Palaiochora

Palaiochora sits at the far south-western tip of Crete, in the Chania regional unit, some 70 kilometres south of Chania town at the end of a winding mountain road. Built on a small peninsula between two bays, it is often called the Bride of the Libyan Sea, and it has a distinctive double-shore character: a broad sandy beach, Pachia Ammos, on the western side, and a longer pebbly beach with the harbour on the eastern side, so there is always a sheltered shore whichever way the wind blows.

The town grew up around the ruined Venetian castle of Selino, built in 1279 on the low headland above the peninsula and later fought over and slighted more than once. Its remains still crown the point, giving wide views over both bays and the open sea. Below it, the town spreads across a grid of quiet streets lined with tavernas, cafes and rooms, and on summer evenings the main street is closed to traffic and given over to strollers, a long-standing local tradition.

Palaiochora is prized for its easy, unhurried mood and for being a hub of the south-west coast. From its small harbour the ANENDYK ferries run east along the roadless coastline to Sougia, Agia Roumeli at the foot of the Samaria Gorge, Loutro and Chora Sfakion, and south across open water to the remote island of Gavdos. This makes the town a natural base for walkers tackling the Samaria Gorge, the E4 coastal path and the string of beaches reachable only on foot or by boat.

With clean waters, a Blue Flag beach, good tavernas and a scattering of nearby coves and gorges, Palaiochora rewards travellers who want to slow right down. It has long drawn independent visitors and a gentle, alternative crowd rather than package tourism, and it stays calm even in August. The warm months from late spring to early autumn are best, when the ferries run daily and the swimming is at its finest.