Any place in Western Crete (and many farther afield) is accessible as a day trip or shorter excursion. A car is clearly the best way to get around. There does exist a network of cross-country buses that reach all but the most inaccessible beaches and villages, though frequency is occasionally spotty.
Our brief guide does not aim to be exhaustive. It lists and briefly outlines some of the region’s more popular and interesting places. To a great extent the joys of Crete, its people, climate and scenery, are present all around you. Taking a car, bus or boat in practically any direction will bring you beautiful nature, inquisitive and hospitable people, and interesting places.
A nearby destination which can be managed in a morning, the Akrotiri peninsula (on which Chania’s airport is located), contains a number of popular beaches, some with good restaurants (see below) as well as historical monasteries which can be visited, the best known being Aghia Triada and Gouverneto (with its path to the Cave of Panagia Arkoudiotisa, a place of worship since Mycenae times, and the picturesque ruins of Catholikon monastery).
A pleasant round trip out of Chania takes you through Therisso Gorge, the nearest gorge to Chania and one that can be negotiated by car as well as on foot. The gorge is cool, leafy and beautiful. Therisso itself is a small, historical town which won fame as a centre of resistance to Ottoman rule and also for the Therisso Revolt of 1905 that ousted Prince George of Greece as regent of Crete and finally won Crete union with Greece.
There are a number of restaurants in Therisso which are popular with day trippers though following the road on through Therisso takes you to Zourva where Amelia’s restaurant serves wonderful braised goat or lamb and homemade sausages (see recommendations). Also in Zourva is a small war monument testifying to man’s folly that can bring conflict to such remote areas of beauty. Chania can be reached by the following the windy road down through further villages, looking out for the occasional herd of goats or sheep or a sheep shearer doing his shearing by the roadside. From Therisso you can also drive to Drakona which has two popular country tavernas.
A 20 minute drive west, Kolymbari is nowadays mainly a resort town. The route there passes highly developed tourism and a coast lined with hotels. A stop at Galatas, just off the coastal road, is a pleasant detour with its sleepy town square, as much a bend in the road as an open space, where a small and touching museum commemorates the WWII battle that took place there. Kolymbari is worth a visit for an excellent meal at Argentina which serves a spectacular lobster spaghetti (call
Perhaps Crete’s most famous sight after the Minoan Palace of Knossos. Visiting Samaria Gorge is for the fit and strong limbed. It is a long and rewarding walk through a rugged landscape full of local wildlife and flora. The walk, 13 km in the gorge itself and 3 km downhill to the village of Aghia Roumeli, takes some 4-6 hours. You are rewarded at Aghia Roumeli with the chance of a swim, a rest or a meal before catching a boat back to near your starting point. It is recommended to join an organised coach tour due to logistic problems leaving and re-accessing your car.
The ferry that serves Aghia Roumeli and the Samaria Gorge is one of a handful serving the south coast. Any stop along the short route is worthwhile for a sleepy atmosphere and a swim and one can even steam from Chora Sfakion to Gavdos Island, Europe’s southernmost place.
Rethimnon, Crete’s third largest city, is not far – an hour’s drive. Less damaged than Chania during the war it has one of Crete’s best preserved old towns. Points of interest are the Venetian Fortezza or citadel, a small Venetian harbour, Piazza Rimondi, the loggia, Great Gate and Neradze Mosque.
A little beyond Rethymno, an hour and a half’s drive from Chania, is Arkadi Monastery, another interesting but severe memorial of conflict. Here Greek resistance to Ottoman rule was faced by a substantial Turkish force, with catastrophic results: the last surviving defenders ignited a store of gunpowder and blew themselves to oblivion. Much remains to see including a small museum and an ossuary containing remains of the defenders. From there a short drive will take you to the village of Margarites, a happier place known for its pottery. On the way there you will be surprised to see a modern museum perched over the village of Eleutherna – it contains interesting finds from nearby archeological sites and is well worth a short visit.
Much has been written about Knossos and there is little for us to add. It is in the outskirts of Heraklion some two hours’ drive from Chania. Go early or late to avoid crowds and leave time to visit Heraklion’s archeological museum where the major finds from Knossos are exhibited.
Allow a day for the complete trip – back in Chania for a drink at la Maison Ottomane and dinner.
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