Paleochora
Paleochora Resort
Paleochora is a picturesque town that can be found on a small peninsula of the same name between two bays, Its coast is washed by the Libyan Sea, and for its beauty, the Paleochora Peninsula is called ´The land of the sun´. No hotels complexes have been built in Paleochora so far, on the contrary, every evening, streets are closed to traffic so that people could have fun. If you search for accommodation, try to avoid the surroundings of the port and the already mentioned eastern part of the beach.
Transport in Paleochora
There are several major roads passing through the resort. The bigger ones, i.e. the access road and another one passing along the eastern coast, meet in the port and they are quite wide. Besides that, Paleochora is literally interweaved by a maze of small calm and ancient streets. As it has been already said, in Paleochora streets are often closed at night, so the town is calm and the whole place becomes one large pedestrian area.
Paleochora historical sites
On the rocky promontory above the town, you can see the perimeter walls of the Venetian fortress of Seino from the 13th century. There is a green area inside of the fortress.
Paleochora beaches
The town has two beaches: the western sandy beach is frequently used for windsurfing, while the eastern pebbly beach is more protected against the wind. If those two beaches don´t satisfy you, there is an unpaved road leading east of Paleochora, ending on a beautiful pebbly beach of Anydri after about 5 km. So, if you want to make a walking trip or you are searching for a beautiful and calm place for bathing, you should definitely go there.
Trips from Paleochora
By car
When arriving at Paleochora, on the main road there is also a small gas station. If you are about to make any trips from Paleochora, you should always fill your tank full before you leave - the Paleochora surroundings are beautiful indeed, yet if you run out of gas, there will be no one to help you.
By boat
From the new port, there are boats departing from Paleochora to Elafonisi, Agia Roumeli, and the island of Gavdos, located about 36 km far away.
The boat from Paleochora to Elafonisi departs approximately at 10 AM and returns at about 4 PM.
For a detailed boat timetable on the route Paleochora - Gavdos - Sougia - Agia Roumeli - Loutro - Chora Sfakion, see Crete boat transport
To Lissos by boat, and back on foot
This trip is ideal for those who like walking. You don´t need to be in a perfect physical condition, yet during the high season, you should count on that you will be walking in the sun on the southern slope, so the weather can be really hot; therefore you should bring enough water with you. At 8 AM in the morning, there is a boat departing from Paleochora to the east to Agia Roumeli and then to Chora Sfakion. The first stop is in Sougia. There you will get off and walk from the port to the left. After a few dozens of metres, you will already see a sign with an arrow showing to the interior. The path passes through a pine forest, first it rises, then it descends back to the sea level. Yet at this point, you are already entering a huge valley with lots of old edifices and historical sites. You can even find there the remains of mosaics from the Roman era. For more details, see Lissos historical site.
History of Paleochora
The original fishing village of Paleochora has grown up into a charming tourist village. In the resort there are almost no hotels - the locals have transformed their dwellings into pensions, moving to a housing development in the suburbs. The small fortress of Selino built in 1282 by the Venetians gave name to the whole district.
Paleochora location
Paleochora is located on the south-west coast of Crete approx. 80 km south of Chania. The main road leads there from the main road on the north coast connecting the town of Kissamos/Kasteli with Chania. If you drive to Paleochora from Chania, there is an exit to Paleochora on the left right after the village of Tavronitis. Both the exit and the road are well signposted up to Paleochora.
Paleochora: interesting links
Where else to go on Crete?
Some of the most visited resorts on Crete are: Adelianos Kampos, Agia Fotia, Agia Galini, Agia Marina, Agia Pelagia, Agios Nikolaos, Achlia, Amoudara (West of Heraklion), Analipsi, Anissaras, Bali, Damnoni, Erimoupoli, Ferma, Fodele, Galini, Georgioupolis, Gouves (Kato Gouves), Heraklion, Hersonissos, Chania, Ierapetra, Kavros, Elounda, Kalamaki, Kissamos, Kokkini Hani, Kolymbari, Lygaria, Makrigialos, Maleme, Malia, Matala, Mirtos, Missiria, Paleochora, Panormos, Perivolia, Pigianos Kambos, Plakias, Platanias (Chania), Rapaniana, Rethymno, Sissi, Skaleta, Stalida - Stalis, Stalos, Stavromenos and Stavros,
Area: |
Crete |
Type of resort: |
Klidné |
Activities at the resort: |