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The beautiful city of Chania is truly the diamond of Crete and the visitor should enjoy combining the old with the new.
You can visit the old town and the harbor with the Venetian physiognomy of buildings.
The pedestrian street in SKRYDLOF "Stivanadika" which is one of the most tourist streets of Chania.
Municipal market in cruciform building houses shops that offer Hania production.
Continuing the walk waterfront and along the coast you will find old shops for food and coffee. Going down Duke Street you will find yourself in the center of the aristocratic neighborhood of the Venetian town where you can admire the architecture of the buildings currently used for guesthouses.
Visit and admire the square in front of the imposing Metropolitan Church of the Presentation of the Catholic Church and the Church of St. Francis which houses the Archaeological Museum of Chania.
From the gate of the Byzantine walls you will find yourself in the center of the fortified acropolis with Minoikooikismo.
Traversing the Akti Tompazi will see the mosque and the mosque of Küçük Hasan.
At the edge of the harbor stands the fortress Firkas, where the Naval Museum of Crete and the Historical, Cultural and Archaeological Society of Crete.
In Theotokopoulou left you will see the church of San Selvatore which hosts the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Collection of Chania.
In the historical square of Splanzia you will see the Church of St. Nicholas with the Turkish minaret and the Renaissance Church of St. Rocco.
Visit the historical quarters of Halepa and see the Palace of Prince Georgios and the residence of Eleftherios Venizelos.
DESTINATIONS
Places to visit if you stay in Chania town
Agia Roumeli (reached only on foot or boat)
Agia Roumeli Chania, Crete Agia Roumeli is a very
special and unique place with its genuine cretan background. It has strong
character and soul surrounded by breath taking, wild mountains and a long beach
of fine pebble by the clear Libyan sea. The village is remote and isolated. It
can only be reached on foot or by boat (from Paleohora and Hora Sfakion).
Accommodation and taverns are available.
In Agia Roumeli and its surroundings you can relax,
you can switch off the outside world. The location is perfect for unwinding,
forgetting the cares of the world and drinking of the local wines, notably
tsikoudia, and eating the local cuisine for which the island is famous. This is
not a destination for the sophisticated tourist, but more for the discerning
traveler looking for a laidback and unforgettable experience.
Agia Roumeli is the place where Samaria Gorge ends.
Almyrida
Almyrida is located 19 Km from Chania and was once
just a quaint fishing hamlet. It
has a lovely sandy beach, popular for windsurfing and catamaran sailing. There
are tavernas all along the seafront, a small archaeological site and it is a
good walking area. Beyond is Plaka, a picturesque hamlet and Kokkino Horio an
old world Cretan hamlet nestling on a granite landscape supporting olive groves
and scrub, criss-crossed by dry stone walls.
Georgioupoli
Georgioupoli or Georgioupolis is a village and resort
on the Greek island of Crete. It is located 43 km east of Chania, about 22 km
west of Rethymno and about 100 km west of Heraklio in the Apokoronas region. It
was named after Prince George of Greece, high commissioner of the island in the
last years of Ottoman occupation.
Formerly a small fishing village, Georgioupoli is very
much a tourist town now, with many cafe's, tavernas and small hotels and
apartment blocks. The 9 km beach is the main attraction of the area, with
Kalyvaki beach on the other side of the river as well. Nearby Lake Kournas is
also a popular excursion by foot, bicycle or tourist 'train'. Georgioupoli is a
well-located base for exploring the traditional villages of the area towards
Vamos or into the White Mountains to the south.
Hora Sfakion (or Sfakia)
Hora Sfakion is a town on the south coast of Crete,
Greece. It is the capital of the remote and mountainous region of Sfakia, and
is a small town of just 500 inhabitants. It is found on the southern coast near
the end of the Imbros Gorge, 74 km south of Chania. In its two small harbours,
the ferry boats from Agia Roumeli dock, which in the summer bring the hikers
from the Samaria Gorge to take buses back to the northern coast. It is a small
village with a main harbourfront of tavernas, and has two minimarkets, a butcher
and a bakery. You can hire a car, or arrange a local taxi. The village has a
quiet local beach inside the village, and several pebbly beaches nearby.
Hora Sfakion prospered during the Venetian and Turkish
occupations and up to the 18th century carried on a flourishing trade with its
own small fleet. It was said to have had a hundred churches but the town
suffered badly from wartime bombardment during and after the Allied evacuation.
Kalives
Kalives (Kalyves) is a large village in Crete Greece,
located about 20 km east of Chania in the Apokoronas area and it is a popular
tourist resort that has maintained its Cretan character. It is on the coast at
the entrance of Souda Bay. It essentially consists of one long road, with
houses opening directly on to it, with the occasional alley behind. The town is
bound on one side by the sea and the other by low hills. A long sandy beach
runs alongside most of the town, interrupted by a small stream.
Kissamos
Kissamos is a town on the west of the island of Crete,
Greece. The town of Kissamos is officially known as Kastelli-Kissamou and often
known simply as Kastelli after the Venetian castle that was there. It is now a
port and fishing harbour, with a regular ferry from the Peloponnese via
Kythira. A town museum is located in the old Venetian governor's palace and
there have been important archaeological finds in the town, including fine
mosaics, dating from the Roman city of Kissamos, the port of Polirinia.
Kolymvari
Kolymvari is a coastal town at the southern end of the
Rodopou peninsula and is a local centre for commerce and fishing. It does not
have a sandy beach and is thus not as popular with tourists as the nearby
resorts of Maleme and Platanias. Near the town is the historic Moni Gonia
monastery. The Spiliakos river enters the sea at Kolymbari.
Loutro
Beautiful, tiny and seaside village than it can be
reached on foot or boat. Loutro is set on an idyllic setting, guarded by
mountains all around. It is a peaceful place, favoured by people who want a
quiet holiday. It can however be a little bit busy in the high season. A pebble
beach right in the middle of the village with crystal clear waters is the place
for bathing.
Paleohora
Paleohora is a large village which has been popular
with tourism for a number of years, no doubt because of its beautiful beach.
The sandy beach is huge, over 1 km long, and there is space for everyone to
lounge or to swim. From Paleohora are ferry departures to Gavdos Island
Platanias
Platanias is a village is located about 10 km from the
city of Chania and east of Kastelli-Kissamos and is by Chania Bay. It is a
popular village with a beach, several hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops.
Not far from the coast is the island of St. Theodori.
Samaria Gorge
Samaria Gorge Crete Creta Kreta The gorge of Samaria
is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Crete. In the winter the
gorge (located in the National Park of Samaria) is closed to visitors because
of the danger posed by water and falling stones.
The reason for the popularity of Samaria may be that
it is said to be the longest gorge in Europe, it may also simply be that it is
an area of stunning natural beauty, passing through forests of ancient
cypresses and pines, then cutting very deep between vertical cliffs through the
mountains to emerge at Agia Roumeli by the Libyan sea in the South of Crete.
It is not an easy stroll. The gorge is 16 km long and
the path, although it is maintained and in good condition, is stony and also
steep at times.
Samaria Gorge is open from May to October. In the
winter the gorge (located in the National Park of Samaria) is closed to
visitors because of the danger posed by water and falling stones.