The heart of Chania beats in the widely famous, lively Old Town, with its narrow, labyrinthine alleyways and listed buildings dating from different periods of history, where you can enjoy strolls through history and time.
The harbour comes into its own at night, when the lights from bars and restaurants reflect in the water and the crowds — locals as much as tourists — parade along the waterfront. There are stalls set up on the waterside, and buskers serenading the passers-by.
Walk on from Platia Sindrivani and you’ll come upon the curious, domed profile of the Mosque of the Janissaries. Built in 1645, the year Chania fell to the Turks and thus the oldest Ottoman building on the island, it has been well restored.
The buildings on the height above the mosque occupy the site of Kastelli, the oldest part of the city, favoured from earliest times for its defensive qualities. This little hill takes its name from a fortress that originally dated from the Byzantine era. Later it was the centre of the Venetian and Turkish towns, though very little survived the heavy bombardment of World War II.
Walking up Kanevaro street from the harbour square you’ll pass various remains, including — at the corner of Lithinon — a site where a Minoan house has been excavated. Further up Lithinon are various Venetian doorways and inscriptions, and at the end of the street, a fine old archway. On the next corner, at Kandanoleon, is a larger excavation site identified as “Minoan Kydonia”.
Neither dig is open to the public, though a fair amount can be seen through the fence. Swedish archaeologists excavating here traced the outline of a building engulfed by a violent fire around 1450 BC, similar to the one that destroyed Knossos. It was later rebuilt and, given its proximity to the mainland, may well have been the focus of Mycenaean power on the island. Finds here included pottery dating back to the Neolithic era, and an archive of clay tablets bearing Minoan Linear A script — the first to be found so far west in Crete.
Back at the bottom of the hill, the waterfront curves round to the right along Akti Tombazi into the inner harbour, where pleasure boats, private yachts and small fishing vessels are moored. Much of it, including the sixteenth-century Venetian arsenals and traces of the ancient defensive bastions, has been refurbished, and in the evenings this is now a fashionable part of town.
Just past the Mosque of the Janissaries is the local handicraft cooperative, with a permanent exhibition of goods for sale. Beyond this are the Venetian arsenals, a cluster of restaurants and bars, and the modern Porto Veneziana hotel. From here you can follow the sea wall as far as the minaret-style lighthouse, where there’s a bar and an excellent view back over the city.
In the other direction from Platia Sindrivani is the outer harbour, with its broad promenade fronted by pavement restaurants and bars. The bastion at the far end houses Crete’s Naval Museum, with models and pictures of ships, diagrams of naval battles, and assorted memorabilia going back to the times of Classical Greek triremes.
Through the main gate is the compound of a small former naval garrison, from where you can climb onto the seaward fortifications of the Firkas, as this part of the city defences is known. Here the modern Greek flag was first raised on Crete, in 1913, and there are more fine views. Continuing round the outside of the Firkas, you can peer through loopholes at the great vaulted chambers within. On the far side is the Hotel Xenia, itself raised up on part of the fortifications, beyond which you can cut inland alongside the best-preserved stretch of the city walls.
Following the walls around on the inside is trickier, but worth it for the chance to stumble on some of the most picturesque alleyways and finest Venetian houses in Chania. Keep your eyes open for details on the houses, such as old wooden balconies or stone coats of arms. The arch of the Renieri Gate, at the bottom of Moschon, is particularly elegant. There are also a number of good craft stores nearby — a couple of the best, along with an antiques store, are on Angelou, just round from the Naval Museum entrance; several newer ones line Theotokopoulou, the delightfully old-fashioned street that runs behind.