Chania (Crete, Greece)

Chania Reviews

Chania Photos

Chania Information

Overview

Things to do

Country Info (Greece)

Slideshow of Photos

Chania is situated on the north west coast of Crete (42 mls NW of Rethymnon, 10 mls W of Chania airport; 90 mls NW of Heraklion airport). It is located on the Gulf, and in the prefecture, of Chania, surrounded by countryside and some of the island's most fertile agricultural land, with the stunning grandeur of the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) as a backdrop; the mountains have snow on the upper reaches for half the year.

Chania is built on the site of an ancient Minoan city and the capital of Crete until the 1970s, Chania is the island's second largest town with a resident population of around 140,000; its main centre measures about 2 mls by 1½ mls with sprawling residential suburbs rising uphill to the rear of town. It is generally hailed as one of the most charming Cretan resorts, it has a rich history encompassing Byzantine, Arabian, Venetian and Turkish occupations. This inheritance is reflected in many of the buildings in the Old Town, which fans out along the sea front north of the cruciform-shaped market hall and is loosely divided into Venetian, Turkish and Jewish quarters. Here you can find medieval structures, mosques and minarets alongside later colonial or neoclassical architecture.

A Venetian/Egyptian lighthouse guards the entrance to the long, picturesque harbour with its abundance of fine restaurants and cafes, a focal point for visitors from morning to late into the evening.

Suggest a change to the Chania Overview section (click to dropdown)

This resort suits most groups and ages, particularly those seeking a genuine taste of the Cretan way of life and its history as well as relaxation, superb scenery, sun and sea. It is a good base from which to undertake individual travel, with your own means of transport.

The accommodation here offers a good choice of hotels, with the larger cross-section of hotels and self-catering apartments found in the resort areas outside and mainly west of town.

There are a few small sandy bays just west of the town centre, then mainly long stretches of sand and pebble running for many miles. They offer generally good bathing and are easily reached by the coastal bus service. Hotels and apartment blocks have their own sunbeds and parasols, and usually a snack bar which is open to the public. A few hotels have low-key water sports such as pedalloes and windsurfing.

There are many small supermarkets and food stores as well as the main municipal market hall and an old Turkish marketplace, both offering a wide range of goods including local produce. Halidon Street is home to the more touristy shops, while the larger hotels offer quality jewellery and clothing.

For leather goods, including the famous high-legged boots, make your way to Odos Skridlof ("Leather Lane") to watch the leather workers in action. During the daytime activities include exploring the town, including naval and archaeological museums, city archives, mosques, Greek Orthodox churches and the old Venetian ramparts and arsenals. Or spend it walking in the public gardens or around the harbour to the lighthouse, on the beach, or swimming and water sports (windsurfing, sailing, water-skiing).

The nightlife here offers a few discos, bars and many restaurants with live music, the liveliest area being around the harbour front, with a couple of cinemas and an open-air theatre. For food you are spoilt for choice, from the harbour fish specialists to local tavernas and hotel-based options.

Suggest a change to the Chania Things to do section (click to dropdown)

Population: 10.668.400
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Currency: euro
Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Greece - Athens

Country Dialling Code: +30
Voltage: 220V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 Parallel circular prongs

2 parallel circular prongs with an earth connector

2 parallel circular prongs with a female earth connector

'Schuko' type with two earth connectors on the sides

Greece appeals to different types of tourist, and very few could fail to find somewhere to suit their taste. From bustling Athens to blindingly bright islands, ancient fragments abound - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces on Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini. Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire to make Greece a perfect place to relax. Whether you're supping in a beachside taverna , sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing till dawn.

The Olympic Games were spawned in ancient classical Greece, along with democracy and the fundamentals of philosophy, science and mathematics. Modern Greece is better known as a great place to vacation rather than a centre of learning and culture. Today the country attracts by offering simple pleasures: delicious food at reasonable prices, local wine, beautiful beaches, sunshine, quaint villages, a seemingly endless lacework of coastline and little islands full of scenic surprises.

The country exudes traditional charm, particularly on its ever-popular islands, which cling to their stereotypical architecture and way of life despite being often over-run by tourists. Black-clad women still deliver vegetables to island tavernas on panniered donkeys, while bronzed, lined fishermen sit in the sun, drink thick coffee, and play dominoes or dice. The tourist infrastructure has intruded in many respects, but the timeless aspect of whitewashed buildings clustered on hillsides around narrow pebbled alleys has been retained. The myriad islands in the Aegean Sea are easily accessible from Piraeus, the historic harbour of Greece's mainland capital, Athens, by ferry or hydrofoil, offering a unique chance for 'island-hopping'. Many of the larger islands also have airports with connections to Athens or seasonally with major European cities.

On the mainland the city of Athens in the south is sprawling, overcrowded and polluted but nevertheless enthralls visitors, while Thessaloniki in the north is vibrant and modern with a Byzantine flavour. Athens is dominated by its major landmark, the Parthenon: the remains of other wonders of the ancient Greek classical world are to be found mainly on the Peloponnese Peninsula, south of Corinth, the gateway to a veritable treasure trove of history.

Greece and Greeks welcome with open arms the thousands of visitors that flock to admire their national assets every year - no-one leaves without having been warmed, both by the sun and the hospitality.