74 km. south of Chania, an unusual village built in a rocky, barren area, difficult to reach whether by sea or overland. To get there one crosses the Askifou mountains and the Nimbros gorge. Sqeezed between the sea and the mountains, HORA SFAKION (often knowh simply as Hora) couldn't grow even if it wanted to .Neverthless it's a surprise to find the capital of sfakia quite so small.It is too, a thoroughly commercial centre these days: restaurants cram the seafront promenade between the square where the buses stop and the pier where the boats dock, and every house in town seems to display a large "rooms" sign. Althought it is cheap and pleasant enough if you do decide to stay, and relatively quiet by the end of the day the beach is small and pebbly and there is little else to distract you.

Supposedly, Hora Sfakion once had as many as a hundred churches and chapels, built for one reason or another by devout Sfakiots, but few survived the wartime bombardments.There are a couple of ancient-looking examples on the road as you curve down into Hora Sfakion, but all seem permanently locked.As for other monuments, a plaque on the waterfront, between the restaurants, commemorates the Dunkirk-style wartime evacuation when some ten thousant men were taken off the island: almost as many were left behind to the bombed as they waited to be taken prisoner or to escape as best they could.Many of the inhabitants who aided the operation were later dealt with brutally by Germans execution squads. A memorial opposite rooms Panorama on the bend above the town commemorates their bravery, as is the custom here, the skulls of the dead are visible behind a window in the monument's base.

If  you have time to kill you're probably best off getting out to sweetwater beach an hour along the coast path west (or accecible by twice daily boat), or to Frangokastello 14 km east.The coast road to the east runs some way from the sea through a series of small, little visited villages: Komitades has a couple of tavernas and even a few rooms, but Vraskas and Vouvas can offer no more than a kafenion (small cafe) and a general store each.It's also possible to visit the cave of Daskalogianis one of the several large caves in the cliffs to the west of Hora Sfakion. Always a hideout in times of trouble, this was where the rebel leader set up a mint to prduce revolutionary coinage. The tourist office will provide directions on how to reach it, and also has information about local boats which can take you there if you don't fancy the hike.