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Chania area Holidays

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Holidays to the Chania area of Greece revolve around the beach, but there’s a gorge to hike and ruins to explore when you want a break from the sand.

Blue Flag beaches

Set on Crete’s north coast, the Chania region knows how to score brownie points. For starters, it offers up more beaches than you can count on two hands. The stretches of sand range from the Blue Flag beauties in Agioi Apostoloi and Gerani to the chic bar-lined strip in Agia Marina.

Chania Town

Chania Town has its finger in a few pies. Its old town is full of ancient architecture, including historical Venetian mansions and Turkish hammams. Its covered market is often touted as one of the best places to buy local produce in Greece. And its harbour area has a cosmopolitan after-dark scene.

Sightseeing

Exploring Crete is easy when you’re anchored in Chania. In fact, the sightseeing opportunities begin before you even step outside the region. The village of Maleme, for example, is the site of Crete’s most famous World War Two battle. A little further afield, you’ll find the Samaria Gorge, where you can trace your way around 18 miles worth of walking trails.

Beach hopping

Chania’s beach stock is high. This segment of Crete’s north-east coast has everything from small, bustling beaches to long, semi-empty ones. And lots come with Blue Flag status. Beach-hopping is easy, as well. A blue bus runs between Kalamaki and Chania Town, stopping at a number of hot spots on the coast.
The big beach

You get more than a mile of sand at Maleme Beach. There are small swatches of umbrellas and parasols along the length of the beach, but most of the sand is uncluttered. As you walk further west, the crowds diffuse and you’re left sharing the sand with just a few green trees.
The secret beach

Chania’s beaches are all gems, but they’re not hidden. All the stretches of sand on Crete’s north coast are popular. But Tavronitis Beach, half an hour’s drive from Chania Town, is one of the quieter bays. The sand here is mixed with pebbles and there are a couple of tavernas to one side. What’s more, the whole place is set against a backdrop of the mountains of the Kissamos peninsula.

Bargain Buys

The covered market on Mousouron Street in Chania Town has local produce coming out of its ears. Fresh olive oil, locally-made cheeses, thyme honey and bottles of raki are all available here for a song. It’s open Monday to Saturday between 8am and 1.30pm and later from 5pm to 8pm. There’s a little family-run supermarket on Maleme Roumaton Road in Maleme, which offers similar stock.
Mid-Range Buys

Skridolf Street in Chania Town is known as leatherworkers’ lane, thanks to the number of leather shops that show their face here. You can pick up handmade handbags, purses, shoes and sandals for between 30 and 100 euros. Chania Town is your best bet for clothing and electrical items, too – the shops in most beach resorts are limited to food and beach supplies.
Designer Buys

Jewellery shops are part of the furniture in Chania. It’s common for goldsmiths to design and make their own pieces from scratch, and they’ll set you back anything from 100 euros to a couple of thousand. You’ll find some of the best shops on Chalidon Street near the harbour in Chania Town.

Laid-back evenings

Chania Town doesn’t scrimp on traditional restaurants. The low-lit old town takes the lion’s share of the best ones. If you need a starting point, you can’t go far wrong with Zambellou Street. In Agia Marina, the sun provides the evening entertainment. Watch it set from one of the tavernas that line the beach. In Maleme, after-dinner drinks are served up in the cafes on Maleme Beach Road. Anyone looking for more than a frothy coffee, though, should catch a taxi to neighbouring Platanias.
Lively evenings

The old harbour has the monopoly on Chania Town’s nightlife scene. Head to Kondilaki Street and Soumerli Street to find live music joints and cocktail bars, or make your way to Enetiki Tafros Street to find clubs hosting live DJ sets. If you’re in Platanias, the after-hours action is none too shabby, either. There’s a good choice of cocktail bars and clubs in the centre of town.

Cretan pilaf

This hunger-busting dish is so popular in Crete that newly-weds choose to have it at their wedding breakfasts. It’s made by boiling rice in stock and mixing it with butter. Depending where you are in Crete, you’ll get different meat or vegetables in the dish. In Chania, it’s traditional to include chicken and lamb.
Boureki

You might be able to buy boureki all over Crete, but nowhere does the dish quite like Chania. On this part of the island, the vegetarian dish of potatoes, courgettes and cheese is wrapped in filo pastry and served as a packed parcel on top of fresh Greek salad.
taka

This dish looks a bit like porridge, but its appearance is deceiving. The recipe is complex, but the basic ingredients are goats’ milk and flour. It tends to be served piping hot as a side dish in restaurants, but some Chania locals like to spread it on bread or pour it over their chips.
Fennel

Fennel grows wild in the Chania area, so it’s a regular on seasonal menus. Two fennel recipes that crop up a lot are octopus with fennel and red wine sauce, and cuttlefish with fennel and mint. Fennel pies called marathopites are a popular fast food, too.
Tsikoudia

In most Cretan villages, there’s a local who is licenced to produce tsikoudia. The clear spirit is made from the skins of grapes and it’s knock-your-socks-off alcoholic. Most locals keep a bottle on ice in their freezer, and sip it slowly with dinner.

Places To Stay In Chania Area View all places to stay

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Chania

Chania is on the northwest coast of Crete and it’s the island’s second biggest city. There’s a modern part to it, but the Venetian old town really shows off its history – especially around the harbour with its old lighthouse and fort, not to mention an ancient mosque. And the waterfront and the streets leading off it come alive at night with bars, clubs and restaurants. Oh, and there’s a nice stretch of beach here, too.

Aghia Marina

The village of Aghia Marina nestles on the northwest coast of Crete. It’s quiet and relaxed during the day – all sandy beach and characterful tavernas – and has a nice little buzz at night. It’s joined at the hip to its slightly livelier neighbour, Platanias, and is in easy reach of Chania, with its historic harbour and designer shops.

Almyrida

This Cretan fishing village stretches along the coast for nearly two kilometres, meaning it’s small enough to retain its character but big enough that you’ll find nice places to eat and drink. Most of these are on the main street, which runs parallel to the beach. The shops are on one side of the road, leaving space for the cafés and restaurants to take up the waterfront spots.

Platanias (Crete)

Platanias, on Crete’s northwestern coast, is a bustling seaside town where a raucous main strip splits the town in half. To the north there’s a long beach lined with bars and hotels, while to the south there’s a charming old town climbing up the surrounding hillside. And along the main street itself you’ve got late-night bars and the most popular nightclubs on the island. All this plus you’re just 20 minutes’ drive from cosmopolitan Chania.

Caldera Villas

Aghia Marina

Villa Kourouni

Kolymbari

Kolymbari sits pretty on Crete's northwest coast. With majestic cliffs on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, this traditional fishing port is a tranquil spot. And what it lacks in nightclubs, it more than makes up for in cosy tavernas, fish restaurants, beaches and scenery. For a bit more buzz, Chania is a bus ride away.

Villa Selini Meli

AT A GLANCE

Walk the length of Maleme Beach
Shop for fat olives and syrupy olive oil in Chania’s market
Hike through the Samaria Gorge

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Weather

TEMPERATURE (°C)RAINFALL (mm)

WHEN TO GO

Crete lays claim to the longest summers in the Mediterranean. Things start to hot up in April, and temperatures hover somewhere in the mid-20s until June. In July and August, they can reach the 30°C mark. Fortunately for holidaymakers, rain is almost non-existent in the summer months.

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Mike's Hotel & Apartments, Maleme 23 October 2018, 7 nights Birmingham

£ 231
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Nireas Hotel, Kato Daratso 23 October 2018, 7 nights London Gatwick

£ 246
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Mull over the mysteries of Lake Voulismeni

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Shoot down the slides at Crete’s waterparks

Crete’s collection of waterparks has something for kids and big kids alike. Watercity in the Anopolis Hills is the biggest…
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Take the kids to Gerani Beach

Gerani is a bucket and spade-style beach. It doesn’t get as busy as some of the ones closer to Chania Town, so there’s more…
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Mosey around Chania Town

A trip to Crete’s second-largest city is like leafing through the pages of a history book. Built on the site of an ancient…
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Quaff a carafe of wine in Archanes

The mountain village of Archanes has been in the summer holiday business since the Bronze Age. Back then, the place was the…
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Swot up on history at the Palace of Knossos

Myth and legend are the bricks and mortar of the Palace of Knossos. Built in the Bronze Age, this complex was a key political…
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Spread out at Maleme Beach

Forget fighting for space at Maleme Beach. This stretch of pebble-dotted sand runs all the way from Maleme Village to Kolymbia,…
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Hop over to Santorini

Santorini is the niche product of the Greek Islands. Unlike any of its neighbours, the island cradles a volcanic caldera,…
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Top 5 resorts in Chania Area

Top 5 hotels in Chania Area

1

TUI FAMILY LIFE Atlantica Creta Paradise

From £414
2

TUI SENSIMAR Atlantica Kalliston Resort & Spa

From £411
3

Louis Creta Princess Hotel

From £464
4

Euphoria Resort

From £502
5

Lotus Hotel Apartments

From £437

Top 2 villas in Chania Area

1

Caldera Villas

From £1,232
2

Villa Selini Meli

From £876

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Chania area Holidays

Blue Flag beaches

Chania Town

Sightseeing

Things to See and Do in Chania area

Beach hopping

The big beach

The secret beach

Bargain Buys

Mid-Range Buys

Designer Buys

Laid-back evenings

Lively evenings

Cretan pilaf

Boureki

taka

Fennel

Tsikoudia

Places To Stay In Chania Area View all places to stay »

Chania

Aghia Marina

Almyrida

Platanias (Crete)

Aghia Marina

Kolymbari

AT A GLANCE

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Top 5 resorts in Chania Area

Top 5 hotels in Chania Area

Top 2 villas in Chania Area

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