DATES
Tue 20th October 2026
-
Tue 27th October 2026
7 nights
“Wonderful group of women and Dafni our amazing guide - I’m missing them all already” in the words of a guest in 2025. This is a delightful location with a mix of interesting hikes plus so many opportunities to swim. If you fancy some autumn warmth do join us. You could always spend 2 weeks on this beautiful island and start in Mirtos on our holiday the week before.
SUMMARY
Dates: Tuesday October 20th to Tuesday October 27th 7 nights with 5 days of walking and a free day to relax
HIGHLIGHTS: Unspoilt location with the sea a few steps away, great fresh local food and friendly, welcoming people.
Guide: Local guide Dafni
Walking Grade: 2 Goats with each walk being between 4 to 5.5 hours. We walk in the mornings when the days are freshest and you have afternoons to relax or explore locally. This is a moderate Goat 2 holiday.
Base: Sunny Bay Hotel – a 3 star beach hotel. The complex lies in an idyllic position in the bay of Kissamos, 37 km west of Chania and just ten minutes from the centre of Kissamos town on foot. All the rooms have a balcony with a wonderful view of the crystal clear blue sea. There is also a large pool that guests love. If you do like sea swimming we recommend reef shoes to help walking across pebbles on the beach.
Guests loved meeting at the hotel bar and being able to walk out to a variety of tavernas with very good Cretan food at very reasonable prices.
Arrivals: Pick ups from Chania Airport will be arranged to suit your flights. We recommend arriving at approx 15:00.
Departures: Returns will be arranged to suit your flights. We recommend flights leaving after 12 noon so we can arrange transfers together as much as possible.
Price: £1,400 per person per holiday inclusive:
- Ensuite rooms with seaviews (no single supplement)
- All breakfasts
- Welcome dinner and farewell evening meal
- Local transport required for walks
- Beach towels
- Local English speaking guiding and support throughout your stay.
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure to Chania at whatever time you arrive.
Not included:
- Travel to Chania.
- Travel Insurance.
- Meals and drinks on the other 5 nights. Local tavernas are in abundance and very reasonable.
If you are travelling with a partner or friend and share a room there is £250 per person discount making the total holiday per person £1,150. We will adjust your invoice after booking and the deposit is paid.
DETAILS
Our location offers the opportunity to walk in one of the most beautiful places of the Mediterranean. The area of Kissamos in Western Crete is part of the European Programme NATURA 2000 which aims to promote its rich natural heritage and to promote eco-tourism. We don’t use private transport and only leave green footprints!
The Sunny Bay Hotel is chosen to give walkers a place they can relax at the end of the day with the opportunity to swim in the pool or the sea. It is also close to restaurants and cafes for evenings out.
The walks are graded two goats as they take you on a pleasant exploration of the local countryside. There are secluded valleys and groves, quaint hill top villages and spectacular views over the bay. The walks are also rich in archeological, historical, botanical and artistic features. You will learn lots about this fascinating island.
There is plenty of time for stopping in local cafes and tavernas and sampling local produce.
We hope the weather will be sunny and not too hot but sometimes it can rain and it is advisable to bring a light rain coat.
ITINERARY
PROGRAMME – this can change as it always depends on the weather. We always say Trust Your Guide as they know their area and will guide you to make sure you have the most experience.
Each day starts from the hotel and you can expect to leave between 9 and 10am. Walks will vary in length and your guide will brief you each day about the next days activities . Expect to be walking for a minimum of 4 hours with breaks.
DAY 1 – ARRIVAL – WELCOME MEAL
Transfers from Chania airport. You will be met by our local taxi driver and taken to your family run hotel.
To get to our destinations on the following days we usually walk or take the public bus, to keep our carbon footprint low and to enjoy being part of the reliable local transport system. On the first evening you will meet your local team and get to know everybody at the Welcome Dinner.
Day 2 – Kissamos – Korfalonas – Winery . Approx 4 hours/ Distance : 9 km/ Elevation: 1m-20m
7:30-9:00 : Breakfast.
9:00 : Meet at the hotel.
We begin our walk to Kissamos town, where we visit the local archaeological museum and explore traditional shops selling honey, wine, tsikoudia, herbs, and other local products. We then continue towards the sea and follow the beach through the Korfalonas and Platanaki areas. After crossing the small Korfalonas river, we continue along the coastline, enjoying stunning sea views. The path takes us through olive groves as we make our way to the village of Drapanias, where we visit the Pnevmatikakis Winery for a guided tour of the production facilities, followed by a wine tasting. We can choose from more than 10 different wines and other drinks made from Cretan grapes. We return either on foot or by using the regular local bus service.
Day 3 – Drapanias – Cherethiana – Potamida – Kaloudiana. Approx 3.5 hours/ Distance 10 km/ Elevation: 5m-170m
7:30-9:00 : Breakfast.
9:10 : Meet at the hotel and walk to the bus stop.
We take the bus to to the village of Drapanias. We walk through the main square and then past a medieval Venetian communication tower and an old, abandoned olive press factory. Going uphill past a medieval well and through the olive groves, we reach Cherethiana, a typical, small, picturesque Cretan village, at an altitude of 160 meters. We walk through the village and have a break for a coffee if the local traditional cafe is open. Now coming downhill we reach another cave chapel – another Michael the Archangel, nestling under the shade of a plane tree from which the old church bell is hanging. From here we take the road to Potamida in the valley and turn back towards the sea, passing on our right the famous natural clay marls which tower above the fields. We will visit the mill museum where we will have a break and then we walk further through the village. On the return to our hotel we can have a break for a beer or food in the village of Kaloudiana.
13:30 return to the hotel.
Afternoon : Free time for lunch, relaxation, swimming in the sea/pool, and enjoying the evening in the nearby tavernas.
Day 4 – Kissamos Harbour – Kalyviani – Falasarna. Approx 4.5 hours/ Distance: 13 km/ Elevation: 5m-225m
7:30-9:00 : Breakfast.
9:00 : Meet at the hotel and walk to the bus station.
We take the bus to Kissamos Harbour where we start our walk. We walk along Trachilos beach to the site of the oldest pre-human (hominid) footprints. The footprints found in 2002 by Gerard D. Gierliński (Polish Research Institute in Warsaw) at the beach of Trachilos have been dated to over six million years ago and are now the oldest known pre-human footprints. One was stolen and then found and all of them were covered up by the Greek authorities, but at least we can see the site. We walk further to the picturesque village of Kalyviani, and then through the olive groves and gardens the landscape becomes slowly bare as we arrive on the top of the hill overlooking the bay of Falasarna. Here we are at the west coast of Crete with views to the Mediterranean Sea. Falasarna prospered through its maritime affairs, evidenced by the remains of monumental buildings and artwork. In the third century BC the inhabitants of Falasarna were engaged in piracy, a common practice of the Cretan city-states. The great earthquake of 365 AD raised the west coast of Crete by 6-9 meters, destroyed Falasarna and its harbour suddenly found itself on land. This is why, as you walk around the archaeological site, you see that the ruins of the town and its harbour are about 100 meters from the sea.
14:30-17:30: Free time to swim in the sea and visit a local taverna for optional snacks or lunch.
17:30: Take the bus back to Kissamos, and free time to enjoy the evening in the nearby tavernas.
Day 5 – Free day
A free day to rest or do further walking or sightseeing on your own. You could enjoy the many attractions of Chania, or visit the famous Balos beach by a short boat trip or hire a car to explore further a-field or … even walk through the Samaria Gorge (detailed information provided on request).
Day 6 – Kotsiana – Rokka – Kera. 4.5 hours/ Distance : 14 km/ Elevation: 5m-225m
7:30-9:00 : Breakfast.
9:10 : Meet at the hotel and walk to the bus stop.
We take the bus to the village of Drapanias, which we skirt around. Going uphill we find an old track leading through the olive groves to the little chapel above us built into a cave, Michael the Archangel. We continue on this track over a small river bed and a magnificent mulberry tree until we reach a country road and more old tracks. At the sides of the path is a rare kind of mint and a lot of caper flowers amongst many other plants. We are in Ano Drapanias and walk along the old road to the village of Kotsiana where we can have a stop at the traditional Kafenio for a coffee or juice before we carry on up a kalderimi (old stone road) passing an ancient wall, peach, plum and mulberry trees amongst the olives, finding the path leading to the giant rock which dominates the landscape. Just below its crown or dome as the locals call it, is the picturesque village of Rokka. Above the 18th/19th century houses is the site of the remains of an ancient village, whose rooms, streets, steps and tombs were cut into the stone. From there the views are stunning: South across the Rokka gorge and North to the blue sea in the distance. The gorge is rarely visited and often we can see griffon vultures flying over it. Near Rokka lies the picturesque village of Kera which we pass through before returning home.
14:30 : Free time for lunch, relaxation, swimming in the sea/pool, and enjoying the evening in the nearby tavernas.
Day 7 – Nopigia – Agios Vasilios – Ravdouhas – Nopigia 4.5 hours/ Distance : 12 km/ Elevation: 1m-240m)
7:30-9:00 : Breakfast.
9:10 : Meet at the hotel and walk to the bus stop.
9:30-14:30 : We take the bus to Nopigia. We walk past the open-air theater and amazing rock formations to the little chapel of Panagia Myrtidiotisa. Then along a rough path over stones and rocks, we walk towards the little medieval chapel of Agios Vasilios on the Spatha peninsula. The blue sea is always beside us. We will encounter only a few sheep and goats and enjoy great views towards the Gramvousa peninsula across Kissamos bay, with the Spatha mountain on our right. After our little break at the chapel of Agios Vasilios we walk further to the outskirts of Ravdouhas over the top of an abandoned iron mine, enjoying fantastic views of the village. On our return, we take a higher trail that leads to the top of the mountain, offering sweeping views of olive groves and vineyards, before descending to Nopigia’s theater and beach.
14:30: Free time for lunch, relaxation, swimming in the sea/pool, and enjoying the evening in the nearby tavernas.
DAY 8 – DEPARTURE . Transfer to Chania Airport. Book flights for after 12 noon.
CALL 01784 664063 – EMAIL CONTACTUS@WALKINGWOMEN.COM
