Dörfer & Städte

Therisso

Chania, Chania · Free

Highlights & amenities

Entry: Free

About

A historic village at the top of the gorge.

Therisso is a village at the top of the Therisso gorge, about 15 km south of Chania. It's famous for the 1905 revolt led by Eleftherios Venizelos. The house used as the headquarters is now a museum. The village has good tavernas.

Therisso is the birthplace of the mother of Eleftherios Venizelos, and in 1905 it was the base of the famous revolt that he led against Prince George, pushing for union with Greece. The house used as the rebels' headquarters is now a museum. The 14 km drive up through the gorge from Chania is spectacular, and the village is popular with Chania residents for its cooler air and grill restaurants.

The Chania area is the green heart of western Crete. Around the city, olive groves and orange orchards stretch towards the White Mountains, whose peaks stay snowy until late spring. The old town, with its Venetian harbour, the market hall and countless tavernas, is never far away, and the Akrotiri peninsula adds sandy beaches, old monasteries and the Venizelos graves. Food here is a highlight: try boureki (a bake of courgettes, potatoes and cheese), kalitsounia pies and fresh fish, with a glass of local raki to finish.

Around Chania

Nearest town: Chania, about 16 km by road
Nearest airport: Chania airport (CHQ), about 27 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