Traditional Villages
Vamos
Vamos is located 25km away from Chania. It is a historical place, known for the very frequent revolutions against the Turkish conquerors, with a special traditional architecture. Beyond the shops and tavernas of the main square, you can visit a winery nearby and there’s also an excellent cheese factory. The 13th-century chapel of the Virgin Mary and the Karydi Monastery, with an arched olive oil press, are also well worth a visit. Every July, Vamos organises the largest Jazz Festival in Crete.
Gavalochori
Gavalochori is a traditional village with beautiful stone houses. It is located 25 km away from Chania and is only 3 km away from the sea. In the village you can combine tradition with nature and landscape, as many hills mainly with olive and carob trees are scattered. Many of the famous Gavalian walls are preserved in a fantastic landscape. An excellent folklore museum is also located in the village. Here you can see the history and culture of the village. It is housed in a renovated Venetian building with stone arches.
Armenoi
The village is built in a verdant landscape covered by trees, whose roots are irrigated by natural springs that irrigate most of the area. The abundance of water that irrigates the whole area has turned the Armenians into a huge "orchard" full of fruit trees and flowers.
Douliana
With 40 houses and a total population of 200, there’s a wonderfully cosy feel to Douliana, which is 100m above sea level. You could just soak up the atmosphere of the central square but you should also try one of the short walks from the village. There’s one that passes through a forest to Gavalohori.
Therisso
Theriso is a small Cretan village 16 km from Chania town in the region of Chania. This village has a remarkable history, intrinsically interwoven with the freedom and independence of the Cretan people.
From here Eleftherios Venizelos started the revolution of 1905 in the village. Finally in 1913 Crete became unified with Greece.
