Foot of the mountain
Crete
I've not been to Greece for over twenty years, and I've never been to Crete. So it would be interesting to see how the country has fared in the intervening years of economic struggles. We'd opted to stay in west of the island, further from the capital and popular tourist town of Heraklion but we were swayed by the lure of a balcony apartment looking out onto a lighthouse.
There are too many taxis on Crete our taxi driver told us at Chania airport. He had waited 5 hours for our 25 euro trip into the centre of Chania. He did talk of the country's struggle with bankruptcy, it was heartfelt and sincere and he was cautiously optimistic that some seeds of recovery had been sown. But he was concerned about the delicate balance of tourism versus the investment in infrastructure to support this, and an over reliance on tourism to promote the recovery. So a very informative introduction to Greek politics on the 25 minutes taxi journey from the airport!
We were staying at the Hotel Porto Antico which was in the pedestrianised old town with very limited vehicular access so be aware you'll need to walk a few hundred metres from any taxi or public transport drop off if you are staying in the old town. I don't usually mention hotels by name but we had a room with a magnificent seaside balcony and view of the harbour, and resplendent minaret lighthouse. And the staff were lovely. I'll make no apologies for including lots of photographs of the Chania lighthouse as we looked at it morning, noon and night from our apartment balcony.
The beautiful Venetian harbour of Chania is a huge draw for visitors to Crete and despite our unseasonal visit it was still busy. The harbour entrance lighthouse can be reached by the long outer harbour wall. From the lighthouse you can look back on the crescent shaped waterfront adorned by a myriad of restaurants, back-dropped by the spectacular white mountains, which were still white in April.
As with the majority of restaurants offering such a wonderful vista, you will be better served away from the main harbour waterfront for value for money and standard of food. Instead, wander the small streets of old town Chania which are a delight to explore or try the seafront restaurants in the old Venetian harbour area, beyond the Mosque of the Janissaries - They are a step up from the main harbour offerings. Should you wish to eat in the main harbour try the breakfast option instead. Excellent choices and seriously more eggs for your euro than a lunch or evening meal.
The warmth and hospitality of the Greek people is fabulous and was an absolute pleasure throughout our trip. This extended from taxi drivers to restaurant staff to the older gent who I bought some worry beads from. He could have sold me fresh air, such was his charm.
Chania is certainly big enough to keep you occupied for a week. There's a decent indoor market to check out, and a huge variety of shopping available. The walks either side of the center harbour area are pleasant enough, and there is a beach at Nea Chora should you fancy some sand action.
The biggest highlight of Chania was exploring the restaurants in the nooks and crannies of the old town. They were all fantastic, and with my wife being vegetarian the options were for once, fantastic. There are an abundance of family run restaurants which take great pride in their local homemade specialties ranging from wonderful mushroom soups to superb fresh sea bream.
Visit a restaurant for a second time on your stay and you will literally become part of the family!
I would highly recommend the walk up to the site of the Venizelos graves, who were two Greek statesmen. The panoramic views of Chania, the Mediterranean and the White Mountains are a just reward for the steep climb in the sunshine.
There are also a few bars set high up in the hills to enjoy the views with a coffee or beer so you can refresh before walking back down. There are local buses that will get you some of the way or planned excursions if you don't fancy the walk.
Back in Chania, another great vantage point is the the view of the lighthouse and harbour from the 5th Merarchias Square on top of Kastelli Hill just above above the harbour behind the mosque. It's a hilltop archaeological site featuring the remains of a Byzantine fortress & fortification walls.
The Maritime Museum of Crete is part of the Firka Fortress on the northwest side of the port. We're not big museum fans but it was a highly enjoyable experience with hundreds of wonderfully detailed boat models and artifacts from the great wars. Best of all was a discovery of a four man model workshop who were building, maintaining and restoring all the models. They were kind enough to talk me through what they were working on.
What a fantastic job to have!
Next time I'll take a look at some of the day trips we embarked on from Chania along the coast.
I've not been to Greece for over twenty years, and I've never been to Crete. So it would be interesting to see how the country has fared in the intervening years of economic struggles. We'd opted to stay in west of the island, further from the capital and popular tourist town of Heraklion but we were swayed by the lure of a balcony apartment looking out onto a lighthouse.
There are too many taxis on Crete our taxi driver told us at Chania airport. He had waited 5 hours for our 25 euro trip into the centre of Chania. He did talk of the country's struggle with bankruptcy, it was heartfelt and sincere and he was cautiously optimistic that some seeds of recovery had been sown. But he was concerned about the delicate balance of tourism versus the investment in infrastructure to support this, and an over reliance on tourism to promote the recovery. So a very informative introduction to Greek politics on the 25 minutes taxi journey from the airport!
 |
| Chania Lighthouse, Crete. |
We were staying at the Hotel Porto Antico which was in the pedestrianised old town with very limited vehicular access so be aware you'll need to walk a few hundred metres from any taxi or public transport drop off if you are staying in the old town. I don't usually mention hotels by name but we had a room with a magnificent seaside balcony and view of the harbour, and resplendent minaret lighthouse. And the staff were lovely. I'll make no apologies for including lots of photographs of the Chania lighthouse as we looked at it morning, noon and night from our apartment balcony.
 | |
|
The beautiful Venetian harbour of Chania is a huge draw for visitors to Crete and despite our unseasonal visit it was still busy. The harbour entrance lighthouse can be reached by the long outer harbour wall. From the lighthouse you can look back on the crescent shaped waterfront adorned by a myriad of restaurants, back-dropped by the spectacular white mountains, which were still white in April.
 |
| The White Mountains, Chania, Crete. |
As with the majority of restaurants offering such a wonderful vista, you will be better served away from the main harbour waterfront for value for money and standard of food. Instead, wander the small streets of old town Chania which are a delight to explore or try the seafront restaurants in the old Venetian harbour area, beyond the Mosque of the Janissaries - They are a step up from the main harbour offerings. Should you wish to eat in the main harbour try the breakfast option instead. Excellent choices and seriously more eggs for your euro than a lunch or evening meal.
 |
| The water front, Chania, Crete. |
The warmth and hospitality of the Greek people is fabulous and was an absolute pleasure throughout our trip. This extended from taxi drivers to restaurant staff to the older gent who I bought some worry beads from. He could have sold me fresh air, such was his charm.
Chania is certainly big enough to keep you occupied for a week. There's a decent indoor market to check out, and a huge variety of shopping available. The walks either side of the center harbour area are pleasant enough, and there is a beach at Nea Chora should you fancy some sand action.
 |
| Chaina, Crete |
The biggest highlight of Chania was exploring the restaurants in the nooks and crannies of the old town. They were all fantastic, and with my wife being vegetarian the options were for once, fantastic. There are an abundance of family run restaurants which take great pride in their local homemade specialties ranging from wonderful mushroom soups to superb fresh sea bream.
Visit a restaurant for a second time on your stay and you will literally become part of the family!
 |
| Alfresco eating, Chania, Crete. |
I would highly recommend the walk up to the site of the Venizelos graves, who were two Greek statesmen. The panoramic views of Chania, the Mediterranean and the White Mountains are a just reward for the steep climb in the sunshine.
There are also a few bars set high up in the hills to enjoy the views with a coffee or beer so you can refresh before walking back down. There are local buses that will get you some of the way or planned excursions if you don't fancy the walk.
 |
| View from Venizelos Graves, Chania, Crete. |
Back in Chania, another great vantage point is the the view of the lighthouse and harbour from the 5th Merarchias Square on top of Kastelli Hill just above above the harbour behind the mosque. It's a hilltop archaeological site featuring the remains of a Byzantine fortress & fortification walls.
 |
| Chania harbour, Maritime Museum is far right. |
The Maritime Museum of Crete is part of the Firka Fortress on the northwest side of the port. We're not big museum fans but it was a highly enjoyable experience with hundreds of wonderfully detailed boat models and artifacts from the great wars. Best of all was a discovery of a four man model workshop who were building, maintaining and restoring all the models. They were kind enough to talk me through what they were working on.
What a fantastic job to have!
 |
| Model workshop, Maritime Museum of Crete, Chania, Crete. |
Next time I'll take a look at some of the day trips we embarked on from Chania along the coast.
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