Agia Galini
Αγία Γαλήνη
A white hillside town on Messara Bay on the south coast. Its tiers of houses face a small harbor and the Libyan Sea, and at dusk the harbor restaurants are ideal for watching the sunset. It is a popular base for holidays and boat trips on the south coast.
Agia Galini was once a small fishing harbor and is now one of the most popular holiday towns on the south coast. Hotels, restaurants and bars line the steep slopes overlooking the small harbor. East of town is a beach, and in summer you can take boats from the harbor to beaches such as Agios Pavlos and Preveli, or go dolphin watching. The Phaistos Palace archaeological site and Matala, in the Heraklion region, are about 20 to 30 minutes' drive away, so the town is often used as a hub for driving tours of the south coast. It is about 60 km from Rethymno, roughly 1 hour by car, and KTEL buses also run there. The town has many steep stairways, so if you have a lot of luggage, consider where you stay.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Agios Pavlos Beach
- Triopetra Beach
- Spili
- Preveli Beach
- Kato Preveli Monastery
- Preveli Monastery
- Kourtaliotiko Gorge
- Schinaria Beach