Welcome to Hania, a beautiful and picturesque city with reminders of the past at every corner.
Hania is the main town in the west of Crete, with the second largest population after Heraklion. The city splits up to the old city with the Venetian walls, the labyrinthine lanes, the Venetian small streets and the new city which was built the last years far away from the old city with good street layout, new buildings and squares. The Venetian port and the castle is the view that visitors first see when they arrive in Hania.
The picturesque sea or the mountainous villages where people live in their own way of life, the famous Samaria’s ravine one of the most beautiful of Europe, the sheer Leyka Oroi the wonderful beaches of Libiko Pelagos, the virgin sea of Western Crete, the small islands, the dreamy shelters, all together compound a landscape of wild nature, full of light and sea which for the first time capture the visitor and detach the return’s promise.
During the summer period a variety of cultural events take place on a daily basis. Theatrical plays, concerts and several exhibitions from Greek and foreign artists are organized either by the municipality or by individuals.
In the evening, the old harbour is the centre of life in Hania, where people go out to have a drink, eat in one of the many tavernas and maybe visit one of the bars and clubs.
Eating possibilities range from charming garden tavernas, often set in the ruins of some majestic building of the past, to simple village kafenions with good, basic homecooked food at incredibly low prices. It is said, there are some excellent places to visit away from the harbour, some in picturesque little streets just behind the harbour, others in the new town. In the summer months most social life takes place out doors.
Its history is particularly interesting as in the past, invaders always focussed on this area.
You’ll find traces of Byzantine, Venetian, Turkish and German times here and Linear B tablets discovered indicate that Hania was the site of the Minoan city of Kydonia.
Chania lies along the north coast of the island, about 70 km west of Rethymno and 145 km west of Heraklion. The city is served by Chania International Airport and Souda, the city's port, some 7 km from Chania with daily ferries to Piraeus.
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