Discover South Western Crete

Thursday: Rethimno – Imbros Gorge* – Chora Sfakion – Komitades – Fragokastelo – Rodakino – Myrthios – Preveli Monastery – Rethimno (B-L-D)

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Chora Sfakion. Arrival at Imbros Gorge**. Imbros Gorge is the second most known gorge in Crete after Samaria Gorge. Its length is about 8km of spectacular views and takes no longer than 2,5 hours. The path is not particularly difficult to walk. The gorge is fairly narrow with plenty of trees, so you will have shade most of the time. After a 2 hour walk you will end up at the village of Komitades where you will meet the bus to continue the tour to Fragokastelo, Rodakino and the village of Myrthios for lunch, overlooking the Libyan sea. After lunch you will visit the famous Byzantine Monastery of Preveli (10th Century) near the southern coast of Crete. The Monastery has a glorious history due to the active and leading involvement of its fellow monks in all national endeavours for freedom and education of our people. Thus, it merits specific recognition and respect throughout the island of Crete. After visiting Preveli we return to Rethimno for dinner and overnight.

*sturdy walking shoes are necessary

**In case you do not wish to walk through the Gorge, while other members of the group are hiking, you can continue with the bus to visit Chora Sfakion (Sfakia) for a few hours of relaxing, shopping and a swim at “Vrissi” (the Spring), a well organized sandy beach with crystal-clear waters, sunbeds and umbrellas, at the western end of Sfakia.

Friday: Rethimno – Chania – Rethimno – Knossos – Heraklio (B-L)

Breakfast at the hotel. We start our tour driving along the north coastal road, passing the resort city of Georgioupolis, popular for its fine beaches, to the city of Souda, port of Chania, to visit the principal Allied War Cemetery designed by architect Louis de Soissons and next, to visit the Venizelos Graves at the historical location of Profitis Ilias in Akrotiri where the tomb of Eleftherios Venizelos lays, one of the long-standing prime Ministers Greece. We continue to the city of Chania for a short visit before we return to Rethimno to visit its Fortezza. The Fortezza is the citadel of the city of Rethimno. It was built by the Venetians in the 16th century (1573) to protect the city and was captured by the Ottomans in 1646. By the early 20th century many houses were built within the citadel. After visiting the Fortezza we will have lunch in Rethimno. We continue our the city of Heraklio, where we visit the archaeological site of Knossos and its palace sited 5kms southeast of the city of Heraklio. On the ruins of the Neolithic settlement was built the first Minoan palace (1900 B.C.) where the dynasty of Minos ruled. The site was discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos. The excavations in Knossos began in 1900 A.D. by the English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans and his team and they continued for 35 years. After the visit of the site we return to our Hotel.