Venizelos Tombs – The-graves of Venizelos family
Venizelos Tombs — the graves of Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936) and his son Sophocles Venizelos (1894-1964) — constitute a landmark for the city of Chania. Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek politician and leader, elected 8 times as Prime Minister in the beginning of 20th century. His son, Sophocles, was also a Prime Minister of Greece. The Venizelos tombs are located 5 km east from the city of Chania, which is about a 15-minute drive. To get there you’ll need to take the road that goes towards the peninsula of Akrotiri and the airport. You can also visit the tombs by the city bus Chania-Kounoupidiana that leaves from 1866 square and stops at Venizelos Tombs bus stop. The bus ticket costs €1.70 if you buy it before getting on the bus and €2.50 if you buy it in the bus. A taxi will cost you around €6.50 each way.
Reason to go
The Venizelos tombs are located on top of Prophet Ilias hill, which has a fantastic panoramic view of Chania and the Cretan sea. From this spot you can see the Old Port of Chania, with its picturesque Egyptian lighthouse, and the small island of Thodorou that lies opposite of Agia Marina beach. You’ll also get an idea of how big the modern city is, and have the chance to admire the beautiful mountains surrounding it.
The site is very serene. There are some pine trees and a beautiful, 15th century, small chapel dedicated to Prophet Elias. Visiting the Venizelos tombs is also the perfect excuse to learn a bit more about modern Greek history. Eleftherios Venizelos has been one of the most important politicians of the new Greek state (after the independence of Greece in 1821). The airport of Athens is named after him and Cretan people take a lot of pride that he was a Cretan. Eleftherios Venizelo’s house, now a museum, is in a neighborhood that is close to his tomb, called Chalepa. Venizelos had asked to be brought there upon his death (he died in Paris) and buried at this spot overlooking the city of Chania, the Cretan sea and his house.
