Villages of Western Kissamos
Mountainous or coastal, with only a few kilometers away from the town’s center it’s worth it discovering the villages of western Kissamos, taste the traditional Cretan cuisine and enjoy swimming on their beaches. Far from the impersonal mass tourism, the visitor in Kissamos will have the chance to spent his vacation among the locals and meet our Cretan products cooked with love and oriented towards quality and tradition.
Platanos, Sfinari, Kaliviani, Kaloudiana, Drapanias, Nopigia, Topolia, Elos, Vlatos, Chrisoskalitissa are some of the villages that are worth visiting.
Platanos
Platanos is the biggest village of the region and is located 10km from Kissamos. It is a modern, spacious village with around 1000 population which are occupied with agricultural works and tourism as well. Here we also meet Falassarna (5km) one of the most popular beaches in Greece, famous about its transparent waters and the beautiful sunset. The village of Platanos provides a lot of facilities, infirmary, gas stations, many shops, rental apartments and taverns. Platanos combines the traditional with the modern life, while in the last years there has been a population increase. Many of the locals occupy professionally themselves in Falassarna because of the tourism development in these parts.
Sfinari
The journey to Sfinari through the steep mountains and view to the sea will be unforgettable. You will reach this small sea-village after 17km from Kissamos. Sfinari combines perfectly the mountain and sea view. Along the coast you will find many taverns with traditional food and many rental apartments and rooms.
Kaliviani
Kaliviani is a small traditional village, 7km from Kissamos. The church and the small cafes located to the villages square compose a picturesque image that impresses visitors.
Here you will find some of the most remarkable restaurants & taverns in the region of Kissamos, while through Kaliviani is possible for someone to drive with the car to the point where the path to the beach of Balos begins.
Around 1 km north of the village you will find a big enough beach with soft sand which is almost always empty. There you will be led by a smooth dirt road. The village is not touristic developed but has preserved its traditional character even being a few kilometers from Kissamos and the lagoon of Balos which attracts a big number of tourists during the summer season.
Drapanias
Drapanias is a coastal village that started developing in the sector of tourism in the last years, it has an organized and a very good beach for swimming.
There you will meet many cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy your food or drink with view to the sea.
In Drapanias there is also located the Venetian Trevizan villa. It’s one of the 120 feudal residences of Venetian and Cretan origin which exist in many places along Crete. It is a building from Renaissance age of high architecture and its composition has been influenced by local elements and the islands tradition. Although the villa is in a ruined state while the middle floor and the roof have fallen, it remains sturdy through the ages and quite imposing.
