Chania, agapi mou ❤

Well, I have been so many times in Crete, but for the 8th of March in 2023, I took my mom to my second home. This time, we chose Chania, as I have never been there.

Long story short, Chania dates back to the Minoan period, when it was called Kydonia. During ancient times, it was always at war with Aptera, Phalasarna and Polyrrinia and it was important enough to be mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. It was the under Byzantine rule and afterwards, as almost all major cities in Crete, under Arab rule, who called the place Al Hanim (“the inn”). Actually, the name city’s name is pronounced Haniá in Greek. Don’t pronounce the Ch as in cherry, for example, but H as in hotel 🙂 It’s neutral gender, plural, that’s why you will see Χανίων – Genitive. Then, it was under the Venetian rule, Ottoman rule, then it became part of modern Greece on the 1st of December 1913 (military parades are organized) and it was the capital city of the island until it was moved to Heraklion in 1971. Today it is a charming city, bearing the marks of its history, also a very popular tourist destination.

You can get to Chania via plane, as it is served by Chania International Airport (IATA: CHQ, ICAO: LGSA), also named Ioannis Daskalogiannis, a Sfakiot hero who was skinned alive by the Ottomans in the 18th century. The airport is 14km from the city, in the Akrotiri Peninsula, well connected to the city center via public transportation, taxi, transfers or car rentals. Daily ferries arrive to Souda port, 7km from Chania, from Piraeus port. Souda is also a major Greek and NATO base. The airport is used as military base as well, that is why you will see the NO PHOTO sign everywhere and if the staff sees you taking pictures of the planes, you will be kindly asked to delete them. Also, it is very common to hear military airplanes (Top Gun style) while you sip your frappe or enjoy a delicious lunch in the old harbour (we heard a sonic boom, quite frightening).

Before I get to the fun part, some important people were born in Chania:

· Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek Prime minister and considered the most important statesman of modern Greece. The house can be visited

· Konstantinos Mitsotakis, father of the current Greek Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

· Nana Mouskouri

· John Anniston, father of Jennifer Aniston

What you can do in Chania:

Get lost on its streets. They are so amazing and you will find lovely instagrammable places at each corner

Enjoy a cup of coffee in the Venetian harbour

Walk to the lighthouse

Go to the Archaeological Museum of Chania

Visit the churches

Or the old Jewish quarter

Or Agios Nikolaos Church, the only one that has a Venetian bell tower and a minaret

Go shopping for souvenirs at The Temple, a shop inside an old church,

 later turned into a mosque

Go to Halepa quarter

Visit Tampakaria

And the warehouses

Or the remains of Kydonia

Or the Naval Museum and Firka Fortress

Eat a delicious bougatsa at Bougatsa Iordannis – open from 6am to 2 pm

Take Instagram worthy photos of Hasan Pasha Mosque

Visit the Agora (it is closed for renovations, scheduled to open in May 2025)

Rent a car and go to Akrotiri Peninsula (Agia Triada Monastery, Seitan Limania Beach), Falasarna, Ano Vouves, Elafonisi and Balos.

Book a one way ticket to Chania. Never regret 🙂