Villa Eremia - Maps and Local Information

Round and about

Almyrida

Just a short drive or a pleasant 20 minute walk from the villa is Almyrida with its delightful beach, numerous restaurants and bars, essential shops and cash machine. Lap up the sun while reclining on a lounger on what is the local the beach to the villa or enjoy a refreshing drink at one of the tavernas. When evening comes there is a fine array of eating places to choose from.

Click here for Almyrida’s Facebook page where there is a short promotional video showing views of the village.

Plaka

The nearby village of Plaka also has several tavernas and restaurants including the ever-popular Elpis. There is also a small supermarket in the village.

Kalyves

To the west of Almyrida is Kalyves which is a larger village and therefore it has more facilities such as a greater range of shops, a good SYN.KA (also known as INKA) supermarket (head north west out of town on the coast road), bank and post office, as well as a very pleasant beach.

Gavalochori

About a 10 minute drive inland from the villa is the village of Gavalochori with its Folklore museum and Venetian wells. You can see Gavalochori from Villa Eremia and there is a pleasant walk to the village that avoids the main road.

Vamos

Another 10 minutes further up the road is Vamos, a traditional Cretan village steeped in history. Nearby, is the Karidi Monastery with its 12 arch olive press. There are plenty of activities centred on the village including Cretan traditional cookery classes.

White Mountains

If you look inland from the villa, you cannot miss the spectacular Lefka Ori (White Mountains). They are capped with snow from late autumn to late spring but, even in the summer, the sunlight reflecting on the limestone rock gives them a white tinge, hence the name.

Kokkino Chorio

To the east of Plaka is Kokkino Chorio, which is an authentic traditional Cretan village. Its position makes it an ideal place to enjoy stunning views of the sunset over Souda Bay. A little way outside the village is an interesting glass factory. Kokkino Chorio’s other claim to fame is as the location for some scenes in the film Zorba the Greek.

Georgioupolis

Further along the north coast lies the seaside resort of Georgioupolis with its long, glorious, sandy beach at Kalivaki and numerous cafés and tavernas. You can also see the beautiful church of Aghios Nikolaos, which can only be reached via a rocky jetty.

Lake Kournas

Just inland from Georgioupolis is the delightful Lake Kournas, reputedly Crete’s only freshwater lake. Here you can hire a pedalo and see all the wildlife in and around the water. Look out for the turtles, terrapins and fish in the clear blue water and numerous birds including kingfishers. Enjoy the beautiful view over the lake from one of the many tavernas.

Aptera

Just past Kalyves, on the way to Chania, is the fascinating archaeological site of Aptera which dates back to Minoan times. It is set up on the hillside overlooking Souda Bay and features a number of ruins. Click here to read TripAdvisor reviews.

Chania

The nearest city is Chania which is about 30 minutes drive west of the villa. This has all you would expect from the second largest city on the island. Of particular note are the covered market and the picturesque Venetian harbour with its countless restaurants.

Rethymnon

About 50 minutes drive east of Eremia is the historic Venetian town of Rethymno (also known as Rethymnon). There are many 16th Century buildings to admire and the Fortezza fortress is fascinating.

Further Afield

Although not in the vicinity of the villa, many visitors enjoy visiting the two main tourist attractions on Crete.

• The Samaria Gorge is a 10 mile long path that cuts its way through the rocks, starting at Omalos in the White Mountains and finishing on the south coast at Aghia Roumeli. A certain level of fitness and decent footwear is needed for the walk but it is a wonderful experience. Click here for the Trip Advisor review.
• Just south of Heraklion is the Knossos Archaeological Site. Here you will find partially restored ruins of a Bronze Age city, including a Minoan palace. It is a fascinating experience to wander around the extensive site and you get a real feel of what life was like in an ancient civilisation. Click here for the Trip Advisor review.

Local Walks

The local area is great for walking, from gentle strolls to more arduous expeditions. The book Discover Almyrida & Kalyves...on Foot is available online or in local bookshops, and contains some very pleasant walks.

If you just want to explore, from the villa, walk back towards Aspro village but, at the telegraph pole, instead of turning left down to the village, turn right and follow the track. This meets the quiet "back road" where you can turn right to walk to Gavalochori or turn left to walk down to Almyrida.

For the more energetic visitor, the Apokoronas Parkrun takes place on the last Saturday of the month. Contact info.parkrun@email.com for more information.

Villa Eremia (Aspro) web site by Stephen Cordery is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Page updated   -   Thu 1 May 2025 at 16:29:09 (Version 1.10)

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