Chora Sfakia Crete |
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They fought in numerous hopeless wars against foreign occupiers (the Venetians, the Turks and the Germans) in the high mountains and deep valleys that surround Sfakia. In World War II, Sfakia was an area that the Germans never quite managed to conquer.
The small town of Chora Sfakia is quite nice, with two beaches in the village itself. For many tourists here, the town is just a launch-pad to many hikes in the surrounding countryside. It can be jam-packed at 6pm when the ferries arrive full of people who hiked the Samaria Gorge, and quiet again only a few short hours later. Hikers are generally not big on nightlife, and this is reflected in the mediocre nightlife as such here. Vatican Museum Tickets (online without waiting for hours)
Buses and Ferries to and from Chora Sfakia Four buses make the long journey over the mountains to and from Chania. Same years ago there were also buses to Plakias. Nowadays these buses only go to Frangokastello. The buses to Chania stop in Imbros, where the hike through the famous Imbros Gorge starts. 2 ferries sail daily to Agia Roumeli with stops in Loutro (2 extra connections only to Loutro). In Agia Roumeli you can transfer once a day to another ferry to Sougia and Paleochora. Most ferries take cars. Those who want to go to Gavdos in summer can take one of the two or three boats leaving weekly. In 2018 these ferries leave on Monday and Tuesday at 9am and returned immediately after noon (making daytrips an impossibility). You can also reach Gavdos from Paleochora by boat once or twice a week. Map Sfakia Crete
Ferry prices 2017 from Chora Sfakia one way per person: Loutro €6.00, Agia Roumeli 12.70, Sougia 16.20, Paleochora 20.70, Gavdos 21.70 Euro. Cars cost extra for example 36.40 to Paleochora. Driving to Paleochora by car the long way around (Chania...) is cheaper. All prices from early 2017. Bus Timetable Chania - Hora Skfakia in May 2017: 8:15 am, 2pm, 4pm Bus Timetable Hora Sfakia - Chania May 2017: 7am, 11am, 6:30pm. The last bus in the evening waits for the hikers on the ferry from Agia Roumeli (Samaria Gorge). The buses to and from Hania need about 100 minutes for the journey and cost 8.30 Euro one way. Same timetable Monday to Friday and weekend. Bus Timetable Chania - Frangokastello in May 2017: 8 am, 10 am, 3:30 pm Bus Timetable Frangokastello - Chania May 2017:6:15 am, 8:30 am, 10:30 am, 4:30 pm. There are more buses now to Frangkastello than a few years ago. The buses leave during saison every day of the week. Ticket price is 2.30 Euro one way.
Accommodation in Chora Sfakia:You won’t find yourself in the lap of luxury in Sfakia, but you will find an abundance of cheap rooms. Everything is geared towards the basic demands of hikers. Guests who want to stay more than one night are rare. A good bet is the Three Brothers which offers rooms for around €25 per night.
Eating in Chora Sfakia: The waterfront has five tavernas lined up alongside it, all offering similar offerings and prices. Annoyingly, the waiters here often harass passersby to come in and eat, a practice which is illegal in Greece. In my opinion, the best is probably the Livikon in the middle (cheap, big dishes, good spaghetti). Three Brothers, situated on the beach on the other side of Sfakia offers traditional Cretan cuisine. The local speciality is a dessert called Sfakiopites, which is a cheese pie with honey. Frangokastello: Frangokastello is located around 12km from Chora Sfakion en route to Plakias. It has a nice white beach overlooked by a big fort. It’s not really a village, just a collection of houses without a centre as such.
Frangokastello
is growing, though. I counted seventy
houses and three supermarkets when I travelled through
here in 2008. The restaurants surrounding the fort are
overpriced and the service leaves something to be desired.
You’re better off going to the beachside tavernas. My
favourite is the Taverna-Pension Babis & Popi, which
offers rooms for €20/35 Anopolis and Aradena Gorge: From Chora Sfakia there is a mountain road up to the village Anopolis and Aradena, a place with a famous bridge over the Gorge Aradena (famous for hiking). From Aradena Bridge you can do Bugee Jumping.
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