Chania Crete satellite map and holiday report Chania

Greek island holidays | Chania Crete

Chania or Hania is a jumbled mixture of ancient and modern, Venetian and Turkish. It was the Arabs who gave the city its name after they conquered it in 828 AD. The Venetians took it over in the late 13th century and built the Kastelli and the harbour area, with its majestic arsenals. Following attacks by Barbarossa pirates in the late 16th century, Chania was completely rebuilt with a new outer harbour and great walls. In the 17th century it was the turn of the Turks who added mosques and gardens. The Cretan revolt ended with the island's eventual absorption into Greece in 1913.
Greek rule brought less edifying results. The old walls were torn down and an urban sprawl of concrete spread in every direction and the city suffered from severe bombing in World War II, thanks to its proximity to the deep water port in Souda bay.
There is still a marked contrast between the old and the new Chania. The former retains the magic of the orient; the new pays homage to the cement mixer. The inner harbour is the big tourist trap, with its taverna and cafe tables lined up along the quayside. There are any number of street vendors and pony trap rides. The square shaped harbour traps plenty of debris and views over the water can also include bottle, plastic bags and what look likes a permanent pile of shredded pizza.
To the west of the harbour is the Firkas, an Ottoman fortress that was incorporated into a Venetian bastion. It was long used as a prison but is now mostly a fine Naval Museum with many model exhibits of early ships and, upstairs, a large display of memorabilia from the Battle of Crete including a life-size mock-up of the bridge of a destroyer.
The two main tourist holiday streets are Theotokopouliou, behind the nautical museum, and Halidon, behind the main market. The former is in the old Jewish quarter and noted for its old Venetian frontages and small shops selling crafts and jewellery. Halidon is more cosmopolitan and houses a fine archaeological museum with the leather market in nearby Eskipou Street. The market was built soon after Crete's union with Greece in 1913. It is in the shape of a cross and the stall are crammed with everything from pig's heads to mountain herbs, from children's toys to pickled vegetables. Always packed and bustling it is a perfect place to sense the busy city.
Beyond the market across an incredibly busy road is the modern city. Wander off any main street around the harbour and you will come across quaint narrow streets with elegant, crumbling Venetian facades, little shops full of handmade crafts and the odd cafe. The western harbour of Chania is where the boats dock unlike the main harbour which is left empty for tourists to enjoy the views. Less well endowed with waterside cafes, the new western harbour is still worth a visit if only to see the restored Venetian arsenals with their vaulted roofs. Holiday visitors must also walk around the western harbour to gain access to the sea wall and the lighthouse. This is no mean walk in the heat and many give up. The sea wall walk is exposed to the sun and without shade can be a trial.