Day trips3 min readBest May – October

A day in Paleochora: the castle, two bays and the boat back

Sougia’s nearest town is 45 minutes away by sea. Go for the Venetian castle and the beaches, stay for a long lunch, and sail home in the afternoon.

By Petra & Stavros, who are building AVYSSOS in Sougia

Clear water off the seafront of Paleochora, with tavernas and the mountains behind

Sougia is a village. Paleochora, along the coast to the west, is a small town: two bays, a harbour, a castle on the headland and streets of shops and tavernas. It is also where you find what Sougia does not have, a pharmacy, a petrol station and car rentals.

Getting there

In season the coastal ferry runs between Sougia and Paleochora in about 45 minutes, usually once a day and only when the sea allows. By car it is about 32 km over the hills, 45 minutes to an hour. Or walk it: the E4 runs from Sougia over the headland to Lissos and on along the coast to Paleochora, about 15 km and six to seven hours, with a swim at Lissos on the way. Walk there and take the boat back.

Read: Lissos: the walk, the theatre, the boat back

A stone dolphin and sea turtle carved with the name ΠΑΛΑΙΟΧΩΡΑ on the seafront promenade — *the stone dolphin on the seafront*Paleochora

The castle

On the headland above the harbour stand the remains of Castel Selino, built by the Venetian general Marino Gradenigo in 1278. It gave its name to the whole province, Selino, which still includes Sougia. The pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa destroyed it in 1539. Little of it survives, but the walk up is short, and the view over both bays is the reason to go.

Two bays

Paleochora sits on a narrow peninsula between two beaches. Pachia Ammos, on the west side, is long and sandy and faces the sunset. Halikia, on the east, is a smaller pebble beach. They are a few minutes’ walk apart, so you can choose by the wind.

The sandy bay of Pachia Ammos in late afternoon light, seen from the rocks — *Pachia Ammos, late afternoon*Paleochora

Further on

Paleochora is also the start of the boats to the island of Gavdos, about two to three hours away, and the closest town to Elafonisi, about an hour by road. A few kilometres east lies Gialiskari, a beach of small coves.

Check the ferry times the evening before. If the sea is rough, the boat may not run, and the road back takes about an hour.

Questions walkers ask

How do you get from Sougia to Paleochora?

By ferry in season, about 45 minutes; by car, about 32 km; or on foot along the E4 via Lissos, about 15 km and six to seven hours.

Is there a pharmacy in Paleochora?

Yes. Sougia has none; the nearest are in Paleochora and Kandanos.

Sources

Last checked October 2026. Times, prices and opening seasons change. Please check before you travel.