Best things to do in Agios Vasileios in 2024: Activities and Attractions
Agios Vasileios is an inland village in the Rethymno region of Crete, 7.9 km west of Spili. The village stands in the province of the same name, and Spili, 430 m up in the Kedros range, is the seat of the Agios Vasileios municipality. The name is also written Agios Vasilios and Ayios Vasilios.
Chania (CHQ) is the nearest airport to the village, while Rethymno is the nearest city and lies north. Agios Vasileios is walking country rather than beach country: the Kakoperatos canyon comes out beside the last houses, 2 more gorges lie within 6 km, and the beaches of the Plakias area start 8.2 km south.
Things to do in and around Agios Vasileios
Six outings lie within about 9 km of the village, listed below from nearest to furthest.
- Look into the Kakoperatos canyon. The exit sits 300 m east, beside the last houses of the village, and Kakoperatos holds 7 or 8 waterfalls with deep turquoise ponds below them. The name means “bad passage”, and going through it needs technical equipment.
- Climb to the Korakias peak sanctuary. The site stands 2.6 km south of the village, and Korakias is the nearest of the sights around it.
- Walk the Kotsifos Gorge. The route runs 1,800 m from Kannevos village down to Plakias, 5.5 km south-west, and Kotsifos starts about 10 m wide between walls that rise almost vertically. A small temple to Saint Nicholas sits in a cavity in the rock.
- See the Kourtaliotiko gorge and waterfall. The gorge lies 5.6 km south on the Megalos river, also called the Kourtaliotis, and Kourtaliotiko takes the water that the Kakoperatos stream feeds into it.
- Spend a morning in Spili. The mountain village 7.9 km east is built in tiers of stone houses on the slopes of Mount Vorizi, and Spili is known for its cold running water and its shaded square. About 800 people live there through the year.
- Drive down to Plakias. The resort 8.2 km south-west sits where the Kotsifos river meets the Libyan Sea below the Kouroupa range, and Plakias stays low-rise, with Cape Kako Mouri and Cape Stavros closing off its bay.
About the village and its setting
Agios Vasileios is a small inland settlement between Rethymno and the south coast, and it shares its name with the province around it. Spili, 7.9 km east, is the seat of that municipality, with about 800 residents, a shaded square and running spring water. Agios Konstantinos stands 9.6 km north-west, and the nearest shop and café to Agios Vasileios are 1.8 km south-west.
Water shapes the ground here. The Kakoperatos stream leaves its canyon at the edge of the village and runs into the Megalos river, known as the Kourtaliotis, which carves the Kourtaliotiko gorge 5.6 km south. West of the village the Kotsifos cuts its own gorge down to Plakias, and Moundros lies 8.7 km west. Three of those gorges sit within 6 km of the village.
Beaches near Agios Vasileios
Agios Vasileios has no beach of its own, and the 5 nearest lie between 8.2 km and 9.4 km south on the Libyan Sea. They belong to the Plakias area, which runs from the resort east past Lefkogia.
- Plakias lies 8.2 km south-west, 36 km south of Rethymno. Gialia beach runs 1.3 km east from the edge of town to Cape Mouri, with umbrellas, water sports, beach volley courts, snack bars, changing rooms and showers, and clear cool water.
- Damnoni sits 8.7 km south-west, 5 km east of Plakias. An organised sandy bay with coarse pale sand and turquoise water at the mouth of an olive-covered valley; the west end is busy and the east end quieter, with secluded coves beyond it.
- Ammoudi is 8.9 km south, on the paved road from Lefkogia and marked by its green slippery rock. White sand, rocky seabed and bright green water suit divers and snorkellers, there is a scuba centre, and tamarisk trees give shade.
- Skinaria lies 9.3 km south, 3 km below Lefkogia, also spelled Schinaria. Grey-beige sand, deep turquoise water and a rocky, marine-rich seabed make it one of the finest snorkelling and diving spots in the area. Freshwater springs feed ponds on the shore.
- Fotinari sits 9.4 km south-west, between Plakias and Souda beach. Two pebbly beaches share a compact green bay: Small Fotinari, or Fotinaraki, then Big Fotinari. Neither is organised, and the rocky seabed suits fishing and snorkelling.
Where to eat near Agios Vasileios
Eating near Agios Vasileios means the cafés and tavernas of the settlements around it, the nearest 1.8 km away. A dairy shop and a grill house sit 6 km south-west.
- Market-Cafe Tasoula stands 1.8 km south-west, shop and café in one.
- Takis Koxare Cafe sits 2.7 km south-east, a village kafeneio.
- Taverna Pirgos lies 3.1 km north-east.
- Taverna Mariou is 5.9 km south-west, on the way down to the coast.
Getting to Agios Vasileios
Reach Agios Vasileios on the inland roads that cross from Rethymno to the south coast, turning off near Spili 7.9 km east or coming up from Plakias 8.2 km south-west through the Kotsifos gorge. Rethymno lies north and Chania north-west, and Chania (CHQ) is the nearest airport.
A car is needed here. The beaches, the larger gorges and most of the tavernas sit several kilometres out on inland roads.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Agios Vasileios in Crete?
Agios Vasileios lies inland in the Rethymno region of Crete, 7.9 km west of Spili and north of the Plakias coast. The village sits in the province that carries the same name, south of Rethymno city.
Which Agios Vasilios is this?
This is the village in the Agios Vasilios province of the Rethymno region, at the exit of the Kakoperatos canyon. Several places in Crete carry the name, and a whole province does too. Spili, 7.9 km east, is the seat of its municipality.
Does Agios Vasileios have a beach?
Agios Vasileios is inland and has no beach, but 5 lie within 9.4 km on the south coast. Plakias, 8.2 km south-west, is the nearest, and Skinaria and Ammoudi to the south suit snorkelling.
Can you walk a gorge from Agios Vasileios?
Three gorges lie within 6 km, but the nearest is not a walk. Kakoperatos, which comes out at the village, needs canyoning equipment. Kotsifos, 5.5 km south-west, has a walkable upper section from Kanevos to the Bridge of Sellia that takes about an hour. Kourtaliotiko lies 5.6 km south.
Which airport is nearest to Agios Vasileios?
Chania (CHQ) is the nearest airport to Agios Vasileios. The approach runs inland from the north coast through Rethymno.
Where Agios Vasileios is
Best things to do in Agios Vasileios in 2024 is located at Agios Vasileios. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
