Chania Prefecture - Crete (Greece)
Chania is one of the four prefectures of the island of Crete, it is located in the westernmost part of Crete and covers an area of 2,375 sq.km. It borders to the east with the prefecture of Rethymno, to the north with the Cretan Sea and to the south with the Libyan Sea. It is a mountainous prefecture with high mountains, several extraordinary gorges and caves, exotic sandy beaches, traditional villages, hundreds of archaeological sites and a very beautiful capital, Chania Town. The highest mountains are the Lefka Ori, literally meaning the White Mountains. Another name Cretans use for these mountains is the word ‘Madares’. These mountains contain several peaks higher than 2000 meters and several plateaus like the plateau of Askifou and the plateau of Omalos. The highest point of the white mountains is Pachnes (2452 meters). In the south of these mountains are some impressive gorges like the famous Samaria Gorge, the Imbros Gorge and the Agia Irini Gorge. The steep gorges join onto the beautiful beaches such as Agia Roumeli and Sfakia.
Photo Gallery Chania Prefecture - Photos of Crete
more photos of Chania Prefecture»
Beautiful Beaches of prefecture Chania
There are several fantastic beaches in Chania. Which of them is the most beautiful is hard to say, there are hundreds of them, some with pebbles others with sand. A lot of beaches are well-known but there are also a lot of beaches nobody knows about. The most popular beaches of Chania are: Balos beach, Seitan Limania, Frangokastello, Paleochora, Elafonisi, Falassarna, Kissamos, Platanias, Agia Marina, Kato Stalos, Georgioupolis, Kaliviani, Kalathas and many more
Weather forecast Chania Prefecture
Sights prefecture Chania
- Aptera: Aptera (1400 B.C. – 700 A.D.) was one of the most important city-states of Crete. Due to its excellent position on an extensive plateau on a hill, it could control all of the surrounding region and develop itself to be a powerful and political centre.
- Ancient Chania - Kastelli: It is located on the hill of Kastelli and was built upon the ruins of the ancient city Kydonia. It is surrounded by a Byzantine and Venetian wall.
- The ancient Minoan Tombs of Lissos, Maleme, Polirinia, Eliros and Irtakina.
- The many important monasteries that are scattered across the region like the Holy Trinity of Tsagarolo and Gouverneto in Akrotiri, the monastery of Gonia in Kolymbari, the monastery of Chryssoskalitissa in Elafonisi and the women’s monastery of Chrissopigi in Mournies.
- The Graves of Eleftherios and Sophocles Venizelos on cape Akrotiri. They were both very important politicians in the 20th Century.
Distances in kilometers from the town of Chania (Chania Crete)
Chania town to Heraklion: 140 kilometers (86 miles - about 2 hours by car)
Chania town to Rethymnon: 60 kilometers (37 miles - about 1 hour by car)
Chania town to Agios Nikolaos 200 kilometers (124 miles - about three hours by car)
Chania town to Matala: 135 kilometers (83 miles - about 2 hours 30 minutes by car)
Chania town to Malia: 170 kilometers (about 2 hours 30 minutes)
Chania town to Knossos: 140 kilometers (about 86 miles - 2 hours by car)
Chania town to Hersonissos: 163 kilometers (101 miles - two hours and 20 minutes by car)
Chania town to Agia Galini: 110 kilometers (68 miles - 1 hour 50 minutes by car)
Chania town to the Samaria Gorge - Omalos 45 kilometers (27 miles - 1 hour 30 minutes)
Text: Yorgos and Wendy Nikolidakis - Text edited by Maxine van Hoften Gee
Chania Prefecture in other languages
Chania Kreta (GriekseGids.nl)
Chania Kreta (GriekseGids.be)
Chania Prefecture (GreeceGuide.co.uk)
Chania Kreta (GriechenlandWeb.de)
Chania Prefecture: Where on the map is Chania Prefecture located?
Chania Prefecture
Holidays in Greece
