Tour of Crete: Loutro

Loutro is a small picturesque fishing village in the south west of Crete. Located approximately 74 km. south of Chania, there is no road access, so if you wish to visit the village, you will have to make the journey, either by boat, or on foot. Due to this, Loutro, unlike some other resorts on Crete, has managed to avoid being overrun by the more unfortunate effects of mass tourism.

To provide visitors basic needs, there are a couple of shops and a small kiosk, but very little else. There are a number of good tavernas directly on the sea front, but except for a couple of bars, there is very little in the way of nightlife. The majority of buildings are hotels or rooms for rent, plus a few studio apartments. Generally you can just turn up, and accommodation will be easy to find, although weekends during the summer can get comparatively crowded, and during these times, rooms can be much harder to find.

The sea is very clear in the sheltered bay, but the beach is a cramped and narrow made up of coarse sand and pebbles, located in the middle of the village, it is almost entirely covered with sun beds and umbrellas. There are better beaches within about an hours walk. To the east can be found Sweet Water beach, and to the west, Marmara beach. During the high season, it is possible to get a boat to both of these beaches.

Today the village of Loutro has become increasingly popular as a holiday destination for other Cretans in their attempt to escape the crowded and noisy northern resorts of the island. Loutro is their secret holiday hideaway, not as yet discovered by the average tourist. The non Cretan tourists that have visited Loutro, most likely first saw the village while on the ferry travelling between Agia Roumeli and Sfakia, when on a visit to, or from, the Samaria Gorge, and having "discovered" it, decided that it was a place they just had to visit.

Loutro is a pretty place, and a good choice for those that want a quiet, relaxing holiday. The surrounding area is spectacular, and an ideal destination for those who enjoy long walks. A walk not for the faint hearted, is the very steep path which leads up from Loutro to the village of Anopolis, which is famous as the site of Daskalogiannis rebellion against the Turks.