Chania Guide
The beach below the village
Agioi Apostoloi
Chania after dark
Bus or car
The road west
The beaches, in order of distance
Kalamaki, the beach at the bottom of Galatás, is fine sand and shallow water, properly organised — umbrellas, showers, a lifeguard, beach bars. It faces north, which matters: when the wind gets up, this stretch goes choppy. That is the day to walk east.
- Glaros — 0.5 km along the same bay.
- Agioi Apostoloi — 1.1 km. Two sandy coves with a small headland between them, the sheltered ones on this coast. Where everyone goes when the north wind blows, and the easiest option with small children.
- Chrissi Akti (Golden Beach) — 1.8 km. Shallow and calm most days, sunbeds and cafes.
- Stalos — 1.9 km the other way.
Into town without a car
Two urban bus lines run past the village: line 15 (Daratso – Galata – Kalamaki) into the centre, and line 21 (Kalamaki – Golden Beach – Agioi Apostoloi) along the coast if you just want a different beach.
Galatás is in Zone B: €1.80 if you buy the ticket beforehand, €2.80 from the driver. The ticket office is at 22 Hatzimichali Giannari, on 1866 Square, open through the evening in summer. Buy ahead if you can.
In the old town, the Venetian harbour and the lighthouse at the end of the mole are the obvious walk, and they are worth it — but go late in the afternoon, once the cruise crowd has gone. The lanes behind the waterfront, around Splantzia, are where people actually live.
One thing to check before you set out: the covered market has been under restoration for years and was due to reopen around now. Ask us, or look before you walk over.
Days out, with a car
Distances on Crete are honest but the roads are not. A mountain road will take half again as long as the map promises. Leave early.
We work with a local hire company we trust: BC Cars Chania — ask for Yannis on +30 698 966 0032 or message @bc_cars_chania. Tell him you are staying with us. They also do airport pick-ups.
- Seitan Limania — 15 km. A narrow inlet between cliffs, with turquoise water at the bottom of a steep path. Proper shoes, not flip-flops, and not for wobbly knees.
- Samaria Gorge — the entrance at Xyloskalo, Omalos, is 39 km away. Open roughly from 1 May to mid-October, about €5 to enter. The walk is around 16 km one way and takes most people five to seven hours. You finish at Agia Roumeli on the south coast and come back by ferry to Chora Sfakion or Sougia, then bus. Give it the whole day and plan the return before you start.
- Balos and Gramvousa — boats leave from Kissamos, 42 km west, for the lagoon and the Venetian fortress on the island.
- Elafonissi — the pink-tinged sand in the far south-west. It is a protected reserve where loggerhead turtles nest, so the sand stays where it is.
- Chora Sfakion and the south coast — 74 km, most of it mountain. Loutro, further along, has no road at all; you arrive by boat.
- Rethymno — 60 km east, an easy run if you want a second old town.
A word about the wind
Crete has a north wind that arrives without much warning in summer. It does not spoil a holiday, it moves it: the north-facing beaches turn rough while the coves at Agioi Apostoloi stay swimmable, and the south coast is often calm on exactly the days the north is not. If a day looks written off, it usually is not — ask us and we will tell you which way to drive.