Things to do in Frangokastello

Frangokastello is a squat Venetian fort built in 1371 on a flat, empty stretch of the Libyan Sea coast, roughly an hour past Chora Sfakion and well off the main road network of the south-west. There is no old town around it and no cluster of sights nearby, just the fort, a sandy beach and a scatter of rooms.

Most visitors combine it with the Imbros gorge, a 40-45 minute drive north through the mountains: about 8 km and 2-3 hours on foot, open roughly May to October like every gorge on the island, and a shorter, less regimented walk than the Samaria gorge, with no fixed boat departure at the end.

The KTEL barely reaches this coast, so a rental car is close to essential.