landmark
Old Town of Chania
Crete's most beautiful town with a stunning Venetian harbor, a lighthouse, and Ottoman and Venetian architecture layered across centuries.
6 km · about 10 min drive
Crete, Greece · Europe
Soúda works well as a base: 10 minutes from Chaniá, 26km from Samaria Gorge.
Soúda is a town located in Crete, Greece. With a population of 6,729, it is an important destination in Europe.
On a road trip, Soúda sits in Greece, where you drive on the right. It's in the Europe/Athens time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Soúda to your route.
Souda (Greek: Σούδα) is a town and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chania, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 22.007 km2 (8.497 sq mi). It is an important ferry and naval port at theRead more
head of Souda Bay.
Souda is 6.5 kilometres (4.0 miles) to the east of central Chania, although the area in between is mostly built-up. The town is a relatively new settlement, built on what used to be salt beds and marshland. The Turks knew the area as 'Tuzla', their name for salt-beds. In the 1870s, they began to build a new settlement here which grew as the port expanded. Souda Bay is one of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean and is easy to defend.
Now Souda is the arrival point for ferries from Piraeus. There is also a naval base located in Souda and across the bay, for NATO, with military accommodation and hospital in the town. Much of the command, particularly for US forces, is found across the bay on the Akrotiri. A grain silo overshadows the centre of town. Perhaps because of its nature as a working port and military town, it is not popular with tourists and can appear seedy, however, the central square was upgraded in 2020. It is well-served with shops of all types and some renowned fish restaurants in the old centre.
The Allied War Cemetery, mostly of soldiers from World War II, is found in Souda on the shore. There are 1,527 graves, mostly British with 447 New Zealanders and 197 Australians. Buried in the cemetery is the archaeologist John Pendlebury. Pendlebury was the curator at Knossos for the British School in Athens and had been continuing excavations in Crete until the war. He was executed by the Germans in 1941 whilst working for British Intelligence.
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Soúda offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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Soúda is located in Crete, Greece, Europe. The coordinates are 35.4872 latitude, 24.0734 longitude.
Soúda has a population of approximately 6,729 people, making it a town in Greece.
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Essential numbers in Greece
Tourist police (English-speaking): 171.
Full driving guide for Greece8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Crete's most beautiful town with a stunning Venetian harbor, a lighthouse, and Ottoman and Venetian architecture layered across centuries.
6 km · about 10 min drive
landmark
A Venetian lighthouse, waterfront tavernas and an Ottoman mosque ring Crete's prettiest old port.
6 km · about 10 min drive
natural wonder
Europe's longest gorge at 16 km on Crete, a dramatic hike through towering walls down to the Libyan Sea.
26 km · about 30 min drive
bridge
Vertigo-inducing steel Bailey bridge spanning the 138 m deep Aradena Gorge in Sfakia, southern Crete: planks rattle as you cross, and it doubles as one of Greece's highest bungee-jump sites.
29 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
A beautifully preserved Cretan old town with a Venetian harbor, Ottoman mosques, and the massive Fortezza fortress overlooking the sea.
38 km · about 45 min drive
beach
A stunning shallow turquoise lagoon on Crete's northwestern tip where pink-white sand meets three shades of blue water.
45 km · about 50 min drive
famous road
Cliff-hugging Cretan road descending through the Kourtaliotiko Gorge toward Preveli, with vultures wheeling overhead, springs in the canyon floor and Libyan Sea views at the exit.
47 km · about 55 min drive
beach
A dramatic Cretan beach where a palm-lined river meets the Libyan Sea below a gorge, creating an almost tropical setting.
52 km · about 60 min drive
April to October
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