The picturesque, coastal Loutro village of the Sfakia province in the Chania prefecture is not related to the heavy tourism, the luxurious hotels and the endless clubbing at all. Loutro is 71 kilometers from Chania, in the eastern side of the Mouri Cape.
It is related to the ancient city of Phoinikas, the port of the ancient Anopolis city and the winter’s port of the ancient Sfakia city. A natural and safe from the weather conditions port is created due to its geographical position.
You can visit it either by walking or by the boats that set off every day from Sfakia, Agia Roumeli, Sougia, Paliochora and Gavdos. Apart from the wonderful and clean beaches, there are also rooms to let, taverns, cafeterias and a few mini markets in the settlement.
The small Tourkikos Koule near Loutro is worth visiting. The small church of Agia Aikaterini is there today. Koule was built in 1868 on a hill at the side of Anopolis. After hiking for a few meters, you reach the place where the ancient Anopolis city was. The round tower of Loutro is after a few meters.
The Aradena, Imvros and Samaria gorges are near the settlement. You can also visit the beautiful beaches of Perivolaki, Timios Stavros, Glika Nera and Marmara on foot. Two isolated settlements, Likos and Phoinikas, are in the west of Loutro and 900 meters and 700 meters (respectively) from Loutro. The easiest way to reach those settlements is by boat. There are taverns and rooms to let in both settlements. The Likos beach is rocky and Phoinikas is pebbly.
The organized beach is in front of the coastal Loutro settlement. It is pebbly and ideal for diving. There are rarely waves due to its position.
HISTORY
There are various archaeological findings in the area that prove that the place was inhabited from the ancient years.
The settlement played an important role during the Turkish Occupation.
PLACE NAME
The name of the village (“Loutro”= baths) came from the baths that were found in the area.