Chania, a walk through culture and history
Chania is one of the most important and beautiful towns in Greece. It is the second largest town on Crete Island and the capital of the Chania regional unit, one of four parts of Crete.
Chania is a stunning mix of Venetian, Turkish, traditional, and modern architecture. It is known for its rich history, the old town with a Venetian harbour, a former mosque, and a lighthouse.
You can spend all day walking around it. Behind every corner, you will find colourful houses, small shops, archaeological sites, and taverns with tasty food.
How to get to Chania
Chania is nestled on the northwest coast of Crete. It can be reached by plane or ferry.
Chania International Airport (CHQ) is located 14 km from Chania on the Akrotiri Peninsula. It is connected with Athens, Thessaloniki, and many international airports from all over Europe during the summer. You can get to your hotel by car, bus or taxi from the airport.
By the way, the airport is named after Daskalogiannis, a leader of the Cretan revolt against the Ottomans in the 18th century.
The Chania’s port is located in Souda, about 7 km away. There are daily ferries to Piraeus and a few other islands, but check the ferry schedule if you organize your trip individually. Bear in mind that the Blue Star Ferries drives around 9 hours from Piraeus to Chania. The ticket price is from 49 EUR to 186 EUR, depending on the seat and cabin type.
And don’t be surprised if you see naval boats. Souda is also a Crete Naval Base, a major Greek and NATO base. The second and smaller port is Kissamos, located 41 km west of Chania.
Heraklion, the capital of Crete is about 145 km away, and Rethymno is located about 70 km west of Chania.
So, if you like to go around the Chania region, you can rent a car, or take a bus , check the KTEL timetable.
A few words about the history of Chania
Chania has a rich history, like many Greek towns.
The modern town was built on the site of a Minoan settlement, mostly known period for the marvellous Knossos palace and Linear B tablets. The ancient name of the city was Kydonia. According to the legend, it was founded by Kydonas, the son of Hermes and the nymph Akakalida, daughter of King Minos.
The first inhabitants lived on the hill of Kastelli (today above the Venetian harbour), around 3,650 BC. The city became an important economic, trade and shipping centre in the following centuries. However, Kydonia was destroyed around 1150 BC when the Minoan civilization ended.
The citizens from Samos Island came to Crete in 524 BC and built many temples and settlements. Then, in 69 BC, the Roman era began and the city flourished again. The development continued during the Byzantine Empire (395–824 AD). The city was destroyed by Saracens in 828 AD. So, Crete was under the rule of the Emirate of Crete until 961 AD when the Byzantines occupied it and rebuilt the city again.
The Venetian and Ottoman era
The Venetians occupied Chania in 1204 AD and ruled for about four centuries. They built the city with a strong fortress with walls, a harbour, a Catholic church, and many buildings and mansions in the Venetian style.
Chania flourished again until 1645 when the Ottomans occupied it after two months of siege. The churches were transformed into mosques, and the new mosques were built. The most important was the Kucuk Hasan Mosque, located in the Venetian harbour and it can be seen even today. They also built fountains, hospitals, bathhouses, barracks, and other military facilities.
However, the Cretan people wanted freedom, and after many conflicts and battles, Crete was liberated in 1897. Chania became the capital of the new Cretan State.
Crete became part of Greece’s state in 1913, thanking the many efforts of Eleftherios Venizelos, governor of Crete and prime minister of the country.
What to see in Chania
Today, Chania is an administrative, commercial and cultural centre of Crete with a population of approximately 60.000. Also, it is a very popular destination which attracts more and more tourists from all over the world every year.
The town of Chania consists of two parts: the smaller one is an old town located around the Venetian harbour, and the bigger one is a new modern part.
During the Ottoman rule, the town was divided into three districts. The Muslim Turks lived in the eastern part, the Christians in the west, and the Jews lived in the northwest of the old town. Even today, all Chania neighbours are intertwined with narrow streets, creating a stunning architectural style mix.
Chania districts
Well, it could be a little bit difficult to plan what exactly to see in Chania. There are so many interesting spots 🙂
So, take a walk and get lost in its streets. And I am sure that will be amazed by every corner you find.
♦ The Venetian Harbour is the most popular and beautiful part of Chania.
◊ On the eastern side of the harbour and town, there are Chalepa, Tabakaria, Kastelli Hill, Splantzia and Koum-Kapi.
Chalepa is known as Crete’s diplomatic centre in the 19th century. There you can find the house of the Greek politician Eleftherios Venizelos which is now a museum.
Tabakaria is a coastal area known for the many tanneries dating back to the 1800s when artisan tanners came there and made leather products. Once it was 80 tanneries, and they worked until the 1970s.
Kastelli Hill is known as the prehistoric settlement of ancient Kydonia, a fortress built by Byzantines, and the mansions of the oldest Venetian families.
Splantzia is the former Turkish district where once lived the prominent Turks. Today, it is officially named 1821 Square according to the Greek Revolution. It is a very busy and authentic area where you can find the Sintrivani Square, Agios Nikolaos Church with a minaret, the Church of San Rocco from the early 1600s, bars and cafes.
Koum-Kapi is a coastal part, with a small sandy beach, an old Sabionara bastion and a promenade with many bars, cafes, and taverns, usually visited by locals.
♦ On the western side of the harbour, there are Topanas, the Jewish quarter, and Nea Chora.
By the way, Nea Chora or “New Town” is also a coastal part, with a sandy and well-organized beach, pedestrian promenade and fish taverns. It was one of the first suburbs of modern Chania that developed outside the Byzantine walls.
Chania Old Town
Market Hall
And somewhere between the new and old town, there is Agora, the old market hall.
The impressive building was built between 1909 and 1913 in a cross shape. This covered market is temporarily closed for renovations which started in January 2022.
However, it housed many shops selling local products, vegetables, honey, meat, fish, fruit, herbs, spices, olives, cheese, and souvenirs.
Chalidon street and Jewish district
We started our Chania tour walking through the pedestrian Chalidon Street, one of the most important streets in the town. It connects the Chania modern part on the south and the Venetian harbour on the north.
Chalidon Street and the surrounding streets near Tapanas district belong to the Jewish Quarter – Ovraiki. Both districts are amazing and picturesque areas with various shops, boutique hotels, apartments, bars, restaurants, travel and rent-a-car agencies.
Church of the Virgin Mary
Going down, on the right side, there is Athinagora Square with the Metropolitan Church of the Virgin Mary. It is known as “Panagia Trimartiri”, and it is dedicated to the Presentation of Mary. The original building was built in the 14th century on the ruins of an older chapel from the 11th century.
Ottomans transformed it into a soap factory in 1645. According to the legend, Mustafa Pasha, the owner of the factory, had an apparition of the Virgin Mary. She commanded him to stop using her temple as a soap factory, but she saved his son who fell into a well. After that, he permitted the local Christian community to build a new church.
The interior of the church is impressive, but it is not allowed to take photos inside of it.
Ottoman Bath – Hamam
Close to the church, there is a light pink house with eleven small domes and one larger on the roof. Once it was an Ottoman bath – Hamam. Well, it is widely known that hamams have an important role in Middle Eastern culture. Today it houses a fashion boutique with the name Xamam.
The Folklore Museum is located opposite the orthodox church on Chalidon Street. There, you can see various traditional items from local life from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Near the museum, there is an arched passage to the Catholic Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption.
Also, a few steps away, there is the old building of a former monastery Saint Francis built at the end of the 16th century. The Archeological Museum was housed in this place in 1963. However, it was moved to a new and modern building in the Chalepa district and reopened in 2022.
Skrydlof Street or “Leather Street”
On the right side of Chalidon Street, there is a narrow Skrydlof Street, known as the “Leather Street” or “Stivanadika”. Once, this street was a place where shoes and boot makers had workshops making shoes, particularly “Stivania”, the special tall Cretan boots.
Today, the shops sell various leather products, such as artisan sandals, jackets, bags, purses, belts, wallets, and souvenirs, as well.
Strolling around the Jewish district
On the left side of Chalidon Street, there are several narrow and winding streets such as Zabeliou, Skoufon, and Portou.
The main street is still Kondylaki Street, where the prominent Jews lived. By the way, this street is wider than many others in the old town. The Venetians built it for the reason that the carts with supplies and munitions could pass through the town.
One of the most photographed spots is the very popular ELA tavern, located in a yellow house surrounded by a beautiful pink bougainvillaea.
The Etz Hayyim Synagogue (Hebrew for ‘Tree of Life’) is also located on Kondyliaki Street, which is the only active synagogue today in Crete. The Cretan Jewish heritage lasted over 2,000 years, but it almost came to an end during the German occupation. The Nazis deported the Jewish community in June 1944. On the way to Piraeus, the British submarine hit the boat and it sank together with all Jewish prisoners.
The synagogue had been abandoned until 1995 when it was renovated. Today, visitors can also visit it, just check the timetable.
The old town is a labyrinth of narrow alleys, just like Portou Street, where we saw an interesting “Labyrinthos“, the handmade jewellery shop.
Zambeliou Street
Well, Zambeliou Street is an “invisible” border between the Jewish district and Topanas district, in the heart of the old town.
In fact, this area was filled with houses and palaces of the most important Venetian families. Many of these mansions were renovated and transformed into beautiful boutique hotels, as a reminder of the glorious Venetian time.
One of them is a red guest house, Room Honey Moon, decorated with flowers in pots and lanterns. It was built in the 18th century, and renovated in 2010.
The stairs in the winding Zambeliou Street with shops selling local crafts represent the spot which takes you back to the past.
The Temple Gift Shop
At the corner of Zambeliou and Skoufon Street, there is The Temple, a very interesting gift shop. There you can find unique local crafts and souvenirs, stunning lamps and chandeliers, figurines, magnets, and fantastically decorated pottery.
But there is something more that you cannot imagine…
On the floor, covered with protective glass, you can see the holes of graves!
So, the shop is located in an important historical building. First, it was an orthodox temple from 1615 until 1645 when it was transformed into a mosque. From the Ottoman period, a base of the minaret, and the former mihrab (sanctuary) can be seen today.
Then, this building was used as a private residence until 2004, and later for commercial use. But during the renovation in 2018-2019, seventeen graves from the Venetian period were found on the floor. It is supposed that the human relics of priests were removed probably during the transformation of the church to the mosque because they were filled with stones.
However, the floor with former graves is protected with glass, and you can freely walk on it. Interesting, isn’t it?
Topanas district
Topanas district is located west of the harbour and stretches near the Jewish district and north to the Firkas fortress on the sea promenade. It got its name from the Turkish word “top” which means a cannon, because the cannons were kept in this area during the Ottoman period.
Theotokopoulos Street is the main street with beautiful two or three-storey houses in the Venetian style. Well, once, it was the Christian “aristocrats” quarter, and we enjoyed walking in this place and looking at the beautiful houses.
By the way, the street got its name after the famous painter, Dominikos Theotokópulos, widely known as El Greco, who was born in Crete in 1541.
The Theotokopoulos Street leads you to Zampeliou Street. Then, at the bottom of Moschon Street, there is the arch of the Renieri Gate with the family coat of arms from 1608. It is part of the old Venetian palace where lived Renieri, one of the leading Venetian-Cretan families. Today the part of the palace is transformed into the 5* Domus Renier Boutique Hotel, stretching to the sea promenade.
On the other side of Theotokopoulos Street, there is Talos Square with a public parking lot, the San Salvador Fortress and a nearby Firka Fortress.
The Venetian Old Port and the Walls
Well, we can say that the old harbour is the most interesting place and iconic landmark of Chania town.
During its rule, from 1204 to 1669, the Venetians controlled the naval trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. The town was called La Canea (Chania).
By the way, the Byzantine walls were built in the 6th and 7th centuries AD on the foundations of the Hellenistic walls around Kastelli Hill, and then they were repaired in the 10th century to protect the harbour from pirates.
The construction of the Venetian walls and fortress lasted from 1538 to 1638, according to the design of the military architect Michele Sanmicheli. The fortifications consisted of 6 km of walls, six bastions, three gates and a huge moat which was 1,942 metres long.
San Salvatore Fortress is located on the west. It was named after the monastery of San Salvatore built in the 15th century.
Today, the monastery building houses the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Collection of Chania, where you can see mosaics, funerary inscriptions, icons, frescoes, sculptures, ceramics, and coins.
Firka Fortress
Nearby, there is the Firka Fortress from the 17th century. The barracks, cistern and storeroom were inside the fortress, while Ottomans used it as a prison for Cretan liberation fighters, as well.
But from its small tower on the corner of the fortress, Prime Minster Venizelos raised the Greek flag on the 1st of December in 1913. It was a sign of Crete’s liberation from the Turks.
Since 1973 the Maritime Museum of Crete has been located in one part of the fortress, in a building painted in red.
Iti is the second-oldest Maritime Museum in Greece. There you can learn more about the maritime history of Crete and traditional shipbuilding.
The Venetian Old Harbour
I have to admit that I was impressed by the Venetian Old Harbour. The mix of colourful houses of various styles, boutique hotels, restaurants, shops, and cafes are all around the sea promenade.
And it is crowded day and night, especially during July and August.
On the right side, the path leads you to other landmarks of Chania: a former mosque, a lighthouse, and a marina.
The Mosque of Küçük Hasan
The Ottoman building with one large and seven smaller light pink domes is “Tzami Küçük Hassan Mosque“. It got its name in honour of the first Garrison commander of Chania, Küçük Hasan. In fact, you can see it in every photo of Chania on the Internet.
It is also known as “Yali Tzamisi mosque” or “The Mosque of the Sea” because it is close to the water.
Venetian shipyards – Neoria or Arsenal Buildings
On the other side of the building, on Michail Afentoulief Street, there are interesting walls and stairs leading up to a parking lot. We had a feeling that the time was stopped 🙂
Venetian shipyards
Right next to it, you can see 7 Venetian shipyards or Neoria, built during the 16th century. These impressive buildings were around 50 meters long and 10 meters tall, used for shipbuilding and repair of Venetian boats. Once there were 17 shipyards which were opened to the seashore.
Ottomans used them as military warehouses during their rule.
On the eastern side of the port, there were 5 more shipyards, known as the Moro shipyards. Today only 2 are remaining, used by the Sailing Club of Chania and for the Permanent Exhibition of Ancient and Traditional Shipbuilding of the Maritime Museum of Crete.
Agios Nikolaos Bastion
Going further, on the jetty, there are ruins of the Agios Nikolaos Bastion from the 16th century. The Venetians constructed it to protect the harbour, together with the Old Sea wall.
The bastion was named after the small church of Saint Nicholas, located in the middle of the fortification. You can climb the stairs on a viewpoint with a stunning view of the Chania harbour and a lighthouse.
You can walk on the lower part of the wall or the upper part, which is narrower, so be careful because there are no barriers.
The Venetian Lighthouse
And finally, the Lighthouse.
Originally it was built by the Venetians during the late 16th century and it still has the original Venetian base. It was ruined during the Ottoman rule and rebuilt between 1824 and 1832 during the Egyptian occupation. Because of that, it is also known as the Egyptian lighthouse.
It survived bombing in the Second World War and earthquakes, and it was restored in 2005. By the way, it is one of the oldest restored lighthouses in the world.
So, you can walk to the lighthouse, but it is not open to visitors.
Accommodation in Chania
There are plenty of various types of accommodation in Chania town. From apartments and guest houses to 5* hotels, the choice is up to you.
As I have mentioned before, many Venetian mansions are renovated and today they are unique boutique hotels.
Some of them are Domus Renier Boutique Hotel, Casa Delfino, Vranas Boutique Hotel, Casa Leone, Porto del Colombo, Amphora, etc.
Take a look at the historic boutique hotels here: Best boutique hotels in Chania.
Restaurants in Chania
Food lovers will certainly enjoy many restaurants, taverns and cafes located in the Chania promenade and its narrow streets.
Some of the most popular are:
♦ Chania waterfront: Calypso, Salis, Il Padrino, La Bodega, Amphora, Zepos, Palazzo Almare, Michelis, Majestic.
◊ Jewish district and Topanas district: ELA tavern, Tamam, Enetikon, Namaste.
No matter if you eat in family taverns, fast food on the beach or in the most popular restaurants, food from Crete is fantastic and so tasty!
By the way, there are also many cafes and bars where you can enjoy cocktails, drinks and music, like Sinagogi, Fagoto Jazz Bar, Klik, etc. But don’t expect crazy nightlife and parties in the town.
In fact, the term “Greek night” includes live Greek music, dancing and enjoying Cretan dishes.
Shopping in Chania
There are many shops with various local products, organic cosmetics, spices, honey, food, and colourful souvenirs in Chania.
Walking around, on every corner, you will something interesting, including clothes, leather sandals, and shoes of Greek and international fashion brands.
Also, you can buy sea sponges, shells, coral, hunks, and more items from wooden boat shops along the harbour!
Beaches close to the Chania town
The Nea Chora beach is the closest beach to the centre of Chania, about a 10-minute walk west after the Firka Venetian fortress. It is a local and organized beach surrounded by hotels and fish restaurants, as I mentioned before.
The Chryssi Akti-Golden Beach and Agia Apostoli Beach are 3-4 km away from Chania. They can be reached by car or a local bus. These gold-sandy beaches are well-organized and very crowded during the season.
Some of the most famous beaches in the Chania region are Balos, Falassarna, Elafonisi, etc.
👉🏖️ You can read more about them here: A guide for the best Chania beaches.
More things to do and see in the Chania Region
Besides charming Chania town and stunning beaches, there are many places you can visit, depending on your time and interests. Take a look at several suggestions.
♦ Agia Triada Monastery, nestled between olive trees.
◊ Agia Sofia Cave with the Chapel Afia Sofia.
♦ Archeological site Aptera.
◊ Hiking Samaria Gorge, the longest gorge in Europe.
♦ Hiking Imbros gorge (it takes 2 hours to pass it) and combine it with the Fragokastelo beach, close to the gorge.
◊ Horse Riding Centre in Akrotiri.
♦ Visit Lake Kournas, ideal for nature lovers.
Unforgettable Chania
In my opinion, there are many reasons to visit Hanya.
It was a wonderful experience to walk along the winding streets and observe the old Venetian houses. The fantastic smell of delicious Greek specialities spreads from numerous taverns.
And no matter how many times you pass the same street or promenade, you are more and more connected and absorb the colours, shapes and smells of Chania. It is a town whose history has left an indelible mark on the lives of various nationalities.
Source: www.greeka.com
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