Things to Do in Chania: A Local Guide for Villa Guests

Chania Old Town and the Venetian harbour

The Venetian harbour dates from the period when Venice ruled Crete, from 1204 to 1669, and according to the Chania Tourism Bureau it could shelter more than 40 galleys. It is the natural first evening of any stay: a drink facing the lighthouse, then dinner in the lanes behind.

Walk the breakwater to the lighthouse itself. It was built by the Venetians at the end of the 16th century and rebuilt by the Egyptians between 1830 and 1840. It stands 21 metres above the sea. On the way you pass the 17th-century Firkas fortress, home to the Maritime Museum of Crete, the seven surviving Venetian shipyards (the Neoria) and the Yali Tzamii, the harbour mosque.

Behind the waterfront, the Old Town divides into historic quarters, including Topanas, Splantzia, Ovraiki and Kasteli. Splantzia Square, officially 1821 Square, is shaded by a huge plane tree and overlooked by the church of Agios Nikolaos, built in 1320 as part of a Dominican monastery and turned into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of 1645. For history, the Archaeological Museum of Chania sits in Chalepa, the historic quarter east of the centre known for its 19th-century mansions, and since 2025 the Minoan site of Kydonia, in urban Chania, has been part of the UNESCO-listed Minoan Palatial Centres.

The Akrotiri peninsula

Akrotiri is the rocky, roughly circular peninsula immediately east of Chania, with the airport on its central plateau. Seven of our ten Chania villas stand here, so for most guests it is home base rather than a day trip.

On the hill of Froudia, the tombs of Eleftherios and Sofoklis Venizelos overlook the whole city, with views over the city towards the sunset. Further north, the Agia Triada Tsagarolon monastery was built at the end of the Venetian period by two brothers, Ieremias and Lavrentios Tsagarolon, and today has a museum and a shop and cellar selling wine produced by the monks. Gouverneto, around 4 km beyond, looks like a fortress from outside; appropriate clothing is required and groups are not admitted. From Gouverneto a footpath leads past the Bear Cave and down about 140 steps to the abandoned Katholiko monastery.

The coast is rugged but has some of the most varied beaches in the municipality. Possibly the standout is Seitan Limania, an isolated cove with azure water. Stavros, 17 km northeast of Chania, sits beneath the mountain where scenes from Zorba the Greek were filmed in 1964. Kalathas has a small islet you can swim to, and Loutraki and Marathi are favourites with locals.

Your villa decides which beach becomes “yours”. Villa Shant is 300 m from Kalathas, Villa Only View is 350 m from Loutraki, Villa Blue is the closest of the group to town, and Villa Menia sits above Souda Bay with a 350 sq.m. terrace and infinity pool.

Source: Truman Collection villa pages (2026).

Beaches worth the drive

You can swim without leaving town: Nea Chora is very close to the centre, and Agia Marina, west of the city, is the classic organised beach. The famous beaches of western Crete are further out, and each deserves a full day.

Balos is a shallow, white-sand lagoon in the far northwest, between the Gramvousa peninsula and the island of Imeri Gramvousa, reached by boat, by car on a rough road or on foot. There are no restaurants and no natural shade, so arrive prepared. Imeri Gramvousa itself is crowned by a Venetian fort built between 1579 and 1584. Elafonisi, near the southwestern corner of Crete, is a protected nature reserve known for its pink-tinted sand; in calm weather you can wade across the shallows to the island. Falasarna, on the west coast, is a deeper-water beach beside the remains of a Hellenistic harbour city.

Balos and Gramvousa can also be reached by sea, and our yacht charters list Crete among their destinations.

Villages, wineries and food

The Municipal Market is the easiest introduction to Cretan produce. Built on the site of the main Venetian rampart, it was opened by Eleftherios Venizelos on 4 December 1913, days after Crete’s union with Greece, and its cross-shaped hall is lined with small shops selling local products.

Then head for the hills. Therisos, 15 km from the city at 580 m in the foothills of the White Mountains, is reached by a road that climbs about 6 km through the Therisos Gorge and is known for its traditional tavernas. Venizelos held his Revolutionary Assembly here in 1905; the building is now the village’s folklore museum. Aptera, inhabited since the Minoan era, is also a short drive from the city.

Chania’s farms produce olive oil, wine and tsikoudia (raki), and wine tasting is part of the local agritourism scene. On nights you prefer to stay in, a private chef who cooks in your villa is part of our concierge offering.

Day trips from Chania

The Samaria Gorge is one of the classic day trips of western Crete. According to the park’s management unit (NECCA), the full route is about 15 km, starting at Xyloskalo on the Omalos plateau at 1,227 m and ending at the sea at Agia Roumeli, which can only be reached by boat. Allow six to seven hours of walking. The main path may be open from 10 April to 31 October, but the exact opening date is set each year, a ticket is mandatory and everyone must be out by 18:00.

Rethymno, east along the north coast, makes a gentler day, with its Fortezza, one of the best-preserved castles in Crete, a small Venetian harbour and a well-preserved old town. Further afield, flying to Santorini for a sunset dinner on the caldera and returning to the villa is one of the requests our Chania concierge describes.

Planning days around your villa

The other three villas are in Pazinos, Pithari and Agia Marina. Villa Bay in Pazinos sleeps 16 and is 2 km from the village of Sternes; Villa Thrysus in Pithari is 1.7 km from Almyrida beach; and Villa Aro is 1 km from the beach at Agia Marina and 6 km from town. A good week mixes long days out with days at the pool.

1. Arrival evening in the Old Town

   A harbour walk and dinner in Splantzia or Topanas.

2. An Akrotiri morning

   Monasteries early, before the heat, then a swim at the beach nearest your villa.

3. One long day west

   Balos and Gramvousa by boat, or Elafonisi or Falasarna by car, leaving early.

4. A mountain lunch

   The Municipal Market in the morning, Therisos for lunch, back for sunset at the Venizelos Tombs.

5. Samaria, if the season allows

   Book the ticket, arrange transfers at both ends, keep the next day free.

6. A day at the villa

   No car, no plans: a private chef, the pool and the view.

Still choosing between destinations? Our comparison of Mykonos or Chania for a luxury villa stay sets out how the two destinations differ.