⭐ Travel Guide for Island Crete ⛵, Greece❗

Chora Sfakíon or simply Sfakia is a town on the south coast of Chania in West Crete. It is the capital of the remote and mountainous region of Sfakia, and is a small town of almost 300 inhabitants. It lies on the south coast near the exit of the imposing Imbros Gorge, 74 km south of Chania. It has two small harbours, where the ferry boats from Agia Roumeli dock, which in the summer serve the hikers from the Samaria Gorge to take buses back to the northern coast. From Chora Sfakion ferries also run to the nearby coastal town of Loutro and the island of Gavdos. Chora Sfakion is a small village with several taverns, minimarkets, butchery, bakery, etc. There is also gas station, phone services, ATM, post office, police station and pharmacy. There are also bus services to Chania and taxis.

There is a quiet local beach, called Vrissi, just west of the village, and several pebbly beaches nearby. The town offers a variety of tourist accommodation: rooms, studios and apartments. The local economy is based on tourism, fishing, olive oil production and sheep and goat herdering. Chora Sfakíon prospered during the Venetian and Turkish occupations and up to the 18th century carried on a flourishing trade with its own small fleet. It was said to have had a hundred churches but the town suffered badly from wartime bombardment during and after the Allied evacuation at the end of the Battle of Crete.

Chora Sfakíon is famous as one of the centers of resistance against the occupying forces of both the Venetians and the Turks. The impenetrable White Mountains to the north combined with the rocky beaches on the south helped the locals fight off all invaders. Anopolis, a village near Hóra Sfakíon, is the birthplace of one of the most celebrated Cretan revolutionaries, Daskalogiannis.

Fortress Fragokastello

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Small, well-preserved, leaning on the edge of a desert plain of the Libyan Sea in Sfakia around the mountains, Fragokastelo unfolds even today the skein of history, a story full of memories and mysteries. The "castle of Drosoulites" was built by the Venetians in the period 1371-1374, aiming to protect them from Sfakians, who were led by the six brothers Patsis who constantly bothered occupiers, who could not complete the project.

Kavis Gorge (Iligas)

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The canyon Kavis is one of the longest and wildest of Sfakia area and despite located next to Chora Sfakion, it remains unknown to many people who usually just enjoy swimming at Iligas. The riverbed is dry almost always, except after several hours of rain. Apart from the main stream, in Kavis fall other 5 sub-gorges, extremely wild.

Sfakia Fort (Castel di Sfacia)

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The fort of Sfakia (Castel di Sfacia or Sfachia) was built on Kastelli hill, on the eastern edge of Sfakia (Chora Sfakion) town and was the last fort built by the Venetians in Crete. It was built during the 15th-16th century on the site of a previous Byzantine fort. Information about the castle is very poor, but this was mentioned for the first time in documents of 1526.

Church of Saint Charalambos at Sfakia

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East of Sfakia, on the beach of Ammoudi, above Ammoudi we meet the church of Agios Haralambos. This is a typical cavernous chapel of the coasts and inland of Sfakia province. It is quite spacious because it is built in a relatively large cave. The location of the cave can be accessed via a short path that starts from the beach, but there is also a road that reaches the place.

Panagia Thymiani Monastery at Komitades

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The monastery of Panagia Thymiani is located near Sfakia at position Thyme Armi and is one of the most historic sites in Crete. Here on May 29, 1821, the chieftains of Crete preached revolution against the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, the monastery is also called Agia Lavra of Crete (Agia Lavra is a monastery in Peloponnese from where the great Greek Revolution of 1821 started, leading to the liberation of Greece).

Timios Stavros church and fort

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Between Loutro Sfakion and the famous beach of Glyka Nera, at Perlovakia, we meet the white brushed chapel of the Holy Cross (Timios Stavros) where a big feast takes place on September 14th every year.

Hora Sfakia

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