to hike from Omalos to Agia Roumeli, depending on trekking speed.
The gorge is locarted at the South of Chania Prefecture in the larger uninhabited area of Europe, where no roads even exist. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) and Mountain Volakias. There are many smaller gorges vertical to Samaria Gorge, most of which have never been crossed by humans and require canyoning equipment.

Samaria Gorge

The Samaria Gorge is the longest trekking gorge in Europe and also the most famous of all. Thousands of tourists flock here daily in the summer season to walk from the top to the bottom. For many visitors, it is the sole purpose of their visit to Crete. The length of the gorge, which belongs to the European E4 path, reaches 18km and takes almost 4-7 hours to hike from Omalos to Agia Roumeli, depending on trekking speed.
The gorge is locarted at the South of Chania Prefecture in the larger uninhabited area of Europe, where no roads even exist. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) and Mountain Volakias. There are many smaller gorges vertical to Samaria Gorge, most of which have never been crossed by humans and require canyoning equipment.