Crete Town Walks and Gorge Hikes

Walks in Crete fall into three levels. Town routes are flat and short. Imbros Gorge is a moderate half-day descent. Samaria Gorge is a mountain day that needs fitness and planning. The towns are best in the cool of morning or evening, and fire warnings from April to October can affect the hills, so check the day’s notices. Local guides also lead old town tours, but the routes below work without one. Prices are in euros.

Easy: Chania

Distance: about 2.5 km. Time: roughly two hours.

  • Begin at the Firkas fortress on the harbour mouth and look across to the lighthouse.
  • Go up into Topanas for carved doorways and Venetian mansions.
  • Reach Kondylaki Street, in the former Jewish quarter. Etz Hayyim synagogue stands off it on Parodos Kondylaki, and it is a place of remembrance, so lower your voice and cover your shoulders. Opening: Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 16:00, Friday 10:00 to 15:00, closed on weekends and public holidays. Admission is EUR 4.
  • Pass the Trimartiri cathedral on Plateia 1866.
  • In Splantzia, rest under the plane tree on Platanos Square and look at Agios Nikolaos, a church with a Venetian bell tower beside an Ottoman minaret.
  • End at the Venetian arsenals on the waterfront.

Easy: Rethymno

Distance: about 2 km. Time: 90 minutes to two hours.

  • The Rimondi Fountain of 1626 has three lion heads.
  • The Venetian loggia was where the nobility once met.
  • The Neratze mosque, a converted Venetian church, has a tall minaret with two balconies and now holds concerts.
  • Vernardou Street keeps carved stone portals and timber upper floors that overhang the road.
  • The ramp to the Fortezza on Paleokastro hill finishes the route. Entry is about EUR 4 to 5 and the hours vary by season.

Easy: Heraklion

The Venetian walls took years to besiege. They resisted an Ottoman assault from 1648 to 1669. Climb to the top of the ramparts at the Jesus bastion and walk to the Martinengo bastion. The writer Nikos Kazantzakis lies there beneath a plain stone slab carved with his own words: “I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.” There is no charge.

Moderate: Imbros Gorge

Imbros is the gorge for ordinary walkers. It starts at about 780 m near the village of Imbros in Sfakia and runs 8 km downhill to Komitades, with a squeeze of about 1.6 m at its narrowest. Plan two to two and a half hours, pay a small fee of a few euros, and visit from about April to October. At Komitades, taxis return walkers to Imbros for a negotiated group fare, so settle the price before you leave.

Hard: Samaria Gorge

Samaria belongs among the longest gorges in Europe. The walk is about 16 km and drops around 1,200 m over loose stones, and most people need five to seven hours. Season: about May to October, weather permitting. Park staff can close it for storms or extreme heat. The path ends at Agia Roumeli, a roadless village, so a ferry to Sougia or Chora Sfakion is the only way out, and a coach then takes you to Chania. Entry is about EUR 10, and notices appear on the official ticket site . In summer the river is a dry gravel bed, with a few springs of drinking water and no waterfalls.

Take boots with ankle support, start at first light and pack more water than you expect to need. Mules help rangers carry out injured walkers, but prevention beats rescue.

Read more: Sightseeing in Crete and the Knossos page

A local guide for the old towns can be arranged through GetYourGuide , and the state sites’ hours are on Hellenic Heritage .