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Excursions around Sougia
Sougia can be the starting point for
a number of excursions around the south-west of Crete. Some of
these can be made on foot, others by car or by boat. Some of
the walks have links to more detailed descriptions. |
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On foot:
Lissos
The ancient town of Lissos is located about
1,5 hour walk (one way) from Sougia.
It used to be an important site in Hellenistic and Roman times and you can still
see many ruins, especially those of an Aesculap temple.
The valley of Lissos is an extremely peaceful place to spend a day exploring.
In summer there is sometimes a small boat going there from Sougia. |
Click on the images
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Profiti
Elias
The chapel of the Prophet Elias is located on top of the
steep hill which you can see from Sougia, quite far to the East.
The views from the top are stupendous, in fact amongst the best
in south Crete and the walk, on
a shaded path above the sea is one of the most appealing coastal
walks in Crete. A word of warning though: it takes around 4 hours
one way so it might be best to arrange to be taken one way by
boat and return on foot. Don't forget to take enough water with
you.
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Agia Irini
The gorge of Agia Irini is a very nice alternative to the
gorge of Samaria, especially if you want to avoid crowds. The
best way to do this walk is to take the morning bus to Hania
and get off at the entrance of the gorge. From there it will
take you around 3 hours to return to Sougia on foot. Bear in
mind that the last third of the walk doesn't offer much shade
and can get pretty hot.
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By car:
Eliros
Drive up the road leading north up to the junction to Rodovani.
Around 50 meters before the junction you will notice a small
road to your left going steeply up the hill. Follow it for
to the church where it ends. Walk on the path which leads along
the right side of the church and you will soon get to a number
of Hellenistic remains of the ancient city of Eliros. The site
is very large (Eliros probably had a population of 30.000)
but most of it has not been excavated. |
Paleochora
It is possible to take the ferryboat to the village of Paleohora
but it goes only once a day in the afternoon and returns to
Sougia in the morning, meaning that you would have to spend
the night in Paleohora. A better option is to go by car via
Rodovani and either through Kandanos or following the small
road which passes through Anidri or Azogires. The drive to
Paleohora takes about an hour.
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Omalos
To get to the plateau of Omalos you have to drive up beyond the
village of Agia Irini and take the turn right at the top of
the hill. A good road leads to the plateau of Omalos and the
entrance of the Samaria gorge. It is also possible to go to
Omalos by bus early in the morning, changing bus in Rodovani.
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By boat:
Agia Roumeli
You can visit the village of Agia Roumeli and the entrance of the
Samaria gorge by taking the morning ferry (the travel time
is about 45 minutes) and returning in the afternoon. This will
give you enough time to walk up part of the gorge of Samaria,
return to Agia Roumeli and catch the ferry back to Sougia. |
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