Chania offers all the pleasures of a classic Greek summer holiday with a civilised urban touch. Long since a favourite with holidaying Greeks, Chania’s popularity with international visitors has surged. Nonetheless, the Cretan city continues to deliver an indelible sense of place – with one of Greece’s loveliest ports, good beaches right in town, the drama of the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) as a backdrop, and fig trees, bougainvillea and jasmine in luscious abundance.
A colourful history spanning Venetian, Ottoman and Neoclassical eras has left its mark, and there’s a wealth of sights to explore, all easily walkable. Markets sell the freshest of seasonal produce and the fertile terrain here – beloved by wild goats – has produced a culinary scene to rival anywhere in Greece.
Given the city is also within striking distance of some of the island’s main attractions, the city is the perfect home base for exploring. This has been my summer home for more than 30 years and these are my top picks for making the most of your stay.
Living like a local
Chania’s elegant architecture and its lively Mediterranean energy are a winning combination. I never miss the buzzy Saturday Laiki (farmers’ market) by the eastern Venetian walls. Come in August for local avocados, white grapes and figs which will ruin for you any other fig you taste.
Later, I head past the historic Agora (Municipal Market of Chania) – just completing its restoration – to Bougatsa Chanion (Apokoronou 37) for hot flaky cheese pie with sugar and cinnamon, then stop at Pantopoleio Galanakis grocery store (Vouloudaki 31, just around the corner from Bougatsa Chanion) to pick up some marouvas (a robust, barrel-aged wine) and green olives. Then it’s time for coffee at historical Kipos in the public garden, where the elliniko (thick Greek coffee) is still served in a traditional copper briki, with a loukoumi (the Greek name for Turkish delight) on the side.
Best beaches and swim spots
Chania’s main beach in Nea Chora, west of the Venetian port, has cafés with loungers as well as a public area, usually with a lifeguard. Koum Kapi has a tiny beach with a changing room and a shower. My favourite spot for a dip is off the staircase near the Porta Sabbionara (Italian for Koum Kapi – “sand gate”), where it’s possible to swim alongside the golden Venetian walls.
Chaniotes often prefer to take a short drive to the beaches of the Akrotiri peninsula for a swim. The most famous of them is Stavros, where Anthony Quinn danced the sirtaki to Mikis Theodorakis’ beloved theme in Zorba the Greek, and the adjacent Pachia Ammos beach. Lovely Kalathas Beach is en route from town to Stavros.
On the other side of the peninsula in a row are Loutraki, Sosorides and Marathi, which are much more accessible favourites. West of Chania, the sandbar at Agioi Apostoloi has shallow beaches on each side making it popular with families with young children.
Of the many famous beaches of Crete, Elafonissi with its famous pink sands is my favourite; wade through the turquoise lagoon to the island covered with endemic wildflowers. Sougia, very popular with Chaniotes, is a sweet, laid-back village with long tree-lined pebble beach on the Libyan Sea. The south coast has cooler, deeper waters for a refreshing swim.
Cultural highlights
Amid the mansions of aristocratic Halepa are two fine museums. The new Archaeological Museum of Chania (Skra 15) houses beautiful findings from the Paleolithic through Roman eras. Very close to here is the Church of St Mary Magdalene with its Russian-style dome and fine gardens, and the Eleftherios Venizelos Residence (Elena Venizelou Square). The eventful story of the great Greek statesman makes for an engaging introduction to the history of Modern Greece.
At the far end of the Venetian Harbour, Greece’s proud naval history from the Minoan era through the 20th century unfolds at the Maritime Museum of Chania. Above the city to the east, the Venizelos Tomb in its lovely park has a beautiful view of the city; continue to enjoy it over a dessert at Koukouvaya (Alexi Minoti 1). The archaeological site of Aptera, with its impressive ruins chiefly from the Hellenistic through to Roman eras, are less than half an hour’s drive east of Chania. Findings from here are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum.
Evenings in the port
Chania was part of The Most Serene Republic of Venice for four centuries, which explains the romance of its port. Take it in from the Egyptian Lighthouse before sunset to safely navigate the long breakwater, then wander past the Venetian Neoria (shipyards) and the Grand Arsenal into the main harbour with its Ottoman Küçük Hasan Pasha Mosque.
Follow the flow along the lively waterfront, then escape to the tangle of atmospheric pedestrian streets behind, getting lost amid the bougainvillea and boutiques. There are plenty of romantic courtyard restaurants and bars open to the sky. On Halidon, starting from the broad plaza, you’ll find the Trimartiri – Chania’s Metropolitan Church.
From here, continue east to Sifaka street, known as the Machairadika – machairi means “knife”, and Cretans craft them beautifully. Late nights find a mostly younger crowd in laid-back Splantzia Square, backed by picturesque residential alleys.
Memorable excursions
The Samaria Gorge is one of the best hikes of Greece, an all-day adventure worth having. It begins at Xyloskalo (take a bus from Chania) and descends to Agia Roumeli on the south coast, where a boat takes you via Loutro to Hora Sfakion to catch a bus back to Chania.
If you’re not up for a hike, you can still enjoy this gorgeous mini-cruise by driving or taking a bus to Hora Sfakion (also called Sfakia) and catching a boat to dreamy Loutro and then Agia Roumeli, both reached only by boat or on foot. Crete’s magnificent Botanical Garden is a haven of biodiversity just 18km from Chania. Paths lead through well-marked thematic sections of citrus trees, fruit orchards, tropical trees, vineyards and herbs, and a lake is home to waterbirds. A lunch made of excellent local products – some from the gardens – completes the experience.
Eating and drinking Cretan
Owing to the rugged terrain, the cuisine on Crete is one of Greece’s most delicious. Be sure to try grilled goat chops, stamnagathi (wild-gathered greens), chochlioi boubouristoi (snails fried with vinegar and rosemary) and staka – thickened goats’ milk cream. Pies are fragrant with wild fennel, and coarse barley rusks are a favourite carb.
For an immersive experience of Cretan food, the archaeologist and food historian Mariana Kavroulaki offers historic food tours of Chania as well as cooking lessons inspired by antiquity – a unique experience.
Crete’s aged wine marouvas is wonderful. Or have tsikoudia – a Cretan raki – the distilled spirit of grape, like grappa. And don’t miss the small batch, hyper-local soft drinks: zesty limonada (lemonade) and portokalada (orangeade) are made from real juice and sometimes with local spring water. Biral is a caramel-coloured Cretan soft drink, the precise ingredients of which are a secret, while sparkling Gazoza tastes a little like bubblegum.
Where to eat
By the Venetian Neoria in the port, Chrysostomos specialises in authentic, must-try Cretan dishes, such as chochlioi boubouristoi, staka and lamb with potatoes from their wood oven. Away from the crowds, Evgonia (Milonogianni 120) is a neighbourhood favourite for home-style dishes grown with vegetables from the owners’ garden.
Driving through the dramatic Therisos Gorge brings you to a choice of rustic tavernas known for grilled meats – Limeri (+30 28210 77884) is on the left as you enter the village, is a top pick. After a swim in Koum Kapi, you can’t do better than Pita Goal (Spartis 8; open from 17:00, closed Mondays) – Kyria Yianna’s perfectly seasoned pita gyro served with a thick smear of Greek yogurt has earned legions of fans and she makes excellent kalitsounia (fried pies with wild greens or cheese).
Where to stay
Luxury living
Ambassador’s Residence Boutique Hotel is a late 19th-century home directly on the Venetian quay with luxurious contemporary rooms that channel the building’s historic character. Dreamy views. Doubles with breakfast from £260 per night.
Boutique beauties
Halepa Hotel is situated in a converted grand home with a modern wing and pairs the centuries-old charm of the Halepa district with contemporary comforts. Parking is a plus and there’s a lovely garden. Doubles with breakfast from £155 per night.
Alternatively, Mosaic Venetian Harbour Suites is a chic, small hotel in a historical building, restored in 2022, located on the Venetian port. Doubles from £155 per night with breakfast are good value.
Budget bolthole
Danaos Hotel is a clean, simple hotel directly on the beach at Nea Chora offering good value with a dose of Nineties nostalgia. Doubles with breakfast from £77 per night.
How to get there and around
There are flights to Chania’s International Ioannis Daskalogiannis Airport from many cities, including London, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham.
Buses leave every half an hour from just outside the terminal for the centre of Chania (about 13km away). Coming from Athens, you can also take the ferry from Piraeus to Souda, with night departures every day and day departures some days in high season.
An excellent service (e-ktel.com/en) connects Chania with the airport as well as with many destinations of interest, such as Chora Sfakion, Elafonissi and Xyloskalo.
Chania is a beautifully walkable small city, and there are also local buses connecting the centre with regional beaches, Souda Bay and with the Venizelos Tombs.