Between Kalogeros beach and the harbor of Maschalis (the west port of Agia Roumeli) some beaches are formed in caves that the locals call them Caves in Marble. These caves are formed in the whitish hard rock of the area and constitute a unique hideout for nature lovers. They can be accessed easily either by a canoe from Agia Roumeli or even by swimming.
Tarra was an ancient city of Crete and seaport of Elyros. Here there was a very famous temple of Apollo and ahealing center. The legend tells that once the god Apollo himself came to Samaria to purify himself by the great priest and healer Karmanor as after killing the Python at Delphi.
On the west side of the exit of Samaria Gorge, above the current village of Agia Roumeli, the Turks built the Koules of Agia Roumeli to suppress the rebels hiding in the gorge. This Koules is in quite good condition. There were three more towers in wider area of Agia Roumeli (in Skoteini, Aggelokambos and Sideris positions)
One of the most important Byzantine monuments is located in the gorge of Samaria, at the site of a former a temple of town Tarra (1st century AD). The initial church was a three-nave basilica and today what we see is the Byzantine church that was built in place of the initial.
Saint Paul is a very old Byzantine church that was built at the place Selouda. The church is on the spot where Saint Paul reportedly baptized people on his way to Rome. It is a very picturesque small church, built on the beach using stones from the beach itself. This is why it is not easy to see the church from far.
The mountainous and inhospitable province of Sfakia hosts several small and large koules, ie Ottoman towers, which was built by the Ottomans to control this revolutionary area. One of the most unknown forts lies in ruins in the mountains west of the gorge of Samaria and you can reach it via the trail of the known Koules of Agia Roumeli.
Agios Pavlos (Saint Paul) is one incredible beach at Opiso Egiali area, 3km east of Agia Roumeli and 6km west of Loutro, in the exit of the wild Eligia Gorge. The beach is totally secluded from civilization, since the only possible to come here is by boat or by long trekking. The closest harbors are Agia Roumeli and Loutro. Walking from Agia Roumeli takes 50'-60', on an easy path that runs beside the sea.
Agia Roumeli is a small secluded village, located 56km south of Chania, on a wide bay shaped at the exit of the Samaria Gorge. Thousands of visitors, descending the gorge, reach this place every day.
Kalogeros is a perfect beach with deep blue water and fine pebbles, located 57km south of Chania, 11km east of Sougia and 1km west of Agia Roumeli. The beach is located close to the west end of Agia Roumeli.
Fournoti is an amazing beautiful beach, located 57km south of Chania, 10km east of Sougia and 1.5km west of Agia Roumeli. It is very nice, with deep blue water, fine pebbles and surrounded by pine trees. The beach is secluded in one of the most beautiful Greek places, the rough Mountains of Sfakia.
The beautiful beach Domata is located 7km east of Sougia and 58km south of Chania, at position Tseses. The beach is the ending point of the wild and rugged gorge of Klados.
The Samaria Gorge is the longest trekking gorge in Europe and also the most famous of all. Thousands of tourists flock here daily in the summer season to walk from the top to the bottom. For many visitors, it is the sole purpose of their visit to Crete. The length of the gorge reaches 18km and takes almost 4-7 hours to hike from Omalos to Agia Roumeli, depending on trekking speed.
The coastal trail connecting Sougia to Agia Roumeli is one of the most mountainous, tiring, but also beautiful parts of E4 European trail in Crete. The trail starts from ancient Syia (Sougia), runs through Tripiti and Domata beaches, ascends to 550m altitude and descends to Agia Roumeli.
Near Agia Roumeli there are two arched stone bridges. Here we see a Venetian stone arched bridge that has been secluded in the stream, with both of its sides destroyed. We can still discern a auxiliary arch which has been filled by the debris of the river. There is another smaller bridge a few meters to the north.
One of the best beaches in Agia Roumeli is located on the east side of the settlement, beyond the river of Samaria gorge and below the ruins of ancient Tarra. Here beautiful rocky formations and cavities are formed at position Zeromouri, which have beautiful pebbly beaches in front of them.
Thousands of visitors, descending the Samaria gorge, reach Agia Roumeli every day and enjoy their bath in the main beach, Gialos, stretching in front of the taverns. However, there are some very nice and quiet beaches around, one could explore. One of these beaches is Mashali and is actually the west part of the bay of Agia Roumeli.












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