The village of Megala Chorafia is a small village not far from the sea and the beaches and around the corner from Chania. It is situated in a green and quiet area. In Megala Chorafia there are crossroads to several destinations in Crete. Allthough Megala Chorafia is only very small it has three nice taverns, a kafenion and a minimarket (that actually sells a lot, including vegetables and fruit and fresh bread, but also things like batteries). We tried two out of the three taverns and then heard later that the third one (the smallest one behind Cretan Corner and opposite the kafenion) is the best of the three. Megala Chorafia depends on the tourists that come to visit the old town of Aptera, which is very nearby, and the Turkish castle of Izzedine. When you enter the village after you have taken the exit that says "Megala Chorafia" the first sign you will see will say that you are in Aptera. This is confusing because you are not yet in Aptera. Aptera is yet a few kilometers away from where you are. You now find yourself in the village of Megala Chorafia.

15 Kilometers east of Chania are the remains of the old town of Aptera. This town has been inhabited since the bronze age. The antique town was destoyed by the Arabs in the 9th century. Archeologists found graves, temples and the remains of houses and fortifications from Hellenic, Roman and Byzantine times. From the town there is a spectacular view over the Bay of Souda end the Turkish fortress of Izzedine. The wide city walls of Aptera are quite impressive. Aptera is the largest Roman site on the island of Crete and the city was extremely important for both the Minoans and the Romans due to its geographical location above the largest natural harbour in the Mediterranean Sea. In the 3rd and 4th century BC Aptera was at its absolute peak and also had his own coins. In 700 AD Aptera was devastated by an earthquake in 823 AD the city was destroyed by pirates.

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