Quick (8-hour) cruise stop in Chainia; not enough time to rush to Knossos. Rent a car and drive around to some cool beaches? Walk around town? Any suggestions out there? Thanks!
Posted by
Chania, Crete, Greece
42 posts
Take a taxi from Souda into the old town. Plenty of good restaurants, cafes and shopping around the harbor.
Posted by
OP
Arlington Heights, IL, USA
13 posts
Will do...thanks so much!
Posted by
Sidney, BC, Canada
956 posts
Do not bother renting a car - Chania is a busy town with narrow streets and traffic is scary. Lots to do in 8 hours in the town. The large harbour is beautiful and its fun just to walk around and check out the menus of all the restaurants! Wander the old part of the town behind the harbour, narrow streets and alleys a bit like Venice without the canals. Go to the covered market - but make it early as most of the food sellers are packing up by noon. Great place for souveniers - I like the olive wood kitchen utensils and the olive oil soap. Also visit the archaeological museum which is in a 15th century church. And the leather market - a street full of stores selling leather goods of all sorts. Eating - well lots of restaurants by the harbour - look for the ones with a lot of Greeks eating there! Or a few blocks up from the harbour there is a restaurant called Tamam which used to be a Turkish bath! Good food and definitely good for a very long Greek lunch! At one end of the harbour are a number of old Venetian warehouses that are now restaurants .
As you wander the back streets you may come across two or three Minoan sites that have recently been opened for public viewing. Enjoy Chania it is an interesting town with a rich history and lots to do; I am headed back in August for my third visit!