ελληνικά
englishAgia Marina
Agia Marina lies 9km west of the town of Chania and is one of the most popular destinations for tourists during summer. It features beautiful sandy beaches, playgrounds, traditional Cretan tavernas and night clubs making it a main attraction for the summer months in Chania. Daytime entertainment can be sought in the numerous beach and pool bars, beach volley courts, jet ski rental agencies, windsurfing and diving. There is also a post office, several banks and ATMs, super markers, pharmacies and a health center.
Local Sightseeing
- 700 meters away from Aretousa Villas are the stops for the bus to Chania, which passes every 15 minutes, and a sightseeing train which does a tour of the nearby villages.
Directly across from the beach of Agia Marina is the island of St. Theodoroi which
can be visited daily by organized boat trips from the harbour of Platanias.
Chania
Nearby is the city of Chania. In the city you can do some site-seeing like visiting the Municipal Art gallery, the museums or enjoy relaxing walks in the alleys of the old city and at the waterfront of the Venetian harbour. There is a wide variety of shops, restaurants, cafeterias and bars.
The prefecture of Chania borders with the prefecture of Rethimno to the east. All of Crete is easily accessible as the distances are relatively small. The natural environment is unique and quite varied as is known of the wild beauty of Crete, with her mysterious gorges and her secluded beaches. In the prefecture of Heraklion you can visit the archaeological area of Knossos and the famous forest of Rouva.
Elafonissi
Elafonissi has one of the rarest and most beautiful landscapes in Europe featuring a large beach of unique beauty. The level of the sea doesn't come higher than the knee of an adult and you can admire the vast beach with the pink and green sand. In the area one can find indigenous varieties of cedar and lilies. The full 2 square kilometers are part of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas.
Falassarna
The beach at Falassarna is considered to be one of the most beautiful natural beaches on Crete and one of the 10 best in Greece. The area lies 16km to the west of the gulf of Kastelli, the beach is very large and sandy and due to its western orientation offers an amazing view of the sunset.
Balos
The famous Balos lagoon offers a sandy beach with shallow crystal clear waters. At summertime the beach is visited daily by hundreds of visitors that arrive there by boat from Kastelli.
Samaria Gorge
The gorge of Samaria is part of the White Mountains range in western Crete. At 18km long it is one of the largest gorges in Europe. The entrance, named Xyloskalo, is on the Omalos plateau at 1227m above sea level and the exit lies at the sea-side village of Agia Roumeli on the south coast of Crete. Inside the gorge, a wide variety of flora and fauna can be observed including the famous "kri-kri" mountain goat, called "agrimia" (wildings) by the locals.
The gorge is open from early May to the end of October. Hiking through it is fairly easy given proper footwear and a light backpack with water and a snack. Busses to the Omalo plateau leave Chania daily.