Route information
Distance
79 km
Estimated duration
1h 50min
Difficulty level
Easy
Route type
Road
Route Category
Linear
- 01
Chania
From the city of Chania.
For information regarding accessibility at points of interest, we recommend you contact the local municipalities and museums by telephone before your arrival. - 02
Allied War Cemetery of Souda Bay
Travel towards Souda and the Allied War Cemetery of Souda Bay, a place of honour and memory for British, Australian, New Zealander, and other Commonwealth soldiers who fell at the Battle of Crete and in Second World War operations during the collective struggle for freedom.
For information regarding accessibility at points of interest, we recommend you contact the local municipalities and museums by telephone before your arrival. - 03
Anti-aircraft Gun Emplacement
Continue east, heading to Kokkino Chorio. During the Occupation, the area was systematically fortified with lookouts, gun emplacements, caches, and bunkers that were part of the broader defence system protecting the Souda naval base. The surviving Anti-aircraft Gun Emplacement is proof of the importance the occupying forces placed on controlling the bay.
Nearby, inside the excavated rock, you will see the German Bunker of Kokkino Chorio. Observe the layout of the spaces and stand before the memorial column next to the entrance, with the names of the war victims. - 04
German Bunker of Platanias
A unique example of a preserved fortification work of the Occupation in Crete that has been converted into a museum is the German Bunker of Platanias, beneath the Church of Agios Dimitrios. Tour the 170-metre-long galleries and tunnels, and observe the structure of the spaces and the engraved names and symbols of German soldiers, further proof of the strategic importance of Crete during the Second World War.
For information regarding accessibility at points of interest, we recommend you contact the local municipalities and museums by telephone before your arrival.
- 05
German Military Cemetery in Maleme
Also visit the German Military Cemetery in Maleme, the burial site of approximately 4,500 German soldiers killed in the Battle of Crete, which currently functions as a place of reconciliation and historical memory.
For information regarding accessibility at points of interest, we recommend you contact the local municipalities and museums by telephone before your arrival.
- 06
The Historic Tavronitis River Bridge
Complete this thematic route through the island's military history with a stop at the Historic Tavronitis River Bridge. You will be transported to the field of the fierce clashes that took place here during the Battle of Crete in May 1941, as the defending Greeks and their Allies tried to prevent the Germans from approaching Maleme Airport.
For information regarding accessibility at points of interest, we recommend you contact the local municipalities and museums by telephone before your arrival.
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