Route: Chania Old Town
Area: Crete
Date of walk: 27th April 2026
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 4.9 miles
Ascent: nil
Weather: Sunny and warm
The final walk of our time in Crete took us to one of its most important places – Chania Old Town, which was built on the site of the ancient city of Kydonia. Chania, also spelt Xania or Hania (and pronounced as the latter), has been invaded by numerous civilisations during its turbulent history, including the Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Turks, Egyptians, Arabs and, during the Second World War, the Germans. All of them have left their mark, but it’s the Venetian influence which is perhaps the most pronounced
We parked in the free park and ride to the west of the old town. Instead of waiting for the bus, which generally comes every 20 minutes, we decided to walk to nearby Nea Chora Beach and to follow the coastal path into Chania Old Town. A pleasant stroll brought us to the ancient defensive city walls which once protected Chania Old Town. Continuing around the seafront, we passed by the Chania Lighthouse, built in 1864 on the site of the original Venetian lighthouse. We then walked around the Venetian Harbour, a wonderful section of the walk. After passing by the Kucjk Hassan Mosque, the oldest Ottoman building in Crete, we continued as far as the path which leads to the lighthouse. This marked the furthest point of our walk, and from here we meandered back through the narrow streets and alleyways of Chania
Once out of the old town, the return to the start as shown on the route map was a means to an end and lacked interest. If I were to do this walk again, I’d take the park and ride there and back and concentrate on the Old Town, rather than wasting time in the modern part of Chania. The route map is included only because it records the walk on the day. As with all town walks, it’s best not to follow a fixed route, but rather to follow your nose and go where your fancy takes you.
Our walk around Chania Old Town was a wonderful end to our waSome final notes on this last day of an all too short stay on Crete:
- Our base for the week was the Elia Hotel, which I can highly recommend for its friendly service, wonderful home made cooking, and location in the hills above Chania
- The mountainous topography of western Crete (which reminds me of Madeira in that respect) offers few opportunities for circular routes and dictates that many of the walks are linear in nature, so that a taxi or bus needs to be taken back to the start or a ‘there and back walk’ needs to be planned. Either way, there are practical issues to be determined before setting off
- The routes which I followed were all very quiet and crowds are unlikely to be encountered in April, which is when we visited. The temperatures were mostly in the low 20’s (excluding two rainy days)
- The classic walk on the island is the Samaria Gorge, but I’ve read numerous reviews about this route and it doesn’t appeal to me. The Gorge is only open from 1st May and seems to be a honeypot destination attracting coachloads of tourists and queues along the route. That’s not my idea of a good countryside walk. We visited two gorges during the week, the Agia Irini Gorge and the Sirikari Gorge and didn’t see another soul on the latter. Others are available, and all may be slightly less spectacular than the Samaria Gorge, but they are awesome nonetheless
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Earlier in the day we had to cancel three other planned walks, having been frustrated by road closures and and an impassable mountain road. We contented ourselves with a stroll to the waterfall near Ano Kefal
View along the valley. The walk was along a wide dirt track and, whilst pleasant, lacked variety
After walking along the track for about 1.5 miles we diverted to a narrow path leading to the Ano Kefal waterfall
We retraced our steps from the waterfall back along the dirt track. This short and simple walk left us with sufficient time to visit Chania on the last day of our stay on Crete
After walking out of the back of the park and ride car park in Chania we aim for the nearby coast, crossing this bridge along the way
Looking back to the snow capped peaks of the White Mountains
Where the river meets the sea at Chania Bay, part of the wider Cretan Sea
We walk along the seafront
Looking out to the Rodopou Peninsual, where we'd walked yesterday
Nea Chora Beach
We walk along Nea Chora Beach - Chania Old Town Lies just beyond it
The old and the new. We arrive at the outer fortification walls of Chania Old Town, built by the Venetians in the 16th century
Firka Fortress, also built by the Venetians in order to protect the harbour
We pass round the walls of the Firka Fortress, with our first view of the famous Chania Lighthouse (also known as the Venetian or Egyptian Lighthouse)
The lighthouse is one of the oldest in the world and was built by the Venetians between 1595 and 1601 to protect the harbour from pirates and the Ottoman Empire
The start of a delightful walk around the Old Venetian Harbour, built between 1320 and 1356. The area within the Old Town Walls is now a protected historical monument
Chania Lighthouse again - it's possible to walk beside the wall to its base
Further along Chania Harbour
We make a short detour to visit the Firka Fortress, which can be accessed via the entrance to the Maritime Museum of Crete
Inside the Firka Fortress. This is the historic site where the Turkish flag was lowered and the Greek flag was raised in 1913, marking the Union of Crete with Greece. Firka is Turkish for 'barracks', the buildings on the left
The Watchtower
Chania Old Town from the fortifications...
Chania Lighthouse from the Firka Fortress
The Kucjk Hassan Mosque, which we'll pass by shortly
We carry on around the Old Venetian Harbour
The Kucjk Hassan Mosque, the oldest Ottoman building in Crete. It was erected in 1645 when the Turks captured Chania
Looking back across the harbour
We pass by the Kucjk Hassan Mosque (or Mosque of the Janissaries)
Chania Lighthouse again
Looking across to the wall leading to Chania Lighhouse
The 'Floating Shop' which sells maritime decorations
The end of the harbour lies ahead
A last look over Chania Harbour
We turn back at the fortification wall and head into the narrow streets of Chania Old Town
The Old Town is a maze of alleys and narrow streets. We didn't follow a particular route, but simply aimed in the general direction of our original starting point
We pass by the Church of Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas) in the Splantzia Square. This is the only church in Greece that features both a Christian bell tower and an Ottoman minaret. The church dates back to 1320
A final street scene in Chania, showing the Ahmet Ağa Minaret. From here we leave the Old Town to return to the start. It had been a wonderful walk and a fitting end to our time on the island of Crete
