If you’re looking for outdoor activities, love horses and are able to drive from Chania to the Georgiopouli area (a 45-minute drive), I highly recommend using the services of Grillo’s Stable. The place is run by Maggie and Giorgos, the incredibly friendly yet attentive and professional owners of the stable.
The horses available for rides are Cretan horses (Messara horses), light, relatively small animals known for their stamina and comfortable trot. It is believed that the breed originated during the Ottoman era from a cross between local mountain ponies and Arabian horses.
Grillo’s Stables offers several options, for both beginners and experienced riders. You can go for a leisurely ride through the countryside (olive groves, orchards, rolling hills and views of the Aegean Sea), a longer route for explorers, a gallop along the river, or a longer trek around Lake Kournas.
The owners speak English and German as well as Greek, provide all the necessary information efficiently and are very helpful at every stage of your visit.
One of the most appealing nearby excursions is a trip to the Agia Triada Monastery, located on the Akrotiri Peninsula. It is only a 30-minute drive from Chania, and the route largely follows the same path as the one to the airport. The drive itself is a real pleasure; a narrow strip of asphalt leading to the monastery is flanked by a row of whitewashed cypress trees, with vineyards and olive groves (including trees up to 500 years old) belonging to the monastery stretching out behind it. As you might guess, the monks are hard at work, reaping the benefits not only by pressing excellent olive oil (20 tons a year, including exquisite organic olive oil), but also by producing four types of wine, balsamic vinegars, honey, and olive soaps. The funds raised in this way help maintain the monastery, but also support schools located in Chania.
Once we arrive, we can park the car in the spacious parking lot and head toward the main entrance.
The outer walls, built on a rectangular plan, are tall and austere, giving no hint of what lies within. An impressive entrance staircase leads to an ornate stone entrance in typical Venetian style, and the entire façade clearly reflects the Renaissance principle of symmetry. After passing through the entrance gate and purchasing an admission ticket for 3 euros, you’ll find yourself in a lovely courtyard, and your gaze will be drawn to the stone Byzantine church with three domes. The courtyard and the cats there invite you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of this place—an oasis of greenery, peace, and contemplation.
The Agia Triada Monastery (Αγία Τριάδα) was founded in 1634. It was designed and built by two monk brothers who came from the influential Cretan-Venetian Jagarolon family. In 1645, the Turks took control of Crete, and the unfinished monastery fell into their hands. In 1821, an uprising broke out in Crete against the Turkish occupiers. The monks managed to flee, but they left behind relics and manuscripts, which unfortunately fell into the hands of the Turks and were destroyed. That same year, the monastery was burned down. The buildings were rebuilt, and the entire complex was not completed until after World War II.
Today, the most interesting building to visit is undoubtedly the Holy Trinity Church, located at the center of the complex. Its impressive iconostasis and distinctive chandelier, reminiscent of *One Thousand and One Nights*, are truly breathtaking. You can also stroll through the shaded cloisters, climb up to the balconies and the terrace beneath the bell tower to admire the bird’s-eye views. The small museum, which houses artifacts testifying to the colorful and turbulent history of these buildings, is particularly interesting. My attention was especially drawn to the 15th- and 16th-century icons, ancient hand-copied manuscripts, and intricately carved wooden amulets.
You can support the monastery and its community initiatives by shopping at the on-site store or booking a spot for a tasting of local wines and olive oil.
First, let’s determine when winter begins and ends in Crete.
Plouti, central CretePloutiChania to MiliaTabakaria, Chania
According to the calendar, one could say that it begins on 22 December, but that is not entirely true. Winter begins when the crowds of tourists stop coming, that’s all. In Crete, this means the beginning or, at the latest, the middle of November. By the same token, spring begins in early March, although here the calendar loses out to the logic of the nature of the Mediterranean climate.
Hiking trail near MiliaOld town, ChaniaApproaching Thimari GardensFrangokastelloNot far from Xerokampos
Winter, or the low season, is a time of calm, peace and respite for the people on the island, but also a time of rushing clouds interspersed with the dazzling blue of the sky; turquoise sea by the calm coves, but also waves crashing onto pavements and piers. On the one hand, nature loses its exuberant riot of colours, becomes quieter, turns grey in places, and sepia and smoky shades appear. But on the other hand, winter rains also bring the long-awaited moisture, and where in August there were burnt herbs and brushwood underfoot, now there are green carpets. We also encounter flowers, not as spectacular or lush as in summer, but perhaps all the more sought after and appreciated.
Some trees also bear fruit in winter. From November to January, olives are harvested, bitter oranges, saturated with rain and juices, bend delicate branches to the ground, and you can taste the sensually red berries from the wild strawberry tree.
Fresh olives, some ripe but inedible. Must be cured.Strawberry treeStrawberry treeBitter orange tree, viewed from Thimari Gardens
If I had to choose an inviting gorge to start with, one that is not too demanding, not too long, offers plenty of excitement and is not too far from Chania, it would be Imbros Gorge.
The gorge (Greek: Φαράγγι Ίμπρου, Faragi Imbrou) is an 11 km long canyon located near Hora Sfakion in southern Crete. It runs parallel to Samariá Gorge, its narrowest part is 1.60 m wide and it ends at the village of Kommitádes (8 km/ 650 m for hiking).
It is a historical fact that The Imbros Gorge was used for the retreat of allied troops during the end of Operation Merkur (20th May 1941 – 1st June 1941). Between 28th and 31st May 1941, allied troops were evacuated from Chora Sfakion before heading to Egypt.
For those who reach Imbros with their own car from Chania (54 km/1h10min), they can leave it in the car park at the entrance , behind the village of Askifou, then pass the gorge and return to the car park with a taxi from Kommitádes or walk through the gorge all the way back again, as it is not so tiring. An additional attraction may be returning to the car park in the back of an open pick-up truck. It’s great fun, and the views are breathtaking.
It takes 2-3 hours to cross the gorge, it does not require climbing or wading, and the route is often shaded. You can safely go with children, both small ones in a baby carrier and older ones, 7-8 years old, they can do it. I know what I’m talking about, I’ve done both! Just do not forget your sturdy walking boots and water.
It doesn’t take long to get there, just half an hour by car from Chania. The road itself is a feast for the eyes, with valleys and mountains and picturesque twists and turns in the asphalt. Eventually you arrive at an oasis, a place that offers respite, especially in summer – the Botanical Park and Gardens of Crete, located 20 kilometres south of the city.
Twenty hectares of park and gardens are spectacularly spread out on the slopes and, even from a distance, encourage visitors to come and explore. We park, pay a few euros for admission, and the park is open to us. And there is plenty to see along the 2.5-kilometre loop that leads through all its corners. You will find themed gardens (e.g. Mediterranean, aromatic herbs, citrus or tropical), encounter a variety of animals (from peacocks and donkeys to a multitude of butterflies), and take a stroll along the lake.
The flora is diverse and interesting. It is impressive that the park was established just over 20 years ago and has achieved such results. In 2003, a terrible fire ravaged the area, burning 100,000 ancient olive trees and leaving only ashes. Thanks to the inspiration and hard work of founder Petros Marinakis, the area has been beautifully restored, to the benefit of all.
After a walk, which takes about 2 hours, you leave the park at a very nice restaurant, ideal for lunch or early dinner in beautiful surroundings.
There is also a shop on site, selling mainly famous Cretan herbs and typical locally produced spirits: raki, or as they call it in Crete – tsikoudia.
Let me start from the end. Summer is not the best time to visit this place. It is hot, really hot, and you are exposed to the scorching sun, because most of what you want to see is located in open courtyards or terraces.
But if you have no choice because you are on holiday in Crete in August and consider the Palace of Knossos a must-see (after all, it ranks second among the most visited archaeological sites in Greece, after the Acropolis), do it in the morning, right after opening, or an hour or an hour and a half before closing.
You may also be discouraged from visiting Knossos (5 km south of Heraklion and 140 km from Chania) by the opinion that British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, who between 1900 and 1905 after buying the entire hill with the palace and excavating most of what can be seen today, undertook a controversial and, as we now know, in several respects misguided reconstruction of the buildings and rooms.There is no denying that this was the case. The biggest mistakes concern the use of excessive amounts of concrete to reinforce the remaining ruins and arbitrary decisions regarding the appearance and content of the restored frescoes. Sir Evans commissioned a Swiss artist to paint the latter in the throne room without having any archaeological basis for their appearance.
But don’t let that discourage you. It’s a minor detail when you consider that it was thanks to this passionate archaeologist that the palace complex was excavated (not discovered, as the credit for that goes to the Greek Minos Kolokairinos, who was already aware of the existence of the then underground complex in 1878) and protected from looting. The palace buildings owe their stability to the infamous concrete, and some of the original frescoes have been preserved and can be admired in the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion.
It is difficult not to be impressed by the grandeur of 4,000 years ago. The Minoan culture, which was present in Crete between 2000 and 1400 BC, allowed for the creation of a complex of buildings covering an area of 22 hectares, which was inhabited by 80,000 people at the peak of its development. The palace complex boasted 1,500 rooms, and some buildings were five storeys high.
Walking around the excavations, we can see magnificent staircases, porticoes, a columned hall, pottery and stonemason workshops, courtyards, a theatre and a sanctuary. Of course, there are also royal halls, called megarons. The queen’s hall is decorated with replicas of famous frescoes with dolphins. It is also interesting to see traces of the ordinary, everyday life of the Minoans. In the warehouses, or rather pantries, there are huge clay containers, called pithos, which were used to store grain, wine and oil. We know that the buildings were equipped with toilets and that water and sewage systems distributed through clay pipes were used. The buildings provided coolness in summer, and light entered through skylights.
Many figurines and tablets with Linear A and B writing were also found at the excavation site. However, these treasures, along with pottery and jewellery, can be admired in the aforementioned museum in Heraklion.
We were assured that tickets to the museum could be easily purchased on site, so we set off leisurely from Thimari Gardens on a beautiful October day around 11 a.m. Leisurely and on foot. Google suggested that the walk would take 25 minutes and would run picturesquely along the coast, from Splantzia in the old town of Chania, eastwards towards the Halepa district, where the modern and eco-friendly new building of the Archaeological Museum is located.
We were not disappointed. The coastal road winds along the high rocky shore and allows you to either see the magnificent Venetian gate of Chania (Sabbionara) from a new perspective or enjoy tropical views. The last 300 metres lead into the city, but there is still plenty to admire here, because Halepa gained its fame in the 19th century as a centre of politics and business for the greats of this world, which resulted in the creation of many beautiful and unusual villas and estates, which, either carefully renovated or still waiting for an investor with a bag of money, can be seen on the way to the museum.
But there is also the museum building. Low, blending into the hill, quite discreet from the outside, bright, uncluttered and open inside.
Standard tickets cost €6, but all EU residents under the age of 25 enter for free. Audio guides are also free of charge.
The permanent exhibition, covering the period from the Palaeolithic to Roman times, is housed in three large rooms. Most of the 4,100 exhibits come from the Chania area and the island of Gavdos, which is famous for its remains indicating that it was inhabited as early as 700,000 BC.
The first room presents the prehistory of this part of the world from the Palaeolithic period to the heyday of Minoan culture, with its palatial period, the remains of which are now mostly hidden in the Kastelli district of Chania, then known as Kydonia.
In the second room, we see a collection covering the Iron Age, the time of city-states, led by Kydonia and Aptera.
The third room is a narrative built around the destruction wrought by the terrible earthquake of 365 AD, and in particular the story of the destruction of a house called Filargyros, whose buried remains have become an excellent source of knowledge about that era.
There is another room on the first floor, which houses Mitsotakis’ private collection donated to the museum. It contains an absolute rarity – a stone seal engraved with the Minotaur, dated 1350 BC.
The exhibits are logically arranged, the most interesting ones are displayed and illuminated in an interesting way (I was delighted by the Minoan seal, jewellery, warriors’ graves and Roman mosaics), and clearly described. A leisurely stroll through all the rooms takes about 1.5 hours, and for those who are tired, there is a pleasant café with a terrace on the upper floor, offering an unobstructed, wonderful view of Chania and the Cretan Sea.
It is a little bit longer trip (80 km) but what awaits you at your destintation is double worth it. We are heading South, to Frangocastello and its beautiful beach.
Frangocastello is a small village of no apparent appeal, but what does have tons of charm and beauty is the sandy, child-friendly, peaceful and laid-back beach located just by the Venetian castle which gave the village its name. The castle, what is interesting, played a significant role in the Greek War of Independance.
To spoil you further, when you turn your eyes from the beach towards the land you will see the range of majestic White Mountains (Lefka Ori).
If you like variety, you will easily reach in 10-15 minutes on foot smaller but rocky or pebbly beaches laying eastwards. There, you can eat in a lovely Sunrise taverna.
If you need more choice for food or a livelier spot, head to Chora Sfakion (12 km away from Frangocastello).
Ancient Aptera, a 30-minute drive east of Chania, stretches across a plateau near the hill of Paliokastro, which dominates the south-eastern part of Souda Bay. Recent archaeological research suggests that settlement in this area began in the 11th-12th century BC.
The 3,480-metre-long defensive wall surrounding the main settlement was built before the mid-4th century BC. The city enjoyed an era of prosperity during the Roman period, but after a terrible earthquake in the 7th century, it was so badly damaged that it was not until the 12th century that it became a significant urban centre again and played an important role until the Venetian period (16th and 17th centuries).
In today’s Aptera, visitors can admire the remains of ancient fortifications, three cemeteries from different periods, Roman cisterns and baths, as well as an ancient theatre, which has recently been partially restored, with comfortable steps leading to the stage, called skene.
I found Aptera charming, atmospheric and simply beautiful. Perhaps it was its beautiful location between the sea and the mountains, perhaps the vastness of the settlement, or perhaps the fact that there were so few other people there during my visit, but it made a greater impression on me than Knossos.
On the practical side, tickets cost €10 and there is convenient parking for visitors.
As the site is largely unsheltered, you should bring water, sunscreen and a hat.
You can also, and this is what I would suggest, visit this place during the golden hour, both for the temperature and the magnificent views.
If you like basking on the sand, we recommend Nea Chora beach, which is valued by users for its clean, soft sand, many bars and restaurants nearby, but is not overcrowded. You can reach this beach on foot in 25 minutes or take bus number 11 and get there in a quarter of an hour.
Nea Chora beach and its whereabouts may turn into an eerie and strangely beautiful place during evil weather spells. Kalima (Saharan sandstorm) transforms it into a science fiction film scene and light rain and wind do not deter kids from playing there.
It takes a lifetime for someone to discover Greece, but it only takes an instant to fall in love with her – Henry Miller.
About
My name is Marta, a Pole with Greece in heart. I am also a living proof that longlife dreams can come true. I always dreamt of having my place in beloved Greece and now here it is! And not just anywhere, but in the most wonderful city, steeped in the culture of ancient Greece, the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire, my dream city of Chania, Crete.
This blog aims at promoting Crete, Chania but also our home there- Thimari Gardens - which is seasonally rented out. More information about the apartment is available when you press the tab above named Thimari Gardens.
If you wish to ask about our rental offer, send an email at thimarigardens@gmail.com
