Updated 13.03.2014


Chania is the former capital city of Crete. It is the second biggest

city on the island after Heraklio. The old and valued Market hall is
the central point of the city. It is in the middle of the most
interesting
area of the city and the obvious place to begin the city
tour. In the
Market hall you can find just about everything that is
produced in
the Chania province, or sit down for a cup of coffee at one
of its
many coffee shops. There are almost 80 shops inside the spacious

Market hall.

South of the Market hall are the archaeological findings of the ruins of
the old Venetian fortress. From the west wing opens the Mousouru
business street. After going north on Mousouru there is a street to the
left called Skridlof, perhaps the most tourist oriented street in
Chania. Soon you will reach the Chalidon Street, which has many
historical buildings and an art gallery. Further along the street you
will reach the Old town and the harbour. First you pass the Mitropolis
Cathedral, Isodion Church, the Catholic Church and the Archaeological
Museum.

…
At the end of the Chalidon street, turning to the Karaoli Thimitriou
Street, you will find the Kydonian walls, which have been built using
stones from earlier buildings. From Katre Street you can go down to the
Kanevaro Street, and after a short walk you reach the center of an
ancient fortress of the hill, with remnants of Minoan structures
revealed by archaeological excavations.

Continuing on Kanevaro Street you will see the Venetian monastery and
the ruins of the Santa Maria dei Miracoli church, which was built in
1615 AD. After reaching Kasteli you will enter the Venetian harbour. On
the banks of the harbour are closely packed beautiful old buildings.
There is a Venetian shipyard from the 14th -16th century in the harbour.
Here’s a
panoramic view of the harbour, and a panoramic view from the
breakwater of the city.

Via Akti Tompazi you can reach the Kioutsouk Hasan Mosque, which was
built in 1645. Going further you get to the Sidrivani square and to the
end of  Chaldion Street. As Chalidon Street is left behind, you walk on
the Akti Koundourioti by the shore where you can find all kinds of
taverns and cafés. At the western end of the street is the Fortress of
Frika. This is the place where the flag of Greece was raised December
1st in 1913 as a sign of the Unification of Crete and Greece.

Inside the fortress there is the Naval Museum and Historical, Cultural
and Archaeological Societies of Crete. Following the walls of the
fortress you descend to Theotokopoulo Street, and get a view of the
Church of San Salvatore with Byzantine collections on its left side.
After the church there are Venetian and Turkish buildings inside the
narrow alleys.

Here’s a
panoramic view of the city from the hill east of Chania. In the
picture you can see the tourist villages stringing along the coast.

Additional info: