Exploring Chania Old Town: A Walking Tour
Wander the Venetian harbour, the backstreets and the market of Chania — plus where to park and the best day trips by car.
Written by Artemis Maninakis
Artemis Maninakis is the founder of IQ Car Rentals and runs its fleet from Kolymbari, West Crete — every guide is written from first-hand local experience on Crete's roads.
Chania is West Crete's most beautiful town — a maze of Venetian and Ottoman lanes wrapped around one of the Mediterranean's prettiest harbours. It's best explored on foot, but a car opens up the beaches and villages all around it. Here's how to make the most of a day in Chania.
The Venetian Harbour
Start at the waterfront, where pastel townhouses curve around to the 16th-century Egyptian Lighthouse. Walk out along the breakwater for the classic view back across the harbour, then visit the restored Grand Arsenal and the small Maritime Museum.
The old town backstreets
Lose yourself in the lanes behind the harbour — Topanas and the Splantzia quarter are full of craft shops, leather workshops, hidden courtyards and Venetian doorways. Don't miss the covered Municipal Market (Agora), a cross-shaped 1913 hall packed with cheese, herbs, honey and rakí.
Where to park
The old town is largely pedestrianised, so don't try to drive into it. The easiest options are the Old Port car park and the Talos car park just west of the centre, or free street parking a little further out. From there everything is a short, flat walk.
Best day trips by car from Chania
- Beaches west: Agia Marina, Platanias and on to Falassarna for sunset.
- Apokoronas villages: the green hill villages around Almyrida and Lake Kournas.
- Mountains: the Therisos gorge and the Omalos plateau (gateway to the Samaria Gorge).
Where to eat
Skip the harbour-front tourist spots and head one street back for better value. The Splantzia square and the lanes around the market have excellent traditional tavernas serving Cretan classics.
Want to combine the town with the beaches and villages around it? Book a rental car and we'll deliver it to your Chania hotel for a small fee — or collect free at our Kolymbari office.
