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Agia Roumeli (Αγία Ρουμέλη) is a village in southwest Crete. It’s best known as the southern gateway to the Samaria Gorge.
Introduction to Agia Roumeli
Most people pass through Agia Roumeli after hiking the Samaria Gorge and don’t spend a great deal of time there. They finish the hike, have lunch, maybe swim in the sea, and catch the next ferry out. It was quite a different experience for me. I had to spend two nights there thanks to heavy winds. It ended up being one of the best experiences on my entire trip and a special place that I’ll always fondly remember.
History of Agia Roumeli
Agia Roumeli is near the location of ancient Tarrha, which was a small city near the mouth of the Samaria Gorge. It was a wealthy city founded in the late 8th or early 7th century BC. The city was probably a major stop along trade routes between Alexandria and other ports in Europe. Tarrha was abandoned by the 3rd or 4th century and was rediscovered in the 19th century by R. Pashley. The site was excavated by Gladys Weinberg in 1959 and again in 1970. Findings included graves with offerings, fragments of glass from a glass factory, and the foundations of a fortification.
During the Venetian period, the area was used as a shipyard, and in the 16th century the name Santa Rumeli first appeared. After the Ottomans occupied Crete, locals began to use the Samaria Gorge as a refuge. Cretan freedom fighters settled there in September 1866 with the intention of launching a revolution there, but the Ottomans occupied the village and the plan was abandoned. The Cretans retook Agia Roumeli in January 1867 but abandoned it again in December 1867 after an attack by Ottoman ships.
During World War II and the Axis occupation of Greece, Cretan guerrillas launched attacks against German soldiers from the village. The old village, which was at the mouth of the Samaria Gorge, was abandoned starting in 1954 due to flooding. The village was moved to its current location. Since then, villagers have made a living off agriculture and more recently tourism.
Getting to Agia Roumeli
Agia Roumeli is only accessible by sea or on foot through the Samaria Gorge. ANENDYK runs ferries from Paleohora via Sougia and Chora Sfakion via Loutro. Their ticket office is in the center of town near the pier. Service is daily from April through October, and a few times a day starting in May. There’s very limited service during the winter. Late afternoon ferries are typically full of hikers who completed the Samaria Gorge hike. Keep in mind the ferries will be cancelled in case of severe weather, which I experience personally.
What to Do in Agia Roumeli
To be honest, there’s not much to see or do in Agia Roumeli, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s a sleepy village that you’ll probably have to yourself during most of the day. You can lay on the beach, take a dip in the Libyan Sea, or just relax and listen to the silence.
The village springs to life when the hikers start coming through the Samaria Gorge. When they leave on the ferry, the peace and charm return and you can sit and listen to the waves crashing onto the beach.
Byzantine Church and Ottoman Fortress
Near the village is a Byzantine church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was built on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to Apollo and Artemis.
A trail from the church takes you high above the village to an 18th century Ottoman fortress. There’s a small Ottoman outpost further up into the forest. I didn’t walk up, but supposedly it only takes about 20 or 30 minutes to reach it.
World War II Memorial
Near the old settlement on the way to the Samaria Gorge is a memorial dedicated to six men arrested by the Nazis and shipped to the Mauthausen concentration camp in February 1944. The men were captured where the memorial stands and were never seen again.
Hiking Trails
There are a few excellent hikes in the area other than the Samaria Gorge. One is a coastal route to Agios Pavlos, Loutro, and Hora Sfakion. It’s a fairly easy walk that takes about four hours to Loutro and another three hours to Hora Sfakion. You can take the ferry back to Agia Roumeli from either village. Another route is a three-hour walk to Agios Ioannis, which is arguably the most beautiful coastal walk in Crete. Ask the locals for information on these hikes.
Where to Stay in Agia Roumeli
With numerous small hotels and guesthouses, there are plenty of places to choose from in Agia Roumeli.
Hotel Calypso
We couldn’t have been happier with our two-night stay at Calypso. This small family-run hotel exudes Cretan hospitality with a wonderful staff we enjoyed getting to know. Whether you’re just passing through or stuck overnight, I highly recommend staying there.
The simple yet clean and comfortable rooms feature air conditioning, refrigerators, balconies, and Wi-Fi. Rates are fair. We also had all of our meals at the restaurant on the ground floor.
Where to Eat in Agia Roumeli
Just like the accommodation, there are plenty of choices on where to eat in the village.
Calypso Restaurant
We were more than happy eating all of our meals – two dinners, two breakfasts, and a lunch – at Calypso. The food is delicious and they use many ingredients from their garden. Calypso is a great place to grab lunch after a long hike through the Samaria Gorge, or for your other meals on longer stays in Agia Roumeli.
For my first dinner, I had the stuffed tomatoes and peppers along with a Greek salad and lentil soup. On the second night I had the spaghetti with meat sauce. Both meals were great.
For my only lunch, I had the pork souvlaki. It was served with a heaping side of fries. It was a perfect way to quench my hunger.
My breakfasts were the spanakopita on the first morning and the Sfakiani pita on the second morning. The Sfakiani pita is a traditional cheese pie originating from Hora Sfakion, also known as Sfakia. It’s topped with a generous amount of honey.
My Experience at Agia Roumeli
I wasn’t supposed to stay more than an hour or two in Agia Roumeli. To make a long story short, two people I was leading on a tour in Greece had a lot of trouble completing the Samara Gorge hike. One had slipped and injured her foot about a half hour into the hike and was in a lot of pain near the end. The other was simply exhausted.
I ran ahead to try and make arrangements for a private boat in case we missed the ferry, which we did, but was unsuccessful. With strong winds and waves, the Hellenic Coast Guard shut down all ferries and private boats for the night. I wasn’t sure when we would be able to leave.
Meeting Our Hosts
I walked back to the Samaria Gorge exit to wait for the rest of the group. They ended up taking a couple hours extra to complete the hike. When they came out, I let them know the situation and we started walking to Hotel Calypso.
All of a sudden, a white van appears out of nowhere and a man tells us to get in. It turns out that it was the owner of the hotel and he wanted us to avoid the nearly three kilometer walk into town. We gladly accepted and were at the hotel in just a few minutes.
After getting settled in our rooms, we had dinner and tried to see if a private boat owner was willing to take us to Sougia in the morning. The next day, we had originally planned to drive from Chania to Elafonisi, one of the most popular beaches on Crete, then make the long drive in the afternoon to our accommodation in Vlahiana. We also had to check out of our hotels in Chania. Obviously, if we could get back we’d skip the beach and head straight for Vlahiana. Our host said we would have to wait until morning but he would keep calling to see if the Coast Guard gave the green light.
The First Morning
In the morning, I woke up and met the rest of the group for breakfast. The wind had actually gotten worse overnight and the waves were bigger. The hosts told us not to worry, relax, and enjoy the village. They would continue to monitor the situation, but we weren’t going anywhere until at least the afternoon. There was a slight possibility the ferries would run.
In the meantime, I got in touch with both hotels in Chania and the hotel in Vlahiana. For Chania, I gave permission to the hotel to clear out my room so his next guests could occupy it that evening. Thankfully, I had everything packed up before I left for the Samaria Gorge and it wasn’t a mess. The others, however, had to pay an extra night at their accommodation because everything was unpacked. As far as Vlahiana, I told the accommodation there was a strong possibility we wouldn’t make it until the next day and he was ok with it.
After taking care of business, I went out for a long walk and to enjoy some of the peace and quiet.
The Rest of the Day
When I came back, I had lunch and a few beers with the rest of the group. As we were sitting in the restaurant, the owner returned to the hotel with buckets of zucchini flowers from his garden. He was preparing them for that evening’s dinner and gladly gave us a demonstration on how. We had a nice chat with him and sat around for the rest of the afternoon.
Unfortunately for us, the wind never died down and the ferry wasn’t going to run. As soon as I found out, I contacted our private guide for Knossos to let him know we wouldn’t be there at 8am as originally planned and a winery to cancel our noon wine tasting. The guide told me to keep him posted because he might have an opening in the evening (which he did).
After dinner, we sat around and listened to the owner’s son and another local musician play traditional Cretan music.
The Next Morning
On our second morning at Hotel Calypso, we woke up and the owner’s son excitedly gave us the good news. We had a one-hour window of the winds dying down and he arranged for a private boat to take us to Sougia. We quickly had breakfast and settled our bills. As we saw the boat coming around the cape, we thanked everyone at Hotel Calypso and said goodbye, hoping to meet again in the future.
They escorted us to the pier and helped us get on the boat. It was still very choppy and the boat was swaying in the waves. We said goodbye again and were on our way to Sougia. Everyone in the group stayed quiet and took in the beautiful scenery along the way.
When we arrived in Sougia, we paid the captain and there was a minivan taxi waiting for us. He drove us back to Chania in about an hour. We then rushed back to our hotels, grabbed our stuff, and were on our way to the next adventure.
My Thoughts on Agia Roumeli
It’s strange. In the end, we were thrilled to be moving on to continue our trip but at the same time there was a sadness we had to leave. A place we felt stranded just 24 hours earlier became special literally overnight.
I honestly can’t explain why our experience in Agia Roumeli was so meaningful. There’s no one reason that sticks out. We weren’t supposed to be there more than a couple hours, but ended up spending over 40 hours there. It’s a beautiful little village and a throwback to simpler times, but that’s not enough.
Perhaps it was the warmth and hospitality of nearly everyone we met. They made us feel welcome and at home for the duration of our stay, and went above and beyond to help us when we were stranded. They really exemplified the concept of filotimo, which is unique to the Greek language and for which there is no simple translation:
Filotimo encompasses honor, self-sacrifice, duty, humility, and integrity. It refers to doing the honorable and right thing, even if it is not in your own interest.
