Holidays to South West Crete

Paleochora • Loutro

Transfer time 90 minutes (Paleochora) to 2 hours (Loutro)

The spectacular south-west coast encapsulates the best of Crete – dizzy mountain scenery, a sparkling sea and some fine beaches. In fact a winding drive through the mountains is the only way in to Paleochora other than by sea.

There are plenty of restaurants and cafés above the sea or in the main street. In the summer evenings there is a positively cosmopolitan atmosphere, as both roads are sealed to traffic.

The main beach is of fine golden sand and stretches for nearly a kilometre – it affords superb swimming. Inland offers wonderful walking – try Agia Irini gorge as an alternative to popular Samaria. Boats run to the foot of Samaria and on to Loutro, to Sougia (another gorge here), remote Elafonissi island, or simply for spotting dolphins.During high summer Paleochora can be windy. In the early season, there is the bonus of countless wild flowers up in the hills.

Unrealistically pretty and quite tiny (pop. 100!), you can only reach Loutro on foot or by boat – there are no roads and no cars! Guarded by steep mountains, some dozen waterfront restaurants serve an amazing variety of dishes.