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Greece

Chania, Crete

Chania: A Venetian Harbor on Crete's North-West Coast

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QuietNext 30 days

Good to know

Where Ships Dock

Cruise ships calling for Chania dock at Souda, Crete's ferry and naval port at the head of Souda Bay, about 6.5 km east of central Chania. The land between Souda and the city is mostly built up, and the Allied War Cemetery lies on the shore of the bay in Souda itself. Your cruise line will tell you how its passengers get into Chania.

  • Souda Bay is one of the deepest natural harbors in the Mediterranean, and naval bases, including one used by NATO, share the bay.
  • Souda is in fare zone B of the Chania urban buses; a zone B ticket cost €1.80 bought outside the bus and €2.80 bought on board in 2026, so check before you go.
  • Chania lies about 70 km west of Rethymno and 145 km west of Heraklion.
  • The Souda Bay War Cemetery, cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, holds more than 1,500 graves, most of them from the Second World War.

Chania on Your Own

Chania's old town and Venetian harbor are the heart of an independent day. A simple plan is the harbor and lighthouse first, then the lanes of the old quarters, and the Maritime Museum, with a swim at Nea Chora if there is time.

  • The harbor: The lighthouse at the harbor entrance dates from 1864, and the Küçük Hasan Pasha Mosque, also called the Yali Mosque, stands on the waterfront. Eleftherios Venizelos Square, the old town's main square, lies at the west end of Kasteli.
  • The old quarters: Kasteli, on a low hill by the sea, has been inhabited since Neolithic times and holds excavated remains of Minoan Kydonia. Topanas to the west was the Christian quarter under Ottoman rule, while Muslims lived mainly in Kasteli and Splantzia, where the Dominican Church of St. Nicholas became the Sovereign's Mosque.
  • Etz Hayyim Synagogue: Reached by walking up Kondylaki Street from the harbor, this former church became a synagogue in the 17th century and is the only surviving remnant of Crete's Romaniote Jewish community.
  • The Maritime Museum of Crete: At the entrance to the Firkas Fortress on the west side of the harbor, it shows ship models from the Bronze Age onward and has a section on the German invasion of Crete. A 17-meter replica of a Minoan ship is kept in the Moro shipyard at the eastern end of the harbor.
  • Nea Chora beach: The nearest beach is Nea Chora, about 1 km on foot from the west end of the old town.
  • Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
  • Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match the local clocks or your phone. Greece keeps Eastern European Time, UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer, so its clocks are an hour ahead of Italy's all year.
  • Carry your passport: Always carry your passport to show the police if they ask for identification, since they may not accept a copy.

Getting Around

Chania's urban buses run in two fare zones, with Souda in the outer zone B and the city and nearby beaches in zone A, and the KTEL coaches run from the central bus station to the rest of Crete. Much of the old town is closed to cars.

  • Urban bus fares are set in two zones: zone A covers the city and nearby districts such as Nea Chora and Halepa, and zone B the outer villages and Souda.
  • Card and phone payments are accepted on the city buses.
  • The KTEL intercity coaches leave from the central bus station, which has luggage lockers.
  • Chania International Airport is 14 km from the city on the Akrotiri peninsula.

Tipping in Greece

Tipping in restaurants was not traditionally a Greek custom, but that has changed in tourist areas. Many customers now simply leave a euro or two on the table.

  • Restaurants: A small amount left on the table, usually €1 to €2, is the common gesture.
  • Taxis: Tipping the driver is uncommon.

Culture and Local Life

Venetian, Ottoman, Jewish and Cretan communities all left their mark on Chania's old quarters, and the 19th-century district of Halepa recalls the years when the city was the capital of an autonomous Crete.

  • Halepa, east of the center, grew in the 19th century as the home of the local aristocracy, with consulates and grand houses.
  • Halepa's historic buildings include the house of Eleftherios Venizelos, built from 1876 to 1880 and now a museum, and the palace of 1882 where Prince George lived as high commissioner.
  • The covered central market was built in 1913.
  • Cafés, restaurants and bars line the old Venetian harbor, the Venetian moat and Splantzia Square, and the waterfronts of Koum Kapi and Nea Chora.
  • Venizelos went on to serve several terms as prime minister of Greece between 1910 and 1933.

A Brief History

Chania stands on the site of Minoan Kydonia and was refounded by the Venetians in 1252, taken by the Ottomans in 1645 and made capital of an autonomous Cretan State in 1898. It joined Greece in 1913 and was Crete's capital until 1971.

  • Minoan Kydonia: Linear B tablets from Knossos name the settlement Ku-do-ni-ja, and its remains have been excavated in Kasteli. Classical Cydonia was later an important city-state, and its name is the root of the English word "quince".
  • Byzantine and Arab rule: The city was Byzantine from 395 to 824 and part of the Emirate of Crete from 824 to 961; the Arabs seem to have called it al-Khan, "the inn".
  • Venetian Canea, 1252: A wave of Venetian colonists founded Canea on the abandoned ancient site in 1252, and the fortifications that still shape the old town were begun in 1538.
  • Ottoman Hanya, 1645: In the opening months of the Cretan War the Ottomans took the city after a two-month siege. Churches became mosques, and new mosques, baths and fountains were built.
  • The Cretan State, 1898: The Great Powers made Chania the capital of the semi-autonomous Cretan State, with Prince George of Greece as high commissioner. Crete issued its own stamps and money in these years.
  • Union with Greece, 1913: Eleftherios Venizelos led the opposition to Prince George, including the Therisos revolt of 1905. Crete joined Greece on 1 December 1913, and the Greek flag was raised at the Firkas Fortress on the old harbor.
  • War, 1941: German paratroopers invaded Crete in 1941 in the Battle of Crete, and many of the Allied soldiers who died are buried in the war cemetery at Souda.
  • Modern Chania: The capital of Crete moved to Heraklion in 1971, and from the 1970s tourism became central to the city's economy.
  • To learn more ashore: The Archaeological Museum of Chania, at 15 Skra Street in Halepa since 2022, displays Minoan and Roman finds from across the region, including a mosaic of Dionysus and Ariadne.

Chania with Children

With children, Chania is a harbor walk, a ship museum and a beach. Nea Chora beach is within walking distance of the old town, and the Maritime Museum suits school-age children and teenagers.

  • Younger children: Nea Chora, about 1 km from the west end of the old town, is the nearest beach.
  • School age: The Maritime Museum of Crete has ship models, a room of shells, sponges, corals and fossils, and the full bridge of a navy destroyer.
  • Teenagers: The replica Minoan ship in the Moro shipyard was built between 2001 and 2004 and later sailed and rowed to Piraeus. The Archaeological Museum's Minoan and Roman finds, including a bust of the emperor Hadrian, fill a longer visit.

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