Chania Old City

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The Diamond of Mediterranean

A different and amazing aspect of the modern city of Chania is with no doubt the old town that offers you the chance to truly get to know the most amazing part of Crete. The old town has so much to offer you from the Topanas and the Jewish Districts, Santrivani, Splantzia and Kasteli as well as a number of narrow streets and buildings of Venetian, Ottoman and Neoclassical architecture that are jaw-draping.

The old town has three distinct areas: the Venetian, Turkish and Jewish quarters are each well preserved. Chania’s old port curls within its rampart walls in from a lighthouse that was built by the Venetians in the 16th century and reconstructed in Islamic style a couple of hundred years later.

Bars and restaurants line the waterfront alongside the bubble-shaped Mosque of Hassan Pasha and the Venetian Great Arsenal, where the main attraction is the brightly painted replica Minoan boat built for the Athens Olympics in 2004. From the harbor, a labyrinth of cobbled alleyways stretches amid pleasingly haphazard Venetian architecture and a maze of stores, churches and cafés. Pop in to Etz Hayyim Synagogue (off of Kondylaki) to admire the sheer tenacity of Crete’s Jewish community, which has survived five occupations and the German persecution during World War II.

A Mosaic of Cultures

A mix of Ottoman and Venetian architecture is held in front of your eyes when walking around the old city. The old town around the old Venetian harbor will unravel to you its history from the glorious ancient Minoan times through the Ottoman Turkish period. Astonishing buildings like venetian town houses and villas to a more Eastern vibe with the town’s numerous Turkish houses, mosques and churches there is no question were the area’s diversity came from. The old city of Chania however is offering an amazing walk to anyone who wishes to travel back in time without being a “Dead” city.

Take your time to walk around there and feel the magic of the old city casting a spell on you. Try the local delicacies and live like the locals by trying raki or ntakos, the famous Cretan Greek salad, popular all over the world and get an instant love for Mediterranean cuisine! Escape from all the hassle and the noise with an amazing walk around the old city of Chania and you will see for your own that at every corner you will discover something different. Feel the Cretan hospitality and let the area’s magic take over you.

Full of picturesque hotels and cafes and little taverns this is the place to go if you wish to live like a true Cretan and enjoy all that is promises: quality food, excellent beaches, amazing places in the most popular Greek island. Learn why Chania is one of the best places to live.