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Aradena Gorge and Bridge

Sfakia, Chania · Free

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Entry: Free

About

A deep gorge crossed by a famous iron bridge.

The Aradena gorge is one of the most dramatic gorges of Sfakia. It starts near the village of Anopolis and runs for about 7 km down to Marmara beach on the Libyan Sea, west of Loutro. Near the top, the gorge is crossed by the Vardinogiannis bridge, an iron bridge built in 1986 that hangs 138 m above the bottom of the gorge.

Before the bridge was built, the only way across was a steep path down into the gorge and up the other side. Next to the bridge stands the abandoned village of Aradena, left empty in the 1950s after a blood feud between two families. The ruins of stone houses and the Byzantine church of Archangel Michael are atmospheric.

The bridge is used for bungee jumping in summer, one of the highest jumps in Europe. Hikers can walk down through the gorge to Marmara beach in about 3 hours, then follow the coastal path to Loutro and take a boat back to Chora Sfakion.

Around Sfakia

Nearest town: Chora Sfakion, about 9 km by road
Nearest airport: Chania airport (CHQ), about 46 km by road

The west of Crete is the island at its most dramatic. Chania has the most beautiful Venetian old town on Crete, wrapped around a harbour with a lighthouse and a domed mosque. In the evening the narrow lanes of Splantzia and the old Jewish quarter fill up with tavernas and small bars. More about Chania