The Samaria Gorge is the classic full day hike of Crete: 16 kilometres from the Xyloskalo entrance on the Omalos plateau, at about 1,230 metres, down to the sea at Agia Roumeli. Most people need 5 to 7 hours of walking, and the day does not end at the bottom, because Agia Roumeli has no road and you leave by ferry. It is a National Park, open from May to the end of October, with an entrance fee.
This guide gives you the real numbers, tells you how hard it actually is, how to organise a day trip from Chania, what the ferry means for your timing, and when the shorter Imbros Gorge is the better choice. Crete it! organises guided hikes in Crete from Kalyves, Apokoronas, and Samaria is the one people ask us about most.
Key takeaways
- 16 km, about 1,230 m of descent, 5 to 7 hours. Long rather than technical, but hard on the knees.
- Open 1 May to 31 October. To walk the whole gorge you must enter before 13:00.
- Entrance fee 10 euros per adult, bought at the gate or online from the park authority.
- Agia Roumeli has no road: the ferry to Sougia or Chora Sfakion is part of the plan, not an option.
The route at a glance
| Start | Xyloskalo, Omalos plateau, approx. 1,230 m |
| Finish | Agia Roumeli, on the Libyan Sea |
| Distance | 16 km inside the National Park |
| Total descent | approx. 1,230 m |
| Walking time | 5 to 7 hours |
| Difficulty | Demanding because of length and descent, not because of technique |
| Season | 1 May to 31 October, weather permitting |
| Entrance fee | 10 euros per adult, free for children under 18 and visitors over 65 |
| Getting back | Ferry from Agia Roumeli to Sougia or Chora Sfakion, then road |
| Highlights | Old village of Samaria, the Portes where the walls close to 3 to 4 metres, kri kri goats |
How long does the Samaria Gorge walk take?
Plan on 5 to 7 hours of walking. Fast, experienced hikers finish in under 5. Most groups take 6 with proper breaks at the springs and at the old village of Samaria roughly halfway down. Families and anyone with knee problems should assume 7 and start as early as the gate allows.
Whatever your pace, the clock that matters is the ferry. Everyone who walks the gorge leaves Agia Roumeli by boat in the afternoon, so a late start or a slow descent can turn into a night in the village. That is why the park stops letting people through for the full hike at 13:00.
Is Samaria Gorge a difficult hike?
It is not technical. The path is maintained, signposted and better than most mountain trails in Crete. What makes it hard is the combination of length and descent: 16 kilometres and about 1,230 vertical metres downhill, the steepest part at the start on the Xyloskalo staircase. Knees and thighs feel it far more than lungs.
The lower half runs along the riverbed over rounded stones, which is tiring on the ankles, and in July and August the heat inside the gorge builds from late morning. You need reasonable fitness, proper footwear and an early start. If you are unsure, the honest comparison is Imbros Gorge: half the length, half the descent, open all year.
A day trip to Samaria Gorge from Chania
Yes, Samaria is done as a day trip from Chania and from most of the north coast, and that is how almost everyone walks it. The shape of the day is always the same:
- Early departure, usually before 7:00, for the drive up to Omalos and the Xyloskalo entrance, about an hour and a quarter from Chania.
- 5 to 7 hours in the gorge, arriving at Agia Roumeli in the early afternoon.
- A swim and lunch in Agia Roumeli while you wait for the boat.
- Ferry to Chora Sfakion or Sougia, then road transport back to the north coast in the evening.
Doing it yourself means solving two transport problems: a car left at Omalos is on the wrong side of the mountains at the end, and the bus and ferry timetables have to line up. Organised tours exist precisely because of this.
Entry fee, opening times and why the gorge closes
Samaria is a National Park run by the Greek forestry service. The entrance fee is 10 euros per adult, free for children under 18 and visitors over 65, paid at the gate or bought in advance through the park authority’s online ticket system. Keep the ticket, you hand it in at the exit so the wardens know nobody is left inside overnight.
The season runs from 1 May to 31 October. In practice the spring opening can slip into mid May if winter damage has to be repaired, and in 2026 the gorge opened on 19 May. The gorge also closes on individual days for heavy rain, because of rock falls, and for extreme heat. In winter the river makes it impassable. If you are travelling in April or November, do not count on it.
Daily hours: the gate opens at 7:00 and the full crossing is allowed until 13:00. After that you can only walk the first part and return the same way.
The ferry from Agia Roumeli
Agia Roumeli has no road, so every walker leaves by sea. Ferries run along the south coast to Chora Sfakion to the east and to Sougia and Paleochora to the west, typically in the afternoon in the summer timetable. Tickets are bought separately at the port in Agia Roumeli and are not included in the park entrance fee. Check the current timetable before you go, because it changes with the season.
From Chora Sfakion or Sougia you still need road transport back north. If you came by bus, the buses wait for the boats. If you came by car, it is parked at Omalos, which is why most independent walkers leave the car at home for Samaria. Fit walkers who want more of the coast can look at the E4 section from Sougia to Agia Roumeli.
The easy way to see Samaria
If a 16 km descent is too much, there is a short version, sometimes called the lazy way. Take the ferry into Agia Roumeli, walk up the gorge from the bottom as far as the Portes, the famous narrows, and come back the same way. It is a few kilometres each way on the flattest part of the route, you still pay the park fee, and you see the most photographed section without the descent from Xyloskalo.
The other easy option is not Samaria at all: Imbros gives you gorge scenery in 2.5 to 3 hours and is open all year.
Can you do Samaria Gorge without a guide?
Yes. The path is clear, marked with kilometre posts and patrolled by wardens, and thousands of people walk it independently every summer. You do not need a guide to find the way.
What a guided day gives you is logistics and pacing: transport to the top entrance, someone watching the time against the ferry, ferry and return transfer arranged, and a walking rhythm that gets a mixed group down without injuries. For a first visit, or with children, that is usually worth more than the route finding.
What to bring
- Water (1.5l), there are springs to refill inside the park
- Hiking shoes with grip and ankle support
- Backpack
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Light snack
- Camera
- Sunglasses
Hiking Samaria with Crete it!
We are based in Kalyves, Apokoronas, and we organise guided nature hikes across Crete. For Samaria that means one thing above all: you do not have to think about the car, the bus, the ferry or the clock. We keep groups small and walk at the pace of the group.
What is included
- An experienced mountain guide who stays with the group for the whole hike
- Transport, with pick up from Chania town and its suburbs, Stalos, Agia Marina, Platanias and the whole Apokoronas area
- The park entrance ticket (10 euros) and the ferry from Agia Roumeli
- Hiking equipment: safety helmets where required and trekking poles
All of this at no extra charge. There is no fixed price: we quote per group, depending on group size, season, any extras you want to add and the difficulty of the route.
