Dörfer & Städte

Elos

Kissamos, Chania · Free

Highlights & amenities

Entry: Free

About

Chestnut village on the road to Elafonisi.

Elos is a small village in the west of Crete, on the road to Elafonisi and the Chrissoskalitissa monastery. It's surrounded by chestnut trees, and in October it hosts a Chestnut Festival with music and dancing.

Elos is the main village of the Inachori area, a group of "nine villages" in the remote south-west of Chania known for its chestnut trees. The area is shady, hilly and green, a contrast to the dry south coast. In late October, the Chestnut Festival brings music, dancing and roasted chestnuts. Elos is on the road from Kissamos to Elafonisi, so it's an easy stop for lunch on the way back from the beach.

Kissamos is the wild north-west corner of Crete. The landscape is rugged and dry near the coast and green in the hills, with chestnut villages, olive groves and vineyards. Beaches here are among the most beautiful on the island: Balos, Falasarna and the coves of Gramvousa, reached by boat from Kissamos harbour. The town itself is a relaxed place with Roman mosaics in its museum and tavernas by the sea. The sunsets on the west coast are unforgettable.

Around Kissamos

Nearest town: Kissamos, about 19 km by road
Nearest airport: Chania airport (CHQ), about 65 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