Aptera’s archeological site is located about 15 km. away from the city of Chania, at an altitude of 200m and overlooking the Souda Bay. During the Minoan period, Aptera was considered one of the most important city-states of Crete.
It dates back since the Minoan Period (3500- 1070 BC), however, the most visible archaeological findings belong to the Geometric Period (1000- 685 BC), the Hellenistic Period (323- 67 BC) and the Roman Empire (67 BC – 324 AD).
Fortification walls, an aqueduct, public baths and graves are findings on site visible to the visitor. The astonishing group of Roman reservoirs, together with many wells and tanks, served the needs of the city and supplied the facilities of the public and private baths. The city also owned an amphitheater, built on a natural cavity of the ground. There is also a fortification wall surrounding the city, 4 kilometers of which has survived to present day.
During the period 1866-72, the Turks built two castles at a small distance from the Aptera antiquities in order to suppress the Cretan Revolution, Paleokastro (Koules fortress and Itzedin fortress).

Municipal Unit: Souda
Address: local Community of Aptera