Tsagarada (Taxiarches square-Agia Paraskevi square)

Taxiarches square

Distance: 1,85 km
Duration: 35 minutes
Altitude: from 560 m. (Taxiarches square) to 460 m. (Agia Paraskevi square)
Total elevation gain: 30 m.  Total elevation loss: 104 m.
Signed with red paint marks, yellow signs with number ''4''

Start: Taxiarches square  End: Agia Paraskevi square
Drinking water on walk: yes
Download GPS track:  from Everytrail   from Wikiloc

         This is an easy and beautiful short walk through Tsagarada, connecting the two main squares of Taxiarches and Agia Paraskevi. It is also useful to hikers who, for example, have come to Tsagarada walking from Milies or Agios Georgios  or Hania and wish to continue down to the sea to Damouchari  and Agios Ioannis or even Fakistra.

          Starting off from Taxiarches square and the characteristic quadruple drinking water fountain, we walk on the downhill kalderimi heading east, on a course roughly parallel to the main asphalt which runs a little higher.

       We go past Serpentin Garden mansion and a small wooden bridge on the left. Reaching a junction, we take the wide uphill kalderimi to the left. After that,  there are two more junctions where we go straight ahead, ignoring the uphill kalderimi to the left (attention!). Here and there we notice small yellow metal signs inscripted with number ''4'', which also serve as a guide to our destination (they actually indicate a local circular walk).

         Eventually, we come to cross the asphalt road going to Milopotamos beach. We cross this diagonally to the left and a few meters higher up find the continuity of the kalderimi which enters a wild chestnut forest.

Kalderimi in chestnut forest      

           Reaching the small chapel of Agios Panteleimon, we walk uphill on a narrow asphalt road for a few meters. In front of us is the magnificent stone building of Nanopoulio school, built in 1909 on a donation of a wealthy local who made a fortune as a trader in Egypt. It currently functions as elementary school for the children of Tsagarada and Mouresi.

Nanopoulio school

             To the left is Xenia hotel, closed and deserted for a long time now.

          Heading to the right, we find the kalderimi again and follow it until we reach the square of Agia Paraskevi, where grows the magnificent and famous thousand-years-old plane tree.

Αgia Paraskevi square