Things to do in Chania

Chania keeps its Venetian harbour more or less whole. The breakwater curves out to a lighthouse shaped like a minaret, rebuilt under Egyptian rule in the 1830s on Venetian foundations. Kucuk Hasan, the first Ottoman mosque on Crete, sits at the near end.

The harbour and what stands behind it

Behind the water the old town falls into quarters, and each carries a different layer.

• Topanas — the Venetian west end, tall houses on narrow lanes, the Firkas bastion and the maritime museum.
• Evraiki — the Jewish quarter, with the restored Etz Hayyim synagogue down a side lane.
• Splantzia — the Ottoman quarter, a plane tree in the square and the calmest tavernas in the old town.
• Kastelli — the low hill over the harbour, where Minoan Kydonia is still being dug between the houses.
• The market — a cross-shaped hall opened in 1913, four arms of fish, cheese, herbs and raki.

What runs out of the city

Chania is the base for the western end of the island. Most of what it sells leaves early. The White Mountains stand behind the town, and the gorge walks start on the Omalos plateau an hour up the road.

West and south the coast turns to lagoon and sand. Balos sits under the Gramvousa peninsula, Falassarna faces the sunset, and Elafonissi lies round the southwest corner. Boats to Balos leave from Kissamos.

In town the day is the harbour, the market and the lanes, plus a wine or olive-oil afternoon in Apokoronas. Cooking classes here take Cretan food seriously. Tandem paragliding flies from the hills nearby.

Practical

• Airport and port. The airport is out on the Akrotiri peninsula, about twenty minutes away. The overnight ferry from Piraeus docks at Souda, not in the old harbour.
• Parking. The old town is uneven stone and mostly closed to cars. Leave the car in the new town and walk in.
• Where to eat. The harbour front charges for the view. Two streets back the same plate costs half.
• Season. May to October. June and September give you the same sea as August with a fraction of the queue.
• Gorge days. Book them early in your stay rather than late. Rain closes the gorges, and you want a second date to fall back on.
• Shoes. Grip matters more than looks. Harbour flagstones are polished smooth and gorge floors are loose stone.
• Water. Summer afternoons in the lanes are airless, and the nearest shade is usually a church.