Paleochora: A little town in the South of Crete

Paleochora Crete





Paleochora (pop. 3000) is the main town in the South West of Crete. Like many places, Paleochora was discovered in the 1960s by hippies, and has since developed into a tourist resort. Paleochora itself is situated on a peninsula. You’ll find two beaches in town, one to the east, and one to the west. In the south, you’ll find an interesting Venetian castle built in the 13th century. Unlike many towns in Crete, Paleochora has not fallen to the temptation to build ugly concrete hotels, leaving the town with a pleasing aspect. Another nice village with a long beach not far away by ferry is Sougia.

Paleochora Crete

Most tourists here are from Germany and Austria. There are tourists throughout the year here, as in Ierapetra, even in winter. Should you feel lonely travelling Crete in the winter months, why not visit Paleochora to meet some nice people?



The split between package tourists and backpackers here is 50:50. The airport at Chania is two hours away, and so not as many package tourists come this far as one might expect. In my opinion, Paleochora is worth a visit for two or three days, but probably not interesting enough to stay for an entire holiday. For many, Paleochora is a good place to catch ferries for the many beaches nearby.

The Great Church of Paleochora  Paleochora Beach

Three to five buses run daily between Chania and Paleochora – in season there is a daily early morning bus up to Omalos (Samaria Gorge). The boat sails a couple of times daily to Sougia and Agia Roumeli (the end point of Samaria Gorge). Most days in summer you can catch a small ferry to Elafonisi, and once/twice a week down to Gavdos.



When I was last in Paleochora I stayed in pension ‘Anonymous’ – one of the cheapest rooms you can find in Crete. In spring 2008 there were rooms going for less than €20. Anonymous is also a meeting point for backpackers in Paleochora. Paleochora also has an average campsite, some ten minutes walk out of town.

Map Paleochora Crete


Größere Karte anzeigen
Crete Guide
 
Hotels in Crete 2024
PLACES
Western Crete
Chania
Sougia
Southern Crete
Platanias
Agia Marina
Kolymbari
Kissamos
Elafonisi
Samaria Gorge
White Mountains
Imbros Gorge
Chora Sfakia
Central Crete
Iraklio
Knossos
Hersonissos
Malia
Sissi
Rethymno
Platanes
Panormo
Bali
Agia Pelagia
Fodele
Moni Arkadi
Georgioupolis
Plakias
Preveli
Agia Galini
Matala
Kalamaki
Pitsidia
Lendas
Eastern Crete
Ierapetra
Keratokambos
Mirtos
Sitia
Vai
Agios Nikolaos
 Voulismeni Lake
 Agios Nikolaos Beach
 Agios Nikolaos Tours
Gournia Crete
Kritsa
Elounda
Spinalonga
Amazonas Park
Neapoli
Xerokambos
Zakros
INFORMATION
Where to go on Crete?
Transportation
Airports Crete
  Airport Iraklio
  Airport Chania
Car Trips Crete
Accommodation
Climate Crete
Figures Crete
Money and Prices
Food on Crete
Menu Crete
Drinks on Crete
Fauna of Crete
Flora of Crete
Snakes in Crete
Dangerous Animals
Troubles on Crete
Sport Crete
Beaches Crete
Gorges Crete
Cretan Diet
General Advice Crete
Caves on Crete
Islands around Crete
Other Greek Islands