Travel Guide Agia Roumeli

Agia Roumeli is the gateway to the Samaria Gorge. There is no other access than the sea or the E4 hiking trail that passes through there to reach it. During the day, the village waits peacefully for the arrival of the first hikers, breathless, who fill little by little the numerous bars and taverns until the departure of the ferries to Hora Sfakion, Sougia and Paleohora. Once these tired hordes have left, Agia Roumeli falls back into its tranquility, not to say lethargy. The inhabitants of the old Agia Roumeli left it in 1954 when the flooded river destroyed most of the houses. The new village was gradually rebuilt closer to the sea front. The only sight to be seen in the village itself is the Byzantine chapel of Agios Pavlos, where, it is said, St. Paul came to land during his journey.An interesting option is to sleep in Agia Roumeli, to enjoy its quiet atmosphere with the feeling of being suddenly isolated from the world before going up the Samaria Gorge instead of down. This offers the advantage of being able to enjoy the most beautiful part of the gorge, upwards, almost solo.