Paleochora (Palaiochora, or Paliochora) is a small town in Chania regional unit, Greece. It is located 77 km south of Chania, on the southwest coast of Crete and occupies a small peninsula 400m wide and 700m long. The town is set along 11 km of coastline bordering the Libyan Sea. It is the seat of the municipality of Kantanos–Selino. The only way to reach Paleohora is from Chania, a road trip up to 75km.
Palaiochora has crystal clear waters, well organised beaches (Pachia Ammos, Plakaki, Kountoura, Karavopetra, Gramenos, Krios, Keratides, Ianiskari, Sougia, Elafonisos), and beautiful isolated small anchorages. It is served by numerous hotels, restaurants, tavernas, cafés, and bars. Facilities in Palaiochora include bank branches, a post office, a central telephone office, a health centre, doctor’s offices, dentists, chemists, a police station, a coast guard and customs office, and many types of stores. Ferry boats connect Palaiochora with Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro, Chora Sfakion, and Gavdos.
Palaiochora local attractions include the abundant wild flowers in the spring, the opportunity to see Venetian and Byzantine wall paintings in some of the local churches (those in Anidri and Voutas being particularly impressive), and a museum dedicated to the Acretans in the town itself. The nearby village of Azogires, 5 km away, contains a museum dedicated to the area as well as the, now empty, Monastery of the 99 Holy Fathers and what is claimed to be the largest Evergreen Plane Tree on the Island. In 2009 it was planned to open a number of signposted walking routes in the area and the town is on the European E4 Long Distance Footpath.
People are occupied with tourism, olive cultivation, fishing, and lately tomato production in greenhouses Traditional weaving is also developed. There are many small beaches especially on the west side of the town. The city is a popular resort so there are many hotels, apartments, rooms to rent, restaurants, taverns, bars and a camping site. During the summer small ships provide a tour to the beaches around the island and other small villages such as Sfakia, Loutro and Elafonissi.
Palaiochora visitors can taste plenty of fresh and cheap fish, olive oil, honey, dairy products, local Cretan Cousine , traditional sweets and cakes. Also, you can try pizza, salads, seafood, tasty omelets with many ingredients, escargot, spicy cheeses, vegetable, and fruits.
Don’t forget to taste “tsikoudia”, the local traditional Cretan Drink