Frangokastello is the name of a village, beach and castle on the Greek Island of Crete: basically, a package deal of a day trip with so much in one spot for anyone who has found a vacation rental in Crete!
Located in a small valley south of the White Mountains, 80km south-east of Chania, this little bay is gorgeous. The beach is extensive and sheltered made up of a gently shelving sandy beach beach of soft white sand and shallow turquoise waters. An ideal spot for kids and families to play around on, it is popular and busy in July and August, as one might imagine, but is still worth a visit. Other beaches are located nearby so, if it is too busy for you, you can head to the long pebble beach of Vatalos for snorkelling or the magnificent Orthi Ammos with its large sand dunes.
Located in a small valley south of the White Mountains, 80km south-east of Chania, this little bay is gorgeous. The beach is extensive and sheltered made up of a gently shelving sandy beach beach of soft white sand and shallow turquoise waters. An ideal spot for kids and families to play around on, it is popular and busy in July and August, as one might imagine, but is still worth a visit. Other beaches are located nearby so, if it is too busy for you, you can head to the long pebble beach of Vatalos for snorkelling or the magnificent Orthi Ammos with its large sand dunes.
Exploration of the castle for which Frangokastello is a must. Well preserved, the castle was built by the Venetians, who ruled the area at the time, in 1371-74. It was constructed as a garrison in order to keep the rebellious Sfakia region in check, to deter pirates from attacking the coast, and to protect Venetian nobles. White the Venetians officially named it the Castle of St Nikitas after a nearby church, it was dubbed the Frangokastello by locals, meaning the “Castle of the Franks” (i.e. Catholic foreigners). It was this latter name that stuck to this day.
In line with the horrors that happened in the area under this foreign reign, the castle is said to be haunted by ghosts of fallen warriors who died there in 1828. However, these ghosts, the Drosoulites, who appear at dawn each May are actually a type of mirage that appear in areas with extensive bare soil areas which have become overheated by the sun. The spooky effect remains hauntingly beautiful and fascinating, however, no matter their origin.
So much to see in one spot and just another reason into the pile to plan a visit to Greece and Crete!
In line with the horrors that happened in the area under this foreign reign, the castle is said to be haunted by ghosts of fallen warriors who died there in 1828. However, these ghosts, the Drosoulites, who appear at dawn each May are actually a type of mirage that appear in areas with extensive bare soil areas which have become overheated by the sun. The spooky effect remains hauntingly beautiful and fascinating, however, no matter their origin.
So much to see in one spot and just another reason into the pile to plan a visit to Greece and Crete!
Photo credit: Marc Ryckaert / CC BY 3.0