Souda Bay

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Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15km long and just 2-4 km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri peninsula and Cape Drapano, and runs west to east. The bay is overlooked on both sides by hills, with a relatively low and narrow isthmus in the west near Chania.

Near the mouth of Souda bay, between the Akrotiri and the town of Kalives, are a set of small islands with Venetian fortifications. The largest island is 'Souda', giving its name to the bay. The Venetians held on to these strategic islands for over thirty years after the fall of Crete to the Ottomans. There have been ports on the bay since ancient times, previously serving the city of Aptera. The Ottomans built fortresses at Aptera and Kalami. Much later they built the town of Souda at the head of the bay, as the port of the nearby city of Chania. Souda is now an important port for freight and ferries to Pireaus, and a strategic NATO base particularly suitable for submarines.

During World War II British and Commonwealth troops withdrew from Greece in April 1941 and 25,000 men, mainly from New Zealand and Australia, disembarked there. In May, during the German attack named "Operation Merkur", Allied troops retreated from the Souda area to Sfakia in the south of the island. The principal Allied War Cemetery of the island is at Souda.

Souda Bay is now a popular tourist destination although there are no real public beaches due to the presence of the naval base. Villages such as Megala Chorafia and Kalives afford fine views of the bay, and house-building, particularly for foreigners and tourist companies, is spreading along the bay.