Hotels in Chania Town

Chania Town: Venetian Harbour and Cretan Old City

Chania Town, on the northwest coast of Crete, centres on a Venetian harbour built in the 14th century — one of the best-preserved in the eastern Mediterranean. The Old Town (Palea Poli) fans out behind the harbour wall through narrow lanes of Ottoman fountains, Venetian loggia, and Byzantine churches converted to mosques and back again. The Lighthouse of Chania, reconstructed by Egyptians in the 19th century, anchors the harbour mouth and is a ten-minute walk from most Old Town hotels. The covered Municipal Market (1913), modelled on the market at Marseille, sells Cretan cheeses, thyme honey, and dried herbs.

Where to Stay

Most visitors base themselves in the Splantzia or Kastelli quarters, both inside the Venetian walls, for walkable access to the harbour and the Archaeological Museum (housed in a 16th-century Franciscan church). Hotels in the newer Halepa district, 1.5 km east, offer quieter streets and neoclassical mansions that once served as foreign consulates.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: Chania International Airport (CHQ) sits 14 km east; taxis reach the Old Town in 20 minutes.
• Intercity buses: Ktel Chanion connects Chania to Heraklion (2.5 hours) and Rethymno (1 hour) from the main bus station on Kidonias Street.
• Crowds: July and August fill the harbour esplanade; shoulder months (May, October) offer lower hotel rates.
• Currency: Euro (€); most Old Town tavernas accept cards.