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Crete's Coast & Mountains (7 nights)

In the footsteps of the ancients

Crete, Greece’s southernmost point, boasts some of Europe’s most spectacular scenery. Sandy beaches and rocky coves give way to dramatic mountains, so high that snow frequently caps the peaks in winter. The coastal walking here is quite magnificent, some of the very best we have experienced, and to discover the island on foot is a rare privilege. Full of cultural interest, this holiday takes you around western Crete, passing through Aiolos, homeland of the god of the winds; the pirate country of Gramvoussa; and Elafonisi, land of the Cyclops according to a Homeric legend. There is a palpable sense of history and tradition here, with ancient Minoan ruins, Byzantine chapels and historic villages. You enjoy rewarding, sometimes full, days of walking across rugged countryside and stay in simple, welcoming hotels and pensions. The Cretan people too, continue to offer warm hospitality, with some of the country’s best wines to accompany the simple but delicious local produce and seafood.

Nights: 7
Grade: 3
Terrain: mountains, gorges, coastal trails
Hotels: 2-star apartments; one 1-star hotel; two 2-star hotels. As there is a different classification system in Greece, star ratings are our own.
Meals: breakfast each day, dinner on 3 nights, plus 3 picnics
Climate: spring and autumn are ideal times for walking in Crete, avoiding the baking heat of high summer, but with pleasantly warm temperatures – averaging around 19ºC in May and 22ºC in September, although breezes can make it cooler in the mountains and on the coast.

Views from near Kastelli

Sandy beaches

One of many monuments along the trails

Beautiful trails

Starting point: Christina Beach Hotel (2*), Kastelli. This small, family-run hotel has a pool and spacious bedrooms, and is just five minutes’ walk from the beach, where we include your first dinner at the Taverna Plaka (pay locally for dinner on your second night).

Day 1: we offer a choice of walks for your day here. One option is to walk to Phalasarna, a route which crosses a headland and a limestone plateau before descending to the long, sandy beaches of the westernmost coast to reach, via a lane through an ancient graveyard, Phalasarna, once an Ancient Greek harbour (return by bus – pay locally). Our second route starts with a taxi ride (pay locally) then heads to idyllic Balos Bay across the remote but beautiful Gramvoussa Peninsula, once a pirate stronghold, whose stark appearance when viewed from afar belies the fact that it shelters several lagoon-like bays. The third is a route full of surprises that leads across the rocky limestone slopes of Mount Prophet Ilias, where you may spot griffon vultures in the skies above as you follow part of the long-distance trail that links Crete and the Alps before descending through a strikingly barren gorge (pay locally for a taxi to the start). (4hrs, 6hrs or 4.5hrs)

Accommodation: Christina Beach Hotel, as above.

Day 2: this walk takes you south of Kastelli past seemingly never-ending olive groves and deep into the interior of western Crete. Here you experience the breathtaking silence of the Sirikari Gorge before emerging into a typical Cretan mountain landscape – small hamlets with little activity except the herding of sheep and goats. You ascend through chestnut forest and across mountain meadows as more panoramas of the sea open up, then make your leisurely descent into Kambos, a seemingly forgotten village where time has ground to a halt. (6.5hrs)

Accommodation: Pension Lefteris (1*), Kambos. You are greeted by Lefteris Chartzoulakis, ebullient owner of this simple, traditional pension offering basic rooms and simple country cooking.

Day 3: you are transferred to Elafonisi, from where you walk around the island’s south-western tip and past the ruins of the city of Vienna (where you can see the remains of pink and green marble columns on the beach), on one of Greece’s most picturesque coastal paths. During spring and autumn you enjoy a wonderful array of flowers as well as beautiful views. (4.5hrs)

Accommodation: Hotel Megim (2*), near Paleochora. Owned by the Tsatsaronakis family, this bright, modern hotel has simple but comfortable rooms – many with balconies and sea views. Dinner is included here on your first night – the dining room has a light, Mediterranean feel, and there are also tables and chairs set outside on a shaded terrace. On your second night we include a transfer to the centre of Paleochora, where you can take your pick from a number of good restaurants (pay locally).

Day 4: choose between two walks around Paleochora, both of which reveal a landscape of narrow gorges and mountains rising almost sheer from the sea. The first, and shorter, route leads through quiet hill country, past small chapels, to give panoramic views across the vast Libyan Sea; the second route begins with a transfer (pay locally) and is longer, allowing you to explore Crete’s mountainous interior before heading through the beautiful Anidri Gorge back to the coast, where you walk along beaches to your hotel. (2.5hrs or 5.5hrs)

Accommodation: Hotel Megim, as above.

Day 5: another superlative (though quite demanding) day’s walking. After a short transfer it begins along the coast then descends steeply into the Bay of Lissos, where there are the remains of an ancient spa, before continuing through a wild gorge. You are rewarded with memorable views of the coast and have the chance to swim from quiet beaches en route to the fishing village of Souyia. (6hrs)

Accommodation: Pension Galini (2* apartments), Souyia. These comfortable apartments have whitewashed walls and a pantiled roof, and are run by the friendly Eftichis Papagrigorakis. All rooms have a balcony from which you can admire the view. Breakfast is included at a café on the seafront.

Day 6: enjoy one final, fittingly dramatic, walk that starts with a short bus or taxi journey (pay locally) then descends through the amazing Irini Gorge. The ravine has been etched from the mountains by millennia of water erosion, and supports many species of birds and other wildlife. Alternatively, you could return to Lissos to explore the ancient site in more detail. The history of the ruins is still mostly veiled in darkness, with most of their secrets still hidden securely underground. What is known, however, is that this sheltered bay provided a safe anchorage for the inhabitants of three important Classical cities in around 500BC. (4hrs)

Accommodation: Pension Galini, as above.

Option to extend your holiday: we know so many paths in western Crete that we also offer a 14-night version of this holiday, ending in the Venetian city of Chania.

Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system.

Similar holidays: Mountains & Coast (grade 2-3), Samos – an Aegean Island (grade 2)

Prices & travel 2008:

Recommended destination airport: Chania (you can fly direct or via Athens)
Latest flight arrival time: flexible
Earliest flight departure time: flexible
*Included travel: return taxi from Chania airport (out 1h/home 2h15)
Extra nights can be booked at any hotel - please contact us for details
Start: any day
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