ancient aptera

leonab440

Crete has many amazing ruins to visit and Ancient Aptera is one to put on your list. It is a short drive from Chania, Kalyves or Almyrida. The ruins are well preserved, particularly the Roman cisterns. The site is expanding as new ruins are being uncovered so not everything was open yet when I visited. Don't forget to drive over to the Roman fortress also while you are there. As others have mentioned, there is no food on site but there is a great taverna in modern Aptera as you are heading towards the highway. Excellent food and ambience!

803taxim

continue after aptera to the villages around kyriakoselia is one of the oldest church more 1000 years old and go for swimming at almirida.

Jerry201358134

Just a short drive from Chania city, 15 minutes, Attraction does not have drinks or snacks on site, so bring your own basket.Very scenic views of the valley and the port entrance area, and much historical for the Roman era of fortresses and building layouts

grangrimorio

Maybe it just a matter of expectations built on previous reviews ,but I found this site pretty boring. Crete has other gems in its territory.

gavalo

if you are in the apokoronas, don't mis this. huge roman cisterns, stunning vieuw and don't forget a visit in the fort.

gregoryw325

Closed on the day of the week we chose to go, so check their web site. We still got to walk around and experience the atmosphere. Pretty cool place. Kind of a drive and nothing around to eat or drink, so bring snacks.

354kathc

We made a brief stop at Aptera overlooking the bay of Souda. This is the site of centuries of human use, layer upon layer of civilizations. There is not a lot to see in terms of buildings or human relics (there is a castle of sorts and other ancient bits and pieces) but the view from the summit is breathtaking and fabulous. It gives a wonderful sense of this end of Crete and is worth the drive up the hill (which is actually an interesting drive in and of itself). Very quiet and open, one can wander and contemplate the many people, the struggles, and the joys that have come and gone over the millennia. It might be a challenging place for a person with mobility issues, and if you have small children you will want to keep them away from the edges. A good way to start an exploration of Western Crete.

jayw23

Learnt so much about the history of Crete. Site was untouched and easy to walk round. closed Mondays

Rhandolph

An excellent place just to wander round, a site that spans over 2000 years of history. You can wander through an old bathhouse and paths where pieces of ancient pillars and structures dot the dusty landscape. The Roman water store is epic, a vast, pillared, mostly subterranean chamber. The renaissance and later era buildings are mainly intact. Just up the road is also the remains of a couple of German machine gun nests. A great place for anyone interested in the Islands history.

W6185UGandreask

amazing views of surrounding scenery and the sea around Suda bay, like much of Kreta, the island offers combination of mountain and sea places.

MarcM561

They did a lot of restauration but more need to be done. Fantastic views over the valley and if you are prepared to climb a lot, you find more.

keithh553

This is a big site with most of the city lying unexcavated in nearby olive groves. The city was originally Greek and was later taken over by the Romans. There are impressive remains of massive Roman water cisterns. The biggest public buildings are the bath houses. As you climb the hill towards the site you pass the main gateway to the city where tombs were also found. At the time of writing the theatre was not open to the public. As you enter the site head first for the restored monastery building where there is a display of photographs which give information about the excavations and finds. You can also pick up an information leaflet. Note that the site is closed on Mondays.Near to the site is a restored Turkish fort and the bases of German gun emplacements from World War II. Three kilometers from Aptera on the road to Stilos a small Minoan settlement has been excavated which includes an impressive tholos tomb.

PamSco

Excellent site good information boards (in Greek and English) due to it's layout you get a good sense of what it was like when it was an active city. Good little poster display giveing archeological background. Shame the theatre wasn't accessable. The site is exposed and no refreshments available so if you are visiting in the height of summer take water.

586JaneM

Came across this by accident, but worth the trip a huge ancient city (BC) and well preserved. Bit uneven underfoot in places

623jakey

The ruins here are absolutely wonderful, from the Roman cisterns to the marvellous amphitheatre. Give yourself a few hours to walk around the site as it is spread out a bit and take some water and a hat if going in the afternoon, there are not many places to find shade here. Take some time walking around the edges of the site and you will see broken tiles and pottery dating back thousands of years, just lying at your feet.