Chania is said to be the most popular of places on the gorgeous island of Crete. It is located on the northwest coast and is the second biggest city in the island. On hearing so many great reviews about it from friends and online, I decided to pay it a visit and see if it really lives up to what people say.
There is a more modernized section within it, but without doubt it is Chania’s Old Town that offers you the chance to truly get to know this amazing part of Crete. Old Town has so much to offer, from the old cream-stone lighthouse near the harbour to incredible, pastel-coloured historic townhouses (even an ancient, peachy mosque). The whole of the old town is filled with lovely old Venetian buildings, museums, churches and crafts shops. It's got a real cultural feel everywhere that I picked up on almost immediately.
The entire area is accessible by foot, which is very convenient to scout from place to place, and tight little back streets offer a lovely shopping experience too. The splantzia quarter offers cool, leafy cafes and shops filled with handmade traditional goods as well as various local products on offer. The streets are narrow, with the atmosphere that has a touch of Florence and Venice, combined with the culture of Cretan people and traditions.
The Venetion Harbour
The Old Town wraps around the harbour front. A stroll along the nearby harbour wall to the Venetian lighthouse is something not to be missed!
Providing an escaping from all the main hussle and bussle, the harbour itself offers you a breath-taking seafront view with the lighthouse on one side and the those pastel townhouses along the other. By the sea, there is a Turkish mosque, which is in fact no longer in use as a religious building. Now it often hosts art exhibitions, which is considered a tourist landmark here in Crete.