CHANIA OLD TOWN AND VENETIAN HARBOUR

The old Venetian Harbour and Lighthouse , Chania Old Town

Chania (the ‘ch’ pronounced as a hard ‘h) is the second largest city in Crete with a population of approximately 60,000. It is a vibrant city, full of Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish history.

It oozes charm with (what seems like) miles of tiny little back streets and alleyways which teem with bougainvillea and pots of vivid geraniums hanging from every nook and cranny.

One of the many tiny back streets for you to explore

Ancient Kydonia

Formerly the island’s capital until 1971 and the site of ancient Kydonia, the third largest town in Minoan Crete. Chania is probably Crete’s most appealing town.

With its attractive waterfront and harbour, exotic blend of architectural styles and the backdrop of the White Mountains, it is extremely picturesque. Chania is also a lively and bustling working town.

The White Mountains have snow on them well into May some years

Modern Chania

The modern city extends well beyond the old town but much of what you’ll want to see is located within the Venetian fortification wall in the old town. The Venetian harbour is surrounded by many cafés and restaurants, museums, churches, Minoan excavations, narrow alleys with picturesque houses, the famous lighthouse, the covered market and many, many shops.

To get the best of your visit either pick up a map from the Tourist Information Centre or download their app on your phone. Allow a good few hours to wander all the alleyways and backstreets.

However, if you want to explore more of Chania the Municipality offer free bikes (for up to 1 hour) with a small charge for longer.

The old town, which is manly on the western side of the harbour has a rich array of Venetian and Ottoman buildings and some interesting small shops.

You could visit the Maritime and Archaeological Museums, the Arsenals on the waterfront and the area above the harbour known as Kastelli. Afterwards enjoy a meal or a drink on the sea front or the terraces of the taverns around the harbour.

The Indoor Market

The Agora, the ancient covered market, has stalls selling fresh fish, meat, fruit, cheese, bread, honey, herbs and spices and a variety of other produce. It’s open daily, except Sunday, until 14.00hrs and on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings.

You can buy soft crumbly cheese called Myzithra, which is sprinkled on top of most Cretan dishes, it’s a bit like a soft feta but with a thick creamy yoghurt / cottage cheese like consistency. It’s unique and gorgeous.

Look out for the very last stall at the south entrance/exit of the market. If you enter by coming up the steps, turn right at the centre and it’s at the end opposite a couple of restaurant stalls (both of which serve good food, don’t be worried to as they speak very good English). Once at the cheese stall go straight towards the back and at the end of the refrigerated unit you will find the Mysythra in a plastic bowl. Ask for Myzithra dolche, it’s sold by weight and served in plastic see-through boxes. Enjoy.

Nearby is the Street of the Leather Workers where you can find sandals, boots, gloves, belts and bags. Don’t be too shy to haggle to get your bargain.

Markets

On Saturday mornings, there is an outdoor market along El Venizelou St., just inside the old town walls, from early until roughly midday. You can find the best value in fresh produce, wine and oil, clothes, shoes, rugs and bric a brac.

Chania town is wonderful by night and we recommend that you spend an evening to savour the café life as well as one of the many good restaurants.

For something different you could visit one of Chania’s outdoor cinemas, open in summer only and located in the Public Garden or on El Venizelou St., just past the Irida Hotel as you head out on the road to Akrotiri/Airport.

Weblinks

Things to do: TripAdvisor, The Travel Porter Blog, Travel Passionate Blog

Places to eat in Chania: TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet,

We would highly recommend:

Tamam (really good mixture of Turkish and Greek influenced food)
Pallas a Mediterranean / Sushi restaurant (it’s a bit expensive but good food)
La Bodega (which has some more modern dishes as well as traditional Greek food)
Bougasta Iordanis – you have to try bougasta just once in your life. When would you ever get to eat cheese and sugar together!? (but go there in the morning as they close at lunch time). You can find Bougasta Iordanis on Googlemaps.