Lakki Crete

Lakki is a small village in the mountains White Mountains Crete (Lefka Ori) in the west of Crete. The village is located on the road from Chania to the Omalos Plateau and the entrance of the famous Samaria Gorge Crete. Many tourists pass through Lakki. A few stop briefly to enjoy the magnificent views of valleys and mountains, drink a cup of coffee or stop at a village tavern.

Already one kilometre before Lakki you have the best view of the village. You stop at the road from Chania to Omalos at a big monument that shows the resistance fighter Michalis Gianaris (19th century, fight for independence of Crete from the Turks).

From here you have a magnificent view of the village of Lakki and the surrounding mountains.

One kilometer further the road goes directly through the small village. The village square with many parking places is in a sharp right turn. Around the central square of Lakki you can see some taverns and cafes. The traditional restaurants are inexpensive.

From the small village of Lakki you can take pictures of the peaks of the White Mountains. If you come at the beginning of the tourist season, in April or May, you can still see snow on the peaks of the Lefka Ori.

Who likes Lakki especially or wants to hike in the area, can also take a room. There are simple, inexpensive rooms in the tavern and pension Nikolas directly at the village square described above.

Lakki was once a large village with several thousand inhabitants. As in almost all less touristy regions of Crete, most of the inhabitants have migrated. There is hardly any work, the agriculture is hard and in the mountains little lucrative. Today, 200 to 300 people still live in Lakki. Many of the people are old and very friendly.

Lakki is known in Crete as a place of resistance against various occupying powers such as the Turks and the Germans in World War II.

Climate: Lakki is about 500 meters above sea level. In winter it sometimes snows, but rarely. In summer the mountain climate is cooler than on the coast. In the Lefka Ori there is more precipitation than at the sea, but the summers are also very dry up here. Some years ago there was a big fire around Lakki after a long dry season.

How to get there: Almost everyone reaches Lakki via the road from Chania to Omalos, although there are some other paved roads in other villages in the area. From the big city Chania at the north coast of Crete there are about 25 kilometres, to Omalos and to the entrance of the gorge Samaria there are 10 to 15 kilometres. Lakki can also be reached by public bus. All buses to Samaria Gorge stop in the village. In summer there are several buses per day, but most of them are in the early morning.

If you have time, you should definitely visit the Crete Botanical Garden. It is a few kilometres before Lakki on the road from Chania. One of the best botanical gardens we have ever seen.