Chania Crete

holiday report and Chania Crete map

Chania Crete

CHANIA or HANIA is a jumbled mix of ancient and modern, Venetian and Turkish found on the north coast of Western Crete.
It was the Arabs who gave Chania 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.
Greek rule brought less edifying results. The old walls were torn down and an urban sprawl of concrete spread in every direction. Chania suffered 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 at Chania is the big tourist trap, with taverna and café tables lined up along the quayside. There are any number of street vendors and pony trap rides.
To the west of Chania harbour is the Firkas, an Ottoman fortress inside a Venetian bastion. It was long used as a prison but is now a fine Naval Museum with many model exhibits of early ships and, upstairs, a large display of 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 main Chania market was built in 1913 in the shape of a cross and stalls are crammed with everything from pig's heads to mountain herbs, from children's toys to pickled vegetables.
Beyond the market and across an incredibly busy road is the modern Chania city. Wander off any main street around the harbour for quaint narrow streets with elegant, crumbling Venetian facades, little shops full of handmade crafts and the odd café.
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.
Chania holiday visitors walk around the western harbour to reach the sea wall and the lighthouse. The sea wall walk is exposed to the sun and without shade can be a trial.