©
Souda trip planner
Create a fully customized
day-by-day itinerary for free
Souda
Souda is a town and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chania, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 22.007km2. It is an important ferry and naval port at the head of Souda Bay.Souda is 6.5km to the east of central Chania, although the area in between is mostly built-up. The town is a relatively new settlement, built on what used to be salt beds and marshland. The Turks knew the area as 'Tuzla', their name for salt-beds. In the 1870s, they began to build a new settlement here which grew as the port expanded. Souda Bay is one of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean and is easy to defend.Now Souda is the arrival point for ferries from Piraeus. There is also a naval base located in Souda and across the bay, for NATO, with military accommodation and hospital in the town. Much of the command, particularly for US forces, is found across the bay on the Akrotiri. A grain silo overshadows the centre of town. Perhaps because of its nature as a departure point and military town, it is not popular with tourists and can appear seedy and threatening. However it is well-served with shops of all types and some renowned fish restaurants in the old centre. The Allied war cemetery, mostly of soldiers from World War II, is found in Souda on the shore. There are 1,527 graves, mostly British with 447 New Zealanders and 197 Australians. Buried in the cemetery is the archaeologist John Pendlebury. Pendlebury was the curator at Knossos for the British School in Athens and had been continuing excavations in Crete until the war. He was executed by the Germans in 1941 whilst working for British Intelligence.Souda is in Chania Prefecture. Use our custom trip planner: Souda and all its delights await.
Source
Create a full itinerary — for free!
-
Build a plan
Tell us where and when you
want to go, we will build
the best sightseeing itinerary -
Refine it
You have complete flexibility on your destinations and itinerary -
Book as a package
Use our travel agents to get
package savings and hassle free booking -
Enjoy your trip!
Enjoy our 24x7
on-trip assistance
Popular things to do in Souda
Side trips from Souda
Featured attractions
Places to visit with Souda
Recently planned trips to Souda
3 days in Souda
BY A USER FROM ISRAEL
October, popular sights
PREFERENCES: October
ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights
PACE: Medium
1 day in Souda
BY A USER FROM CANADA
October, popular sights
PREFERENCES: October
ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights
PACE: Medium
4 days in Souda
BY A USER FROM TURKEY
September, popular sights
PREFERENCES: September
ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights
PACE: Medium
12 days in Ireland & Crete
BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES
November, popular sights
PREFERENCES: November
ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights
PACE: Medium
15 days in Souda
BY A USER FROM IRELAND
July, outdoors, beaches, shopping, popular sights
PREFERENCES: July, outdoors, beaches, shopping
ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights
PACE: Medium
5 days in Crete
BY A USER FROM POLAND
May, culture, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, popular sights
PREFERENCES: May, culture, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums
ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular sights
PACE: Medium
View more plans