Chania is one of the most beautiful cities of Greece and maybe the most picturesque in Crete. It has an international airport and a harbor at Souda, the largest natural port of the Mediterranean Sea.
It has been a meeting point for many civilizations (Minoan, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish) which have all left their marks and the visitor can find everywhere in the city. The old city is well preserved and charming and the modern part is alive and organized.
The Venetian harbor of Chania with the Egyptian lighthouse is the signature of the city.
In the picturesque muddles of the old town the visitor can wander around and find workshops full of traditional folk art such as ceramics, jewelry, weaving and embroideries, traditional cutlery.
The visitor can see also other interesting pieces of Greek and Cretan folk art with a visit to the popular art museum, the Navy museum of Chania, the artistic village of “Verekynthos” as well as in other places.
The visitor can see and taste Many traditional Cretan products such as cheese, rusks, herbs can be seen and tasted on the Chania city tour which includes a visit to the Municipal market of Chania and to the streets nearby and in the old city.
The cultural life of Chania is very alive since many photograph /painting exhibitions, concerts and theatrical performances are organized across the whole year, especially during the summer and autumn.
Every Autumn the” Chania Film Festival” takes place in the city. A lot of traditional festivals are also organized in various villages of the Municipality, where you can experience local music and traditional dances and taste Cretan cuisine.
Visitors have the opportunity to attend seminars of traditional folk and Cretan dances during their stay in Chania, as well as courses of traditional musical instruments such as bouzouki, lyra, lauto and others.
In Chania you can find excellent restaurants and “mezedopoleia”( Greek fingerfood shops) and you have a variety of options to taste the Cretan cuisine which is well known for its macrobiotic diet and it is also the base of the Mediterranean diet .Many of the traditional dishes, like ”Cretan Boureki” or ”Gemista” the visitor has the chance not only to taste them but also to cook them through a Greek cooking seminar which is organized in Lexis Centre.
The region of Chania with its exceptional beautiful natural environment full of wildflowers in spring is the perfect place to organize excursions to the mountains or to the coast. The country is full of unique mountain trails, beautiful gorges among which is the famous Samaria Gorge, the deepest gorge in Europe. You can visit it either as an independent hiker or you can join one of the organized excursions of the Mountain Association of Chania or other hiking groups. Furthermore, you can visit a lot of traditional villages with small local wineries, breweries, local cheese and yogurt small factories etc.