Anydri spreads across a green hillside in the Selino district of south-west Crete, a short distance east of Paleochora on the Libyan Sea coast. Stone houses nestle among olive and citrus groves, and the frescoed church of Saint George anchors village life with its fourteenth-century walls. The Anydri gorge cuts down from the village to … Read more
Polyrrinia stands as one of western Crete’s most evocative archaeological sites, where a living mountain village merges seamlessly with the ruins of an ancient powerhouse. Perched above Kissamos in the Chania region, this settlement rewards curious travelers with stone-built lanes winding through Hellenistic walls, Roman inscriptions embedded in village houses, and an acropolis commanding sweeping … Read more
Tsoutsouros sits at the end of a winding mountain road on the remote south coast of Crete, far from the crowds and resorts that line the northern shore. This quiet fishing village rests below the Asterousia mountains at the mouth of a gorge, where a long curve of pebble and grey sand beach meets clear … Read more
Kalamaki sits on the southern shore of Crete in the Heraklion region, a low-rise beach village stretched along the Gulf of Messara. Grey sand and shallow dunes frame the coastline, part of a protected zone where loggerhead sea turtles come ashore to nest. Tavernas, small hotels and family-run guesthouses line the waterfront rather than towering … Read more
Sweet Water beach, known locally as Glyka Nera, hides beneath towering grey cliffs on Crete’s remote southern shore between Loutro and Chora Sfakion. Cold freshwater springs bubble up through the pebbles at the shoreline, creating small pools where swimmers cool off after the cliff-path hike or boat ride that brings them here. The beach has … Read more
Kali Limenes sits on the far southern coast of Crete, in the Heraklion region. It lies below the barren Asterousia mountains and faces the open Libyan Sea. The name translates as Fair Havens, and the settlement earns it. A string of pebbly coves, very clear water and a sheltered harbour define the shore. A long, … Read more
The Kotsifou gorge is a short limestone canyon in the Rethymno region of southern Crete, threaded by a narrow paved road that runs between the village of Sellia and the coast at Plakias. Sheer rock walls rise high above the road, and a stream bed cuts along the canyon floor below. A whitewashed chapel of … Read more
Anopoli is a mountain village on a high plateau above Chora Sfakion, in the Sfakia region of south-west Crete. It belongs to the Chania region, and the peaks of the White Mountains ring the plain on almost every side. Scattered hamlets spread across the plateau around a central square, which holds a statue of Daskalogiannis, … Read more
Agia Roumeli is a tiny village on the south-west coast of Crete, in the Chania region, where the Samaria Gorge meets the Libyan Sea. The settlement has no road link to the rest of the island. Travellers reach it on foot after walking down the gorge, or by ferry along the coast from Sougia, Loutro … Read more
Plaka is a small seaside village on the east coast of Crete. It sits in the Lasithi region, just north of Elounda. The village faces the fortress islet of Spinalonga across a narrow channel. Small boats still cross from its jetty to the island. Plaka once served as the supply point and staff base for … Read more