botanical park of crete

The staff welcomed us with free fruit from the garden and water bottles for the walk. We then walked up and down in the sandy garden with plenty of interesting and beautiful plants and flowers. They had plants from all over the world, which was really impressive since it didn't seem like a place where flowers would have an easy time growing.The garden was really idyllic and they even had a little mini zoo with peacocks, reindeers and donkeys. Highly recommend this place, but take your time there ! also I would recommend you dont bring a pair of your white beloved tennis shoes, and save your high heels for somewhere else!

...and get a little bit of exercise. We've visited the park three or four times. Nothing new to see, but it's always a nice and calm garden walk. The scents of spices and fruit are lovely, and if you enjoy gardening or agriculture, you really find interesting things to see here.

The food are common , the service are average , after one hour a waiter inform us that two of the five main dishes are finished .

If you are a herbalist or a agriculturist, Dont miss it. But if you come to Chania on a business trip or vacations with children, maybe you have better things to see and do...Nice try anyway

As a person who admires nature, a walk through the botanical park was a very pleasant experience and I would definitely recommend it to everyone who loves nature and walks

We spent a few hours before our flight at the gardens. The follow a route over the hills and paths and are fantastic. Great views, lots of wildlife and of course, many many plants. All are labelled and the area is well maintained. Don't miss out of a visit to this one.

Food was simple wholesome and from the garden lovely views,weEnjoyed the pleasant ambiance and a light salad it all was really fresh

This was an unplanned visit, we stopped for a car break mainly on the way to Elfonsi Beach and glad we did! At only 6 euros each including a bottle of water (you will need at high season), great value, great walk around hillside! Lots beautiful plants, herbs, fruits, flowers to see and smell. Nicely laid out. Very relaxed and peaceful environment. If not keen on a good walk up and down, then this might not be for you. Took our time and spent about an hour walking through the area. Nice to see a toilet half way near the lake. Donkey looked a bit sad. Peacocks, ducks, chickens galore. Lots places to stop and take a breather. There was a restaurant (we did not use)and several areas to sit with good mountain views. Highly recommended. Buses go there daily from our Resort Agia Marina, and from other places, according to their leaflets. :)

Some of the staff from the restaurant needs behaviourtraining.After my sister went alone for the walk through the garden, we waited at a small theaterplace enjoying the view because we had seen the garden some time ago, when my sister returned the three of us went in to the restaurant to drink and maybe eat something but one woman behind the bar wrongly accused us of having walked together with my sister without paying the 6€ each!! COME ON! How ridiculous can you be?

Beautiful drive up through the hills to reach the botanical gardens. Free parking, get your ticket inside the restaurant. Food smelt amazing! The gardens are on a large slope with winding gravel paths. Plenty of places to rest as you go round if needed. Lots of incredible plants, flowers and trees to see. great if you love photographing nature. A small 'zoo' is at the bottom but isn't worth looking at. At the time of writing cost was 6 euros per person which included a bottle of water. Well worth a visit to if you want some peace away from chania.

A wonderful place full of fruit trees and exotic and wonderful plants. Walking sticks and hats were available and we were very glad of the sticks as the paths are a little uneven. We had a very nice meal in the restaurant after the walk. We were staying in Agia Marina and the bus service was a little vague, so we had a taxi as advised by our hotel receptionist. It cost about 35 euros. We decided to catch the bus back at 2.30pm but this took one and a half hours to Chania town as we went via many mountain villages,then another bus to Agia Marina.If yo hire a car I am sure it would be a lot easier.Well worth visiting.

Definitely trainers at this time of year as paths can be slippery and are quite steep in places. Your entrance fee includes a bottle of water and loan of a hat and/ or trekking pole or stick so use these if you think you might need them! Staff are helpful and friendly and the whole site is beautifully and ecologically cared for and clearly routed. Take your time, the views are wonderful too! There are a few animals and birds in the central lake area so good for a whole family outing too.Tips, fresh orange juice at the cafe and keep faith with the signs on the way by road as they don't occur as frequently as in the UK for example but do tell you clearly when you need to turn off!

A beautiful walk but make sure you got the right shoes. A long walk down to the lake then back up. Not recommended if you have breathing and / or walking difficulties. Otherwise a must do

During our recent stay in Chania we took a local bus leaving from the Main bus station (9.30 am) to the Botanical Park which is up in the foot hills and in a beautiful and peaceful location. The walk through the winding paths up and down the slopes takes about two hours. There are hundreds of plants, shrubs, trees and flowers, most of them well labelled with interesting information about each and the poignant reminder of the disaster with the occasional burnt out olive tree. The restaurant is high up on the hillside with lovely views and excellent quality food. The return bus journey which left at 2.30pm took us through spectacular scenery and had given us plenty of time to walk and enjoy a meal. Would visit the park again.

A very nice walk with many trees and shrubs to look at, all in very good order on well-maintained paths (ups and downs, of course, but average fitness is plenty enough). Lovely settings altogether, I really do feel that this is a must-see for anyone who fancies a leisurely walk with nice views close-up and afar. The restaurant at the top is very nice and sells a very decent quality of food with a view. Allow a couple of hours and a bit more for eating. Another good reason to hire a car in Crete.