Chania

Chania is one of Crete’s most important ports and is perhaps Greece’s most beautiful city. It flourished during the period of Venetian rule (1252-1645), which left a deep mark and gave the city is contemporary form. Its port, with its characteristic Venetian…

Greece with characteristic Venetian lighthouse

Chania is one of Crete’s most important ports and is perhaps Greece’s most beautiful city. It flourished during the period of Venetian rule (1252-1645), which left a deep mark and gave the city is contemporary form. Its port, with its characteristic Venetian lighthouse and its superb old town, afford it a unique atmosphere.

The city’s public market is an architectural gem that is among the most impressive in the Mediterranean.

The Ottomans conquered Chania in 1654 and it was only liberated in 1913 when, along with the rest of Crete, it was united with Greece.

The Samaria Gorge is found 40 kilometers from Chania and is among the largest canyons in Europe. It can be visited from the beginning of May to the 15th of October. It is a 16-kilometer hike on a footpath that descends next to cliffs and through thick forests. After a six to eight-hour walk, it ends at the seaside village of Aghia Roumeli on the coast of the Libyan Sea.

Gastronomy – Local products

The Cretan diet, an important part of the island’s culture, is based on local, pure and simple raw materials such as virgin olive oil, vegetables, legumes, wild greens but also meat, fish and seafood. Some of the traditional dishes that are worth trying are kalitsounia with spinach, fennel or wild horta, sfakianopita, kreatotourta, snails (chochli) cooked in various recipes, boureki from Chania, gamopilafo, pasta with anthotiro and “ofto” or grilled goat, apaki or singlino, village sausages but also fresh fish and seafood. You will accompany them with wild horta, dakos and dairy products such as Cretan graviera, mizithra and staka. Do not miss xerotigana and of course you will clink your glasses with tsikoudia, the drink-symbol of the Cretans. You will also find local wines and beers, dried herbs such as malotira (Sideritis Syriaca), the cretan mountain tee, and melissohorto (Melissa officinalis) to make infusions, local beers and soft drinks. 

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