Art & Culture

The Guardians of Souda — Exhibition at the Koules of Aptera

Archive material on the three castles guarding Souda Bay, inside the reopened Ottoman fort. Closed Tuesdays.

The Koules is the squat Ottoman fort on the headland above Souda Bay, twelve kilometres east of Chania at Palaiokastro, a few minutes from Megala Chorafia and the ruins of ancient Aptera. It has only recently been opened to the public again, and the Municipality of Chania has filled its interior with an archive exhibition on the three castles that between them controlled this bay, and on the long history of the area around them. Go for the exhibition, stay for the position: the walk up gives you the whole bay laid out below, and it is one of the best free views in the region. Combine it with the Aptera archaeological site in the same trip. Open daily except Tuesday, 09:00 to 20:30, and it closes at the end of August.