Question 1

Chania on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Chania's old town and Venetian harbor are the heart of an independent day, and much of the old town is closed to cars, so it is a place for walking. 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 mouth 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, is at the west end of Kasteli. The old quarters: Kasteli, on a low hill by the sea, has been lived on since Neolithic times. Topanas, to the west, was the Christian quarter under Ottoman rule, and Splantzia, to the east, was mainly Muslim. Etz Hayyim Synagogue: Walk up Kondylaki Street from the harbor to reach the synagogue of the old Jewish quarter, which stood behind the harbor within Topanas. The Maritime Museum of Crete: The museum is at the entrance to the Firkas Fortress on the west side of the harbor, and its smaller second site is in the Venetian Moro shipyard at the eastern end. Nea Chora beach: Nea Chora is about 1 km on foot from the west end of the old town, with cafés and restaurants along its waterfront. 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. Allow for the ride back to Souda. Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match local clocks or your phone. Greece keeps Eastern European Time, an hour ahead of Italy 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.

Question 2

Getting from Souda Bay to Chania and Beyond

Accepted Answer

Chania's city buses serve Souda, the city and the nearby beaches, and the KTEL coaches run from the central bus station to the rest of Crete. Parking in the city is hard to find. City buses take card and phone payments. The KTEL coaches leave from the central bus station, which has luggage lockers.

Question 3

Cretan Food

Accepted Answer

Traditional Cretan cooking is built on vegetables, pulses, wild greens, herbs and olive oil, with cheese most days, fish and poultry weekly and red meat only now and then. Look for dakos, Cretan cheeses and lamb or goat dishes, and finish with a glass of tsikoudia. Dakos is a slice of barley rusk soaked in water or olive oil and topped with chopped tomato, crumbled feta or mizithra cheese, olive oil and dried oregano. Other Cretan specialties include kalitsounia, graviera cheese, antikristo lamb, and tsigariasto, a lamb or goat dish from the Sfakia region. Drinks to try are tsikoudia, rakomelo and Cretan wine. Cafés, restaurants and bars line the old Venetian harbor, the Venetian moat and Splantzia Square, as well as the waterfronts at Koum Kapi and Nea Chora.

Question 4

Tipping in Greece

Accepted Answer

Tipping in restaurants was not traditionally a Greek custom, though in tourist areas a small tip is now usual. Many customers simply leave a euro or two on the table. Restaurants: A small amount left on the table, usually a euro or two, is the common gesture. Taxis: Tipping the driver is uncommon. Currency: Greece uses the euro.

Question 5

Venetian Harbor, the Agora, and Cretan Identity

Accepted Answer

Venetian, Ottoman, Jewish and Cretan communities all shaped Chania's old quarters, and the 19th-century district of Halepa recalls the years when the city was capital of an autonomous Crete. Each quarter keeps a different character. Kasteli is a bit quieter than the quarters to its west, and Splantzia, next to the east side of Kasteli, is largely untouched. In Splantzia the Dominican Church of St. Nicholas became the city's main mosque under Ottoman rule. Topanas takes its name from the Venetian ammunition store, tophane in Turkish, and its narrow lanes hold old houses now turned into hotels, restaurants and shops. Koum Kapi, just outside the walls to the east, was one of the first districts to grow beyond the fortifications. Halepa, east of the center, grew in the 19th century as the home of the local aristocracy and foreign consulates. Eleftherios Venizelos's house, built from 1876 to 1880, and the palace of 1882 where Prince George lived are both there. The covered market, the Agora, was built in 1913 on the edge of the old town.

Question 6

Minoan Roots, Venetian Architecture, and the Battle of Crete

Accepted Answer

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 dug up in Kasteli. The later Greek city of Cydonia gave its name to the quince. Byzantine and Arab rule: The city was Byzantine from 395 to 824 and part of the Emirate of Crete from 824 to 961, when the Arabs seem to have called it al-Khan, the inn. Venetian Canea, 1252: Venetian colonists founded Canea on the abandoned ancient site in 1252, and work on the fortifications that still frame the old town began in 1538. Ottoman Hanya, 1645: In the first months of the Cretan War the Ottomans took the city after a two-month siege. Churches became mosques, and baths and fountains were built. Souda's naval base, 1872: After the Cretan revolt of 1866 to 1869 the Ottomans built forts, barracks and a naval base on Souda Bay, inaugurated in 1872. The Cretan State, 1898: The Great Powers made Chania the capital of a semi-autonomous Cretan State under Prince George of Greece, who landed at Souda Bay on December 9, 1898. Crete issued its own stamps and money. Union with Greece, 1913: Eleftherios Venizelos opposed Prince George's rule, including in the Therisos revolt of 1905. Crete joined Greece on December 1, 1913, and the Greek flag was raised at the Firkas Fortress on the old harbor. War, 1941: German forces invaded Crete in 1941, and on March 26 of that year Italian explosive motorboats disabled the British cruiser HMS York in Souda Bay. Modern Chania: Crete's capital 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, displays finds from across the region and from many periods, from prehistory onward.

Question 7

Chania with Children

Accepted Answer

With children, Chania is a harbor walk, a ship museum and a beach. The Maritime Museum is a good fit for school-age children and teenagers. Younger children: Nea Chora is about 1 km from the west end of the old town, with cafés and restaurants along its waterfront. School age: The Maritime Museum of Crete has ship models from the Bronze Age onward, a room of shells, sponges, corals and fossils, and the full bridge of a navy destroyer. Teenagers: In the Moro shipyard at the east end of the harbor stands a 17-meter replica Minoan ship, built between 2001 and 2004 and later sailed and rowed to Piraeus. The Maritime Museum also has a section on the German invasion of Crete.

Question 8

Olive Oil, Honey and the Market

Accepted Answer

Olives, olive oil and honey are among the local products to look for in Chania, and the covered market, the Agora, stands at the edge of the old town. The old town's lanes are full of small shops. Olive trees and citrus are the most common crops around Chania, and the region also produces wine, avocados, dairy products and honey. The old town has many souvenir, art and craft shops, and the newer streets around it have everyday shops.

Question 9

Beaches Near Chania

Accepted Answer

The closest beaches to Chania's old town are at Nea Chora to the west and Koum Kapi to the east, both a walk from the harbor. Souda Bay itself has no formal public beaches, because of the naval base. Nea Chora, west of the old town, has cafés and restaurants along its waterfront. Koum Kapi, just beyond the old walls to the east, has a beach with cafés, bars and restaurants. A long row of beach resorts stretches about 20 km west of the city along the Bay of Chania.

Souda Bay (Chania), Crete, Greece

More views of Souda Bay (Chania), Crete, Greece

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Arriving at Souda Bay