South Crete: here the summer never ends

 

South Crete is the most southern coast of Europe, it spreads for more than 250 kilometers in the Libyan Sea. Here the best beaches of the Mediterranean can be found – some of them are among the best beaches in the world – with transparent crystal-clear waters, deep or shallow, some of them are quiet or even desolated and some other ones cosmic and noisy, some are big and open to the endless Libyan Sea, while some others are closed like a lake, small, windless and picturesque. There is a grand Samaria gorge, and many other smaller but still beautiful gorges, all of them full of green and running waters, with wild animals and birds.

Snowy mountain peaks that reach 2,5 km high, gorgeous plateaus, woods of chestnut and oak trees, fertile valleys full of fragrant orange and lemon trees every spring, hills covered with vineyards and olive trees on your every step, with thousands of plants and dozens of birds and wild animals species complete the irresistibly beautiful natural landscape of South Crete.

In south Crete you’ll admire ruins of Minoan palaces built three and a half thousand years ago, you’ll walk on Roman paved streets, pray in Byzantine cathedrals, explore Venetian and Turkish castles, an all of these compose a unique mosaic with the history and culture of Crete, the island with the oldest European civilization. 

  
Small cities, small towns and countless picturesque villages compose the modern residential net of South Crete. The main towns and villages are Ierapetra (which is also the main South Crete sea port), Ano Viannos, Mires, Zaros, Gergeri, Timpaki, Agia Galini, Kerames, Plakias, Chora Sfakion, Paleochora. Here you’ll find modern entertainment day and night, while a few kilometers away there are dozens of villages leading a different way of life, keeping traditions, language and customs of their region.
In South Crete the routes you may follow are unlimited. Every one of them has different surprises and images, with unbelievable changes in the scenery. Enjoy car rides along the coasts or in the narrow roads of many small beautiful villages in the countryside. Walk inside the gorges or ascent its mountain peaks. Swim on the beaches, do water sports, wear a mask and discover the magic of the seabed, otherwise enjoy the hot sun, lying on the sand. Visit its archeological sites, travel to the nearest small islands (Gaidouronisi, Gavdos, Gavdopoula).

On the beaches of South Crete summer never ends. But just a few kilometers to the north, on the high mountain peaks, there is snow from November till May!

The best time to visit South Crete is April, May and the first half of June, when the heat is still mild, the people are few, while the prices for rooms and tourist services are lower. 

Agia Roumeli, the original Cretan spirit

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Agia Roumeli, a small village with 120 permanent residents, is situated in South Crete, at the exit of Samaria gorge, and it’s built on the place of Tara, the ancient city which flourished mainly during the Roman period.

The village is quiet most of the time, besides late spring and of course summer, when there are a lot of people, mostly walkers from the gorge. But once the last small boat with temporary visitors leaves the small harbor, the village resumes its usual calm and peaceful beauty. 

The access to the village is possible only by boat from Chora Sfakion, or Paleochora, Sougia and Loutro. Also one could walk to the village through the Samaria gorge, which starts from the Omalos mountain valley. Every year thousands of visitors choose this relatively hard, but popular way to reach Agia Roumeli. If you’re strong enough, you can also walk here from Chora Sfalion or Paleochora, following the European walking route E4.

The village beach has fine dark-colored pebbles, it is very good and the water is crystal clear. This territory is special because it’s protected from the winds by the high mountainous massive on the west and on the north. So western, northern and west-northern winds, bothering southern Crete very often in summer, are not at all a problem for the village!

Therefore, Agia Roumeli is the best for quiet, peaceful holidays close to the nature. There are no bars, cafeterias or night clubs, only a few traditional coffee-shops and small taverns. 

In Agia Roumeli you’ll visit the ruins of the ancient city Tara, where the ruins of a temple are preserved. Most probably, this temple was dedicated either to Apollo or to Artemis. Also there is a church of Our Lady. Close to the village there are remains of a medieval fortress on a hill. At the distance of one hour by foot a Byzantine monastery of AgiosPavlos (St.Paul) can be found, on the homonymous beach.

Agia Roumeli represents a very special and unique place due to the authentic Cretan background. It is a place with strong character and soul, surrounded by the breath-taking wild mountains, and naturally, the Libyan Sea. 

Agia Galini

Asiderotos, Kedros and Psiloritis are the three mountains which embrace the picturesque village of Agia Galini (St.Galini, where “Ganili” in Greek means “Calm, peace”). It’s built as an amphitheatre on a hidden side hill, and be sure it’ll charm you at once with its natural beauty, complicated narrow streets, its calm and friendly character. Its harbour and beaches gaze at the Libyan Sea, that’s why the water is warm all year round, so you can swim even in March and in April, admiring the snowy Ida Mountain (Psiloritis).

Agia Galini is situated in south Crete, 61 km to the south-east of Rethimno and 68 km to the south-west of Iraklio, approximately in the middle of the island, on the border of the two prefectures. Administratively it belongs to the prefecture of Rethymno.

Here is the cave where, according to the legend, Daedalus and Ikarus were hiding when they ran away from Minos the king. In this cave Daedalus made his wings and showed to his foolish son how to use them. Here is also the rock from which they began their unlucky journey, it is still standing high above the sea like it’s saying goodbye to them, watching them moving away and finally getting lost in the endless deep blue, where the skies meet the sea. 

There are two beaches in Agia Galini. One is situated next to the bay and before the Platis river which crosses the village. It’s organized, with sunbeds and umbrellas, while the sea-side cafes will be serving you even in the water! The second one is after the river, it’s quite remote, without any infrastructure. It’s ideal for those who prefer to be alone and quiet, far from the tourist life. Here a lot of nudists swim as well. In Agia Galini there are a lot of facilities for the visitors, the tourist infrastructure is organized and the residents are hospitable. Surely this is a special tourist destination for the whole year, because of its warm climate. There are hotels, rooms for rent and camping, taverns, restaurants, cafes and bars. Modern clubs and places with live Cretan traditional music. 

But beneath all that, beneath the intense night life, advertising signs, modern clubs and souvenir shops, there is an authentic Cretan soul. Discover it for yourself! 

 

Chrisi (Gaidouronisi)

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Chrisi is a destination offered by many tourist guides, and with every right. Every day a boat departing from Ierapetra will take you seven miles to the south, to a small island covered with cedar forest and full of beaches laid with crushed pink sea-shells. 

It is one of 81 desert island near Crete, more widely known by the name Gaidouronisi (Donkey Island). The residents of Ierapetra call it simply “Nisi” (The Island) because of their special attitude to it. It’s situated 8 nautical miles to the south of Ierapetra, in the Libyan Sea.

It’s almost flat and characterized by the huge amounts of sea-shells on its northern coast (Belegrina), beaches with white sand, green-blue waters and the cedar forest.

It’s 5 km long and 1 km wide on average. The highest point is Kefala height (31 meters).

The cedar forest which exists on the island covers the area of 350 000 square meters, 14 trees per 1 000 square meters on average, 200 years old. About 70% of the island territory is covered by bushes and trees. Number of plants which exist on Chrisi is 1/20 of all the Cretan flora! Up to this moment around 100 species of plants have been counted, from which 13 are endemic of Greece. From those 5 are endemic of Crete and 1 (Colchicum costurieri) grows only on this small island, nowhere else in the world! Many of the other species are rare and endangered, therefore they’re protected by international agreements and laws. 

In the western part of the island guests may visit the church of Agios Nikolaos (St.Nicholas) (it was most probably built in the 13th century), the old salt lake which still gathers salt, the tombs of Roman period hollowed out in the rocks, the ancient mole and the lighthouse.

From the sources it seems that Gaidouronisi has been inhabited during the Minoan period, but it didn’t influence the island.

Stasiasmus mentions that close to Ierapetra there’s an island named Chrisi, which has water and a harbour. Buondelmonti (in 1945) talks of Chrisi as of mostly uncultivated island with bushes and cedars.

The sea wealth of Chrisi is really abundant. The fossils found on volcano rocks are dated from 350 000 to 70 000 years of age, when the island was still sub-water. In general 49 kinds of fossils were found. Many of those still exist inside the sea water around Chrisi, as a result the northern coasts (Belegrina, Chatzivolaka, Kataprosopo) are full of sea-shells, which is something special about this island.

700 meters to the east of Chrisi there is Mikronisi, a small rocky island with total area 117 000 square meters. Hundreds of thousands couples of sea gulls nestle on Mikronisi.

There are everyday routes of boats from Ierapetra port from the middle of May till the end of October. The journey starts at 10:30 and lasts for about an hour. The passengers disembark in the southern part of the island on the site called Vougiou Mati, next to the Municipal Tavern. There is a path from there to the northern part of the island, taking you to the bay of Belegrina.

The guest has about 6 hours to walk on the endless beaches, to enjoy the green-blue waters, to visit the church of St.Nicholas and to let the unique ecosystem steal their heart and fill it with dreams.

Thanks to its beauty and its ecosystem Chrisi was enlisted in the European NATURA 2000 program of nature protection. The guests are asked not to violate this tender balance and to respect the environment. Any pollution is prohibited, as well as collection of sea-shells and stones, walking off the set paths and camping.

Ierapetra, a diamond in Libyan sea

Ierapetra is the biggest city and the only urban center in South Crete. It is an important trade center of agricultural products export to Europe. Ierapetra is the most southern city in Europe and one of the most charming in Crete. Its mild climate makes it the center of tourism even in winter, because here the temperature rarely drops below 18-19 degrees Celsium. 

  
Some of the most important ecosystems of the eastern Mediterranean belong to the Ierapetra region, like the island of Chrisi, the Selekanou forest – the largest in Crete – and the Thripti mountains.
The entrance to the Ierapetra Municipality is gorgeous. On your way you’ll encounter the ancient city of Gourna with its small houses, and on some hillside there’ll be a Faneromeni Monastery. In the valley, left and right, one can see such villages as Cavousi, Vasiliki, Monastiraki (a gorge of Cha is opening right opposite of it), Pano and Kato Chorio, Episkopi, Kentri and Venia. Other villages are Anatoli, Agios Ioannis, Kalamavka, Makrilia, Calogeroi, Meseleroi etc. 

   
The Fortress of Ierapetra built by the Venetians – the famous “Cales” – is one of those monuments of the past which was preserved until today due to its reliable construction and the fact that it had been in use up to the end of the previous century. 

 

An endless range of sandy beaches with deep blue water is extending east and west of Ierapetra, far away from the industrial regions and the routes of the ships. All the Ierapetra beaches, from Agia Fotia to Mirtos, are awarded each year with Blue Flags. 

   
Western Ierapetra beach: a beautiful beach in the center of the city with deep blue water attracting a lot of people each summer (water sports are available).

Eastern beach of Ierapetra (Agios Andreas): beautiful rocky coast with clean water (scuba diving is available).

Gaidouronisi or Chrisi: 8 nautical miles south of Ierapetra. One of the best beaches in Greece, with nice golden sand, full of small sea-shells, and green-blue water.

Big beach: an idyllic big beach 7 km long with fine sand, close to the village Coutsounari, 5 km to the east of Ierapetra (water sports are available). 

   
A beach in Ferma: a small bay with crystal waters next to the village of Ferma, 8 km to the east of Ierapetra. 

 

Agia Fotia beach: one more beautiful bay, with fine sand and clear waters, 10 km to the east of Ierapetra. The microscopic sandy bay of Agia Fotia hides probably the most wonderful beach bar in the whole prefecture, with sounds of latin, cuban and acid jazz. The village itself is one of the most perfect in the coasts on Libyan Sea. Its sand is really something. Close to it there is Coutsounari, a holiday-making center with well-developed tourist infrastructure. Picturesque bays, maple trees and reeds, are what its landscape consists of. Next to it there is a tourist village Galini.

Kalamaki: it’s situated 6 km on the west of Ierapetra, close to the village Nea Anatoli. This is a quiet sandy beach.

Mirtos: 10 km to the west of Ierapetra there is a village Mirtos, whose beach with clean green-blue water has both pebbles and sand (water sports are available).

Ierapetra is a city with furious night entertainment, many hangouts for youth, happy atmosphere. It is a perfect vacation place for young people, because it binds harmonically the night life and modern clubs with the beauty of the nature and gorgeous big beaches. At the same time, it won’t disappoint those coming for family or lone vacations, while there’s full tourist infrastructure, hospitable places to stay at good prices, much sightseeing and picturesque villages close to the city. It is, without doubt, a “capital” of South Crete, with what’s goes with it.

Lissos

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Lissos is an ancient city in South Crete whose ruins are preserved between Paleochora and Sougia. It has been a very important and flourishing city for many centuries, so it had the power to mint its own coinage called “Lission”, which depicted the head of the goddess Artemis on one side and a dolphin on the reverse.

Lissos was known for its famous Temple of Asklepios (Aesculapium), of Doric order, where a lot of statues were found, among them of Asklepios, the goddess Hygeia and Pluto, and many others with dedications to them. The floor is mosaic, with gorgeous color details, depicting animals and geometrical patterns. The city had water reservoir, theater and spa baths of Roman times. Lissos flourished during the Hellenistic era, as well as during Roman and Byzantine periods. From the Byzantine time ruins of two Christian churches (Basilics) with mosaic floors are preserved. Today there are chapels of the Virgin Mary and St.Kirikos on that site. The Temple of Asklepios was destroyed by a major earthquake, but its mosaic floor is preserved. 

 

Matala, the flower's children land

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Matala is a seaside village in South Crete, in Messara bay. It’s only 75 km away from Heraklio (international airport, port). In ancient years it used to be a seaport of Phaistos – a big and glorious Minoan state, whose ruins today are not far from Matala.

The village ends with a wonderful coast, while within spitting distance there are two other – great as well – beaches: Kokkini Ammos (Red Sand) and Kommos. All three beaches are nesting areas for the sea turtle and are protected by the International Agreement Natura 2000.

The village beach is big (250 meters long and 45 meters wide) and half of it is covered with trees. In the rocks around it there are artificial caves (as well as sub-water caves), dug out in the rock. Some of them have rooms, stair and windows, and it seems that they had been used as homes. Inside the caves tombs belonging to Hellenic-Roman and early Christian times were found. There are even some caves one can visit by boat. 
The caves stayed empty for many centuries, until some rambling hippies discovered them and lived there for quite a number of years. Then others came, among them were even some celebrities, like Bob Dylan, Johnny Mitchell, Janis Joplin and Cat Stevens. 

   
Nowadays Matala is not what it used to be in the 60s. It is far away from the small village that gathered hippies who, before coming there, would sing in Woodstock about love and peace, or would be on a demonstration against the war in Vietnam.

Today the flower children don’t live in Matala any more, they gave place to thousands of tourists from all over the world who gather here to see the legendary place, to taste the past charm, to enjoy the beauty of the wild nature and the blue sea, to admire the Minoan palaces of Phaistos, to come to know the rich Cretan traditions in the villages around which still preserve their authenticity and special color.

There is satisfying tourist infrastructure – hotels, restaurants and taverns, bars and cafes – and thousands of hidden details which create a personal story for everyone: your own Matala is there and wait for you to discover it! 

 

Paleochora: the princess of the Libyan sea

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Paleochora is a picturesque town by the sea-side, built between two gorgeous big bays, in the western coast of South Crete. It’s situated 70 km from Chania and 200 km from Iraklio. Because of its beautiful landscape and perfect beaches, in summer there are plenty of tourists, as well as corresponding infrastructure. But in spring and in autumn it’s calm and offers you nice, peaceful holidays. 

It’s possible that Paleochora is built on the ruins of ancient Calamidi. In 1278 Marin Gradenig, the Venetian Duke, built the historical Castello Selino on a hill with wonderful view to the Libyan Sea, which communicates with the village, nowadays called Fortetza.
The small peninsula on which Paleochora is built, is an extension of beautiful hillsides that skirt the town protecting it from strong northern winds, known as “meltemia”. These hills, situated to the north of Paleochora, are especially nice and elegant, and they enrich the natural environment with their presence. This alternation of mountainous hillsides and bulks, with low plants (mostly aromatic herbs), this rare and rather wild landscape gives its place to a flat and tame grassy area – Paleochora fields (“kampos”). Its borders are restricted and defined asymmetrically by the Libyan Sea.

On one side, there is the western bay bordered by a beautiful artificial port, with a lighthouse rising from a small island. The extension of this coast is a tame area of Pacheia Ammos. It’s an endless, very clear, sandy beach with a blue flag always flapping above it. While it accepts thousands of swimmers during summer months, it’s an organized beach with all the comforts.

In a few meters, on the right, there is an eastern bay, so different from the first one you could say it’s miles away from it. It has pebbles and rocks and not sand. Opposite of it there is the Madara mountain range (White Mountains). On this big beach there are places where nudists swim. The quay situated in this bay serves those who wish to visit Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro, Chora Sfakion, Gavdos and Elafonisi. 

 Paleochora beaches are among the best in the Mediterranean and maybe even in the whole world! They spread up to 18 km right and left from the town.