Greece - Korina Miller [388]
Eating
Madame Hortense ( 28320 91351; dishes €6-13) Agia Galini’s most atmospheric and elegant restaurant stands atop the three-level Zorbas complex, enjoying great harbour views. Cuisine is primarily Greek-Mediterranean.
Kostas ( 28320 91323; fish €6-27) Right on the beach at the eastern end, this established fish taverna decorated in classic blue and white is always packed with locals. It has numerous mezedhes, and pricey but excellent seafood.
Faros ( 28320 91346; fish €7-12) Inland from the harbour, this classic psarotaverna (fish tavern) prepares fresh fish (from €45 per kilogram) plus grills and mayirefta.
Getting There & Away
In summer, six daily buses serve Iraklio (€7.40, two hours), six to Rethymno (€5.60, 1½ hours) and five to Phaestos and Matala (€3, 40 to 45 minutes).
Daily summer boats from the harbour reach the beaches of Agios Georgios, Agiofarango and Preveli Beach (€4 to €30).
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WESTERN CRETE
The west is the real Crete. Proud locals will tell you so, and they certainly can make a case for the claim. Hania, the prefecture’s capital, is Crete’s most beautiful and historic town, with a gorgeous old Venetian quarter at its core. The father of modern Greece, Eleftherios Venizelos, hailed from there, and the general area had spawned centuries of rebels against Venetian and Turkish rule long before him.
Also in the west, the spectacular Samaria Gorge is the most famous of several enormous canyons that stretch through rugged terrain into the Libyan Sea on the southern coast, where offbeat Hora Sfakion remains Crete’s spiritual capital, obstinately upholding tradition across its stony village hinterland of Sfakia. The west also boasts Crete’s most stunning beaches, while you can live large without much care (or cash) in quiet coastal villages like Paleohora and Sougia.
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HANIA ΧΑΝΙΑ
pop 53,370
Hania (hahn-yah; also spelt Chania) is Crete’s most evocative city, with its pretty Venetian quarter, criss-crossed by narrow lanes, culminating at a magnificent harbour. Remnants of Venetian and Turkish architecture abound, with old townhouses now restored, transformed into atmospheric restaurants and boutique hotels.
Although all this beauty means the Old Town is deluged with tourists in summer, it’s still a great place to unwind. Excellent local handicrafts mean there’s good shopping, too.
Crete’s second biggest city, Hania is also the major transit point for hikers doing the Samaria Gorge, and is the main transport hub for all western destinations. While a few package-tourist resorts line the beaches west of town, they’re much less noticeable than the Iraklio-area resorts.
History
Minoan Kydonia occupied the hill east of Hania’s harbour, and was probably both a palace site and important town (as suggested by clay tablets with Linear B script discovered here). Although Kydonia was destroyed together with most other Minoan settlements in 1450 BC, it would flourish throughout Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine times.
In the early 13th century Crete’s new Venetian rulers renamed it La Canea. The massive fortifications they constructed were impressive but couldn’t keep the Turks from invading, after a two-month siege, in 1645. When Ottoman rule ended in 1898, the great powers made Hania Crete’s capital; Iraklio replaced it only in 1971.
German bombers did significant damage during WWII, but much of the Old Town survives.
Orientation
Hania’s bus station is on Kydonias, two blocks southwest of Plateia 1866, from where the Old Harbour is a short walk north up Halidon.
Most accommodation lies in the Old Town’s western half. Hania’s headland separates the Venetian port from the modern town’s crowded beach, Nea Hora. Koum Kapi, in the old Turkish quarter further east, has waterfront cafes; above it, on busy Leoforos Eleftherios Venizelos, is the Halepa district, once an upscale residential and consular district where Venizelos used to live (his home is now a museum).
Boats to Hania dock 7km southeast, at Souda.
Information
BOOKSHOPS