Alle Dörfer & Städte

Stylos

Apokoronas, Chania

About

Springs and plane trees.

Stylos is a village in Apokoronas surrounded by green countryside, with springs, plane trees and a Byzantine church.

Stylos means column or pillar in Greek, though no one knows why the village got this name. In Minoan times a large settlement stood here, and when it declined, its name may have passed to the city of Aptera nearby. The village has a two-aisled Byzantine church of Saint John the Theologian, springs and huge plane trees. In 1941, the Battle of Stylos was a rearguard action during the Allied retreat to Sfakia.

Apokoronas lies between Chania and Rethymno, a green area of rolling hills, springs and traditional villages such as Vamos, Gavalochori, Vrisses and Kefalas. Many of the stone houses have been restored, and the villages keep a calm, local life. The coast along Souda bay and towards Georgioupoli has long beaches and the resorts of Kalyves and Almyrida, while inland Lake Kournas and the foothills of the White Mountains invite walks. Yoghurt with honey under the plane trees of Vrisses is a must.

Highlights & amenities

Entry: Free

Around Apokoronas

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