Paleochora and Sougia

This is the West beach, this photo was taken on Dec 30th 2018 when it was a very pleasant 22 degrees

The town is set on the end of a peninsular and is famous for having two very distinctive coasts, one is very rocky and faces east the other one has a huge, beautiful sandy beach, both beachfronts are lined with restaurants and bars.

One of the many restaurants on the west beach front

In Greek, Paleochora means ‘ancient city’ (palia = ancient, and chora=city). It is not a city by today’s definition but it is a popular holiday destination in its own right and there are many, many hotels, restaurants and BnB’s, a museum, art gallery, lots of tourist shops, a few supermarkets, cafes and cash tills (just in case you fall for a piece of art, jewellery, clothes or some must have nik-na, as I do every time I go there!)

My favourite jewellery store even has seats outside so you can take a rest and watch the world go by

Paleochora famed for being a haven for artists and ex-hippies and holds some really lovely art festivals during the high season. So it’s good for a little retail therapy as well as sunbathing. The cafe / bakery at the end of the harbour / pier on east beach does amazing ice-creams and I would highly recommend the fresh baked bread and cakes here. It’s also a great place to sit and people watch.

Another restaurant, only this time on the east beach which is actually all boulders no sand on this side

There is the remains of a fortress built in 1282 which was, after many battles, destroyed in 1539 by the famous pirates Barbarossa. You may be familiar with Captain Barbarossa from the film Pirates of the Caribbean but the Barbarossa brothers were actual ruthless pirates who caused havoc in the Mediterranean in the late 16th Century. It’s poetic licence of the film director to move them to the Caribbean!

This sculpture on the beach front was created by a local artist, it celebrates all the tourists who visit the town. Why they’re wearing pith helmets and arriving on a donkey I don’t know!

Sougia

To make a day of it you could also go to Sougia. To get there you’ll have to leave the peninsular and go back towards the hills, taking a right hand turn before making your way down the hillside to Sougia (would probably take you 30 mins to get there from Paleochora). Sougia is much, much smaller and is basically just a beach front village with lots of restaurants and bars along with a number of hotels and BnB’s. Again, it’s a specific holiday location in itself.