Souda (for Chania) Cruises, Crete

Souda sits just 15 minutes’ drive from Chania – one of Crete’s most charming cities. Most snap-happy tourists pin the old harbour on their maps. It’s as pretty as a picture, with a lighthouse, pastel-painted buildings and a café-lined promenade. If that’s not enough of a history fix, there are plenty of museums to delve into – with really scenic settings. The Maritime Museum’s housed in a former Venetian prison, while the Archaeological Museum’s tucked inside a Gothic church.

• Swap the beach for Lake Kournas. A 40-minute drive from Souda, this mountain-cuddled lake boasts cyan-blue waters and a ring of sunbed-loaded pebbles.
• Work your way along Chania’s Skridlof Street, AKA Leather Lane. It’s stuffed with shops selling shoes, bags and belts, as well as occasional non-leather items, like jewellery and clothes.
• Spend the day exploring the Akrotiri peninsula – just north of Souda. This barren headland’s home to a couple of peaceful monasteries, plus the spectacular Stavros Beach.