Driving South West Coast
Hora Sfakia - Imbros Gorge - Frangokastello - Plakias - Preveli Monastery - Preveli Palm Beach
Alice: Which way should I go?
Cat: That depends on where you are going.
Alice: I don’t know.
Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go
Lewis Carroll, Alica in Wonderland
Hora Sfakia
Stay a few nights in Hora Sfakia (Hóra Sfakíon). It is the capital of the remote and mountainous region of Sfakiá. Hora Sfakia is a small village with around 270 inhabitants. This is a good base.
From/to Heraklion over 3 hours
From/to Chania 1 hour 40 minutes
Beach
There is a quiet local beach immediately west of the village, and several pebbly beaches nearby. Available accommodations of rooms, studios, and apartments. Parking well signposted, close to the roundabout/square.
Activities
Visit the Marine Adventures, located in the "inner" port, Hora Sfakia. Plenty of activities on offer, like diving, boat trips, boat rental and more in and around Hora Sfakia.
Day trip by boat to Loutro. Less crowded, The Old Phoenix is situated in the bay of Finix, 20-25 minutes on foot west of Loutro.
Do the Imbros Gorge
Local bus 30 minutes from Hora Sfakia to Imbros Village. Start point just below the village of Imbros.
If you drive follow the signpost for the parking area. Several cafes and tavernas. (pack your bag with plenty of water and snacks).
The entrance to the gorge is well marked. From the village about 5-8 minutes walk to the kiosk/small house where you need to purchase an entrance ticket for €2.50 (2018)
Easier to walk than the famous Samaria Gorge. Walking distance is less than 7.5 km, (including the walk to the entrance) total descent is around 580m.
Walking time is about 2h - 3h. Imbros Gorge is the sort of walk that you could walk with children.
After around 90 minutes walk from the entrance (slowly walk 2 hours) you will pass a stone arch on your right.
You're nearly at the end of the route and if you are intending to walk back up to Imbros (car parked) it is a good turning point.
The gorge widens a little and after a further 15min (600 meters) takes you to the road…
…and the village of Komitades, where you can catch a local bus back to Hora Sfakia.
Leaving Hora Sfakia
Leaving Hora Sfakia to Frangokastello
The first village after Hora Sfakia is Komitades Village. A few cafes and tavernas, narrow road through the village.
Further along the main road another small village, Vouvas, and close to the roadside a war monument of the centuries heroes of the Sfakias region, the Deligiannakis family. The monument bears the following inscription:
Stranger - “Don’t ask to learn our names - Learn how to die for your country”.
At nearly the end of Nomikiana Village a roadsign to Koutelos Beach 3km, taverna on the beach, pebbles beach. Nothing spectacular, but a nice break during driving.
Drive back to the main road again turn right. Follow the main road through a few small villages. Before the Patsianos village turn right and follow the sign for Frangokastello beaches.
Straight down to the beaches, follow the road parallel with the beaches.
Frangokastello
The resort of Frangokastello, plenty of rooms for let, apartments and a few hotels. Car and mountain bike rental. Tavernas, mini-markets.
The original fortress was built in 1371. Today, only the bare walls surround the impressive four square Kastello, with a tower in each corner.
Read more Drosoulites the Dewmen Frangokastello
Leaving Frangokastello
onto the Sfakia - Rodakino road up to Ano and Kato Rodakino look out for and follow the road signpost Plakias.
From Hora Sfakia to Plakias it’s less than 45km.
Plakias
once a small unspoilt village nowdays a popular seafront resort/village, pleasantly spread out. Busy in the high season.
Good selection of hotels and self-catering accommodation. Tavernas, bars and cafe's and the usual shopping facilities follow the sandy bay formed beach.
Plenty of activities, mountain bikes, diving and boat tours. Plakias is a good base for walks, trips to nearby villages, monasterys and beaches.
In the neighbourhood
Mirthios (Myrthios) village
close to 4km (Plakias) a small scenic inland village, built on the slopes of Kouroupas, with around 200 permanent residents.
A few popular tavernas, rooms for rent. From the village you will enjoy an excellent view of the Plakias Bay and the Libyan Sea.
Damnoni Beach large beach , Mikro Ammoudi, Kleisidi (smallish) and Ammoudi beaches.
Close by beaches that might interest you. Boat tours leaves the harbour (Plakias) daily during the high season. For the more energetic, around 40 minutes walk from Plakias.
Monastery Preveli 12km east of Plakias
The road to Preveli turns of the main road from Plakia between the Lefkoyia and Asomatos villages.
A nice break is Gefyra Taverna overlooking the “old” stonebridge where the Megapotamos (Bourtzoukos River?) river flows.
Short drive after the taverna on your right hand side you can visit the ruined Kato Moni Preveli, on the site of the original 16th century monastery.
The older year related to the monastery is 1594, engraved on a bell of the church.
Leaving Kato Moni, after 1 km you have a choice at the road fork, one down to the Palm Beach parking the other takes you direct up to the parking of Monastery of Preveli.
More to read on the Monastery official website including the monasteriy part of “the Battle of Crete” that started 20th May 1941.
Palm Beach Preveli, looks beautiful at the end of the Kourtaliotiko gorge where a freshwater river feeds a palm grove and flows into a lagoon, with soft sand and on the other side the inviting Mediterranean (Libyan sea).
Palm Beach parking, bring good walking shoes as it a steep country path that leads down to the beach.
