Why Chania in Crete is price a visit in its personal proper

Travellers have lengthy been drawn to Greece’s largest island, each for the richness of its previous and the great thing about its landscapes. In Chania, the 2 collide. Built on the location of an historical Minoan settlement based in 3650 BCE, town lies surrounded by a few of Crete’s most spectacular pure websites — from the vertiginous cliffs of Samaria Gorge National Park to the pink sands of Elafonisi, often voted one of many world’s most stunning seashores.

Chania has modified fingers many instances over the centuries, and at the moment its previous city is punctuated by monuments left by Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman conquerors. Take the Seventeenth-century Mosque of Kioutsouk Hasan, town’s final surviving Turkish-era temple. Its pink domes are watched over by Firkas Fortress, which was created to fend off enemy ships again when Chania served because the Cretan capital below Venetian rule. Not removed from these hulking battlements, the Maritime Museum of Crete presents insights into the island’s nautical historical past.

The previous is in every single place within the previous city, however a current inflow of scholars and travellers means a extra trendy flavour has began to flourish amongst its labyrinthine streets. instance is Oinoa, an intimate restaurant overlooking the harbour. Local Cretan wines are paired with forward-thinking Mediterranean dishes like beef carpaccio with smoked mozzarella cream. It’s an awesome spot for a sundowner, too.

Come dawn, anticipate to listen to the singsong greeting of kalimera as freddo cappuccinos (a Greek speciality) are set upon harbourside tables for breakfast, adopted by plates of Cretan cheeses and thick, honey-topped yoghurt. It’s tempting to spend the primary portion of the day in typical Cretan fashion — with an extended breakfast that stretches till noon — however Chania’s fruit stalls beckon. The 43,056sq ft municipal market on Chatzimichali Giannari has been closed for renovations since 2022, although town’s streets nonetheless thrum with locals and guests 4 instances per week. Locations fluctuate, however Saturdays at Minoos Street Market are finest. You’ll discover native honeys and preserves in abundance, together with tables piled excessive with melons, cherries, oranges and nectarines, creating traces of color that stretch into the gap.

After a day exploring, town’s tavernas present the best bookend. The Well of the Turk is among the previous city’s most scenic dinner spots. Set in Splantzia, or the Turkish quarter, it lies inside a maze of quiet streets and minarets, its menu invoking 4 centuries of historical past. Standout dishes embody slow-cooked lamb with couscous, and spicy prawns doused in ouzo. Pleasingly, as is the case in most eating places in Greece, a dessert on the home and a shot of liqueur nearly at all times follows.

Along with consuming, the opposite quintessential late-night exercise right here is buying. As the sky turns pink and orange over the ocean, peruse Sifaka Street for conventional Cretan knives: an age-old image of honour and craftsmanship handed down from technology to technology. Stroll the remainder of the alleys and also you’ll discover quite a few ceramic and jewelry boutiques promoting soaps, olive oil and different native produce. A standout is To Meli, which sells hand-dried herbs whose fragrance rests on the air lengthy after sundown.

Shoppers’ efforts are rewarded at Authentico, an artisan ice cream parlour on neighbouring Daskalogianni Street, the place bars, espresso roasters and natural foodstuffs abound. Live music — and naturally raki — circulation properly into the early hours on this space. Both are at their finest mere steps away at Adespoto taverna, the place the sound of bouzoukis (lutes) fills an open-air eating space solid from the ruins of an previous Venetian townhouse. Weary heads could be remedied by the prospect of a heat bougatsa (custard and filo pie) come morning.

Three highlights:

1. Old Venetian Harbour
All pastel-coloured townhouses, this promenade nonetheless serves because the previous city’s predominant artery. Walk its size to achieve the so-called Egyptian Lighthouse, first constructed by the Venetians earlier than being rebuilt as a minaret by the Ottomans within the mid-Nineteenth century.

2. Bougatsa Iordanis
A brief stroll south from the port, Chania’s oldest bakery serves each a slice of Greek historical past and a breakfast staple, taking the primary a part of its title from the nice and cozy custard and filo pie that graces tables the nation over every morning.

3. Lake Kournas
The seashores of Elafonisi and Balos are rightfully beloved amongst guests to Crete, however Lake Kournas —some 45 minutes from Chania by automobile — is an much more tranquil spot. Hire a pedalo and take a spin round its glimmering waters. On an excellent day, you’ll have the ability to spot fish and turtles swimming beneath.