Chora Sfakíon or simply Sfakia is a town on the south coast of Chania in West Crete. It is the capital of the remote and mountainous region of Sfakia, and is a small town of almost 300 inhabitants. It lies on the south coast near the exit of the imposing Imbros Gorge, 74 km south of Chania. It has two small harbours, where the ferry boats from Agia Roumeli dock, which in the summer serve the hikers from the Samaria Gorge to take buses back to the northern coast. From Chora Sfakion ferries also run to the nearby coastal town of Loutro and the island of Gavdos. Chora Sfakion is a small village with several taverns, minimarkets, butchery, bakery, etc. There is also gas station, phone services, ATM, post office, police station and pharmacy. There are also bus services to Chania and taxis.
There is a quiet local beach, called Vrissi, just west of the village, and several pebbly beaches nearby. The town offers a variety of tourist accommodation: rooms, studios and apartments. The local economy is based on tourism, fishing, olive oil production and sheep and goat herdering. Chora Sfakíon prospered during the Venetian and Turkish occupations and up to the 18th century carried on a flourishing trade with its own small fleet. It was said to have had a hundred churches but the town suffered badly from wartime bombardment during and after the Allied evacuation at the end of the Battle of Crete.
Chora Sfakíon is famous as one of the centers of resistance against the occupying forces of both the Venetians and the Turks. The impenetrable White Mountains to the north combined with the rocky beaches on the south helped the locals fight off all invaders. Anopolis, a village near Hóra Sfakíon, is the birthplace of one of the most celebrated Cretan revolutionaries, Daskalogiannis.
