Greece - Korina Miller [389]
Mediterraneo Bookstore ( 28210 86904; Akti Koundourioti 57) Has English-language books on Crete, novels, and indispensable Anavasi hiking maps.
Pelekanakis ( 28210 92512; Halidon 98) Has maps and multilingual guidebooks.
EMERGENCY
Hania Hospital ( 28210 22000; Mournies) Somewhat chaotic modern hospital 5km south; take public bus or taxi (€8 to €10).
Tourist police ( 28210 73333; Kydonias 29; 8am-2.30pm) By the Town Hall.
INTERNET ACCESS
Triple W ( 28210 93478; Valadinon & Halidon; per hr €2; 24hr)
Vranas Internet ( 28210 58618; Agion Deka 10; per hr €2; 9.30am-1am)
INTERNET RESOURCES
www.chania.gr Municipality website; has general info and cultural events calendar.
www.chania-guide.gr More online information.
LAUNDRY
Old Town Laundromat ( 28210 59414; Karaoli Dimitriou 38; wash & dry €7; 9am-2pm & 6-9pm Mon-Sat) Also does dry cleaning.
LEFT LUGGAGE
KTEL bus station ( 28210 93052; Kydonias 73-77; per day €1.50)
MONEY
Most banks are in the new city, but ATMs exist in the Old Town on Halidon.
POST
Post office ( 28210 28445; Peridou 10; 7.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 7.30am-2pm Sat)
TOURIST INFORMATION & TRAVEL AGENCIES
Municipal Tourist Information Office ( 28210 36155; tourism@chania.gr; Kydonias 29; 8am-2.30pm) Provides information and maps. The Old Harbour’s information booth operates between noon and 2pm.
Tellus Travel ( 28210 91500; Halidon 108; www.tellustravel.gr; 8am-11pm) Hires out cars, changes money, arranges air and boat tickets, accommodation and excursions.
Sights
MUSEUMS
Hania’s Archaeological Museum ( 28210 90334; Halidon 30; admission €2, incl Byzantine collection €3; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun), in the impressive 16th-century Venetian Church of San Francisco, is marked by a Turkish fountain attesting to its former incarnation as a mosque. Its collection of finds from western Crete dating from the Neolithic to the Roman era includes statues, vases, jewellery, three splendid floor mosaics and some impressive painted sarcophagi from Armeni’s Late Minoan cemetery.
The Naval Museum ( 28210 91875; Akti Koundourioti; admission €3; 9am-4pm), housed in the headland’s Firkas Fortress (once a Turkish prison) exhibits model ships dating from the Bronze Age, naval instruments, paintings, photographs and Battle of Crete memorabilia. Similarly, the Maritime Museum of Crete ( 28210 91875; Akti Defkaliona; 10am-3pm, 7-10.30pm), housed in the former Venetian shipyards, documents ancient and traditional shipbuilding.
The Byzantine & Post Byzantine Collection of Hania ( 28210 96046; Theotokopoulou; admission €2, incl Archaeological Museum €3; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun), in the fortress’ restored Church of San Salvatore, contains a fascinating collection of artefacts, icons, jewellery and coins, including a fine mosaic floor and a prized icon of St George slaying the dragon.
The Cretan House Folklore Museum ( 28210 90816; Halidon 46; admission €2; 9.30am-3pm & 6-9pm) contains traditional crafts and implements, including weavings.
Some 1.5km away in the Halepa neighbourhood, the Eleftherios Venizelos Residence & Museum ( 28210 56008; Plateia Helena Venizelou; admission €2; 10.30am-1.30pm & 6.30-9pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-1.30pm Sat & Sun) preserves the great statesman’s home in splendid fashion, with original furnishings, maps and other information. Staff provide a guided tour. Take a public bus, or taxi (€3 to €6) to get there. Hours are reduced in winter.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Hania’s massive Venetian Fortifications are impressive. Best preserved is the western wall, running from the Firkas Fortress to the Siavo Bastion. The bastion offers good views of the Old Town (enter through the Naval Museum).
The restored Venetian lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour is a 1.5km walk around the sea wall. On the inner harbour’s eastern side, the prominent Mosque of Kioutsouk Hasan (also called Mosque of Janissaries) holds regular art exhibitions. Along the eastern waterfront, the hulking Venetian Shipyards (in Greek, ‘neoria’) languish, mostly unrepaired, though the easternmost portion is now the Maritime