Chania is a new favorite city of mine and its all because of its area called Old Town. I had the perfect Airbnb location in the center of the Jewish quarter of Old Town. This put me right in the middle of an incredible mix of historic architecture and modern tourism.
From the crumbling ruins to the colorful painted alleyways, I was utterly enchanted by Old Town. Walking the streets alone was a magical experience. Add in a charming, Greek local who I heard open up his restaurant each morning, an Egyptian lighthouse reflecting off the waters of a Venetian harbor, and some furry friends and you have a total package of an experience.
I have so much to share with you in this post. There’s so many photos that I hope capture at least a small percentage of the feeling of this place! Enjoy!
First Impressions Of Old Town
I flew from Athens to Chania and got in around 10pm at night. Carolina, my former Swedish travel buddy, was nice enough to meet me at the airport so we could pick up the car together. She had to drive it because I wasn’t experienced enough to drive a manual transmission!
We parked a 5-minute walk from our Airbnb in the free Talos Square lot right next to Fika Fortress. The history was already in our faces!
One of the reasons I chose our Airbnb was because I knew it would put us right at the center of Old Town. As we walked through the main, high street of the Topanas quarter, I was already hit with the magic of this area.
The beauty of the Byzantine, Venetian, and Classical Greek architectural elements were clear to me, even in the dimly lit pedestrian passageways.
You can see in this comparison photo below how much the sun brings out the colors in the Old Town buildings. Both times of day felt magical to me!
One of the other reasons I chose this Old Town Airbnb location is that it had a balcony. We could sit, people watch, and soak in the atmosphere to the fullest. As soon as I threw my stuff down, we went out on the balcony to take photos and observe.
The streets below were bustling. There were tourists browsing Mediterranean souvenirs. People were discussing the menu of the restaurant next door. We could hear the faint sound of the Venetian Harbor crowds clanking glasses of local wine one block up.
I was already obsessed.
Morning Magic
I woke up early the first morning when Carolina opened up the balcony doors. Echoing up the narrow street from below was the sound of a Greek man (who we later learned was George). He owned a coffee and brunch spot across the street.
Stepping onto the balcony, the morning light finally revealed the brightly colored walls of the buildings up and down the street from our Airbnb.
I could get used to this morning view!
We could hear and watch George, busy in his “taverna,” or restaurant, below us. He opened on his own at 5:30am every morning for the 8 days we spent there. We’d hear George greet, take orders from, and say goodbye to customers all morning into the evening before he closed at dusk.
“Helloooo, welcoooome,” “Thank you very muuuuuch,” “Have nice daaayyy!” he would consistently say in his thick Greek accent.
George’s brunch spot across from our Airbnb
I absolutely loved these mornings when the tourists were mostly still sleeping. We had the street to ourselves before departing on another, daily adventure.
George’s routine was a beautiful part of the rhythmic sounds of our mornings in Old Town.
Where Is Old Town?
Old Town is a section of Chania, a major city on the North shore of Crete in Greece. Nearly 110,000 people live in Chania.
Chania went through three major periods of rule, namely the Byzantine (Christians) and Arab Era, Venetia Era (Italians), and Ottoman Era (Turkish Muslims). Crete itself did not become part of Greece until 1913.
There are parts of Old Town that, through excavations, revealed inhabitants as far back as the Neolithic era, which is approximately 10,000–4,500 BC.
So when they say “Old Town,” they mean OLD Town.
The lighter area outlined in red above is the Old Town section of Chania
Nighttime Venetian Harbor Exploration
After checking out the view from the balcony my first night in Old Town, Carolina and I walked around Venetian Harbor.
Below is a view of the harbor looking West at night. You can compare the view between night and day with the next picture. Both were gorgeous views. The Ottomon era Janissaries Mosque is seen lit up at night. During the day, it stands out against the backdrop of rectangular buildings with its rounded dome rooftops.
The Mosque up close at night without its dome lit up.
On my first night, we walked along what’s called “the breakwater” with the harbor to our left. At this part of the harbor, there are buildings that are much less modern.
Venetian shipyards, also known as the arsenals, lined the pathway to our right.
In the late 15th century, these were stops for ship repairs and resupplying. Today they are used for exhibitions and conferences. In the past they were reused for various purposes including a school, church, theatre, and town hall.
These old buildings seem to be in such major contrast to other parts of the harbor. I was elated being in the presence of buildings with such a long history.
Egyptian Lighthouse
Carolina and I were not walking aimlessly on that first night. We had a plan to walk to possibly the most prominent landmark of Chania—the lighthouse.
Built by the Venetians in 1570 and reconstructed by Egyptians in 1830, the lighthouse is at the end of the harbor wall which was built to protect the city from the north.
The lighthouse is a standout feature of the harbor. It’s what I noticed first when we walked over from our street one block over. As soon as we emerged onto the harbor, there was the lighthouse, reflecting off the water toward all the crowds eating and drinking nearby.
During the day, the lighthouse is just as apparent as at night.
The wall out to the lighthouse is fairly narrow—about 6 feet across. You can walk on the lower part of the wall or the upper part, which is narrower and there are no barriers. The narrower, upper part drops right off about 10 feet down to a rocky shore below.
Luckily it wasn’t difficult to see the path at night at all. The lights from the harbor easily lit up our trial.
Along the harbor wall is the Bastion of Agios Nikolaos of Molos. You can see it to the right in the photo below a bit better than my night photos.
Yes, I did go back during the daytime to walk the wall again. I didn’t get to see everything I wanted to at night. I felt it was definitely worth it to go twice, once in the day and once at night!
At the Bastion, we could climb the stairs for a great viewpoint of the entire harbor and port.
We could also look out to the Mediterranean from top and from the windows in the walls of the Bastion. Large cruise ships are common here—seen in the distance from the wall and bastion.
Neighborhoods of Old Town Chania
One day, after a long adventure the day before, we focused on exploring various parts of Old Town, Chania. I initially discovered online that there was a Jewish section of Old Town. This led me to learn about other neighborhoods, too.
The neighborhoods we focused on were the Evraiki district (Jewish quarter), Topanas district (Christian quarter), and Splantzia district (Turkish quarter).
We started with Evraiki because it was literally right where we were staying.
During the Venetian period, Evraiki was called “zudecca” or Jewish ghetto. The main part of Evraiki is Kondilaki street, now a major shopping and eating street. The most prominent residents of the Jewish community lived there and brought their carriages through, which is why the street is wider than others in the area. The street was wide enough that we ate at tables outside of a restaurant on this street my first night.
There is a small street of the same name that shoots off from this main street.
It was down this quiet, narrower street that we found the more obvious signs of Jewish settlement, including a Synagogue that is still in operation.
This street and the entire surrounding area of Old Town is all part of the original Jewish quarter, including Halidon, Skoufon, Portou, and Zabeliou streets. Zabeliou is the street where our Airbnb was.
The highlighted area is the Evraiki district (Jewish quarter)
Since I took some of my favorite photos representing the typical features of Old Town in this area, I’m going to share them now as part of my Jewish quarter experience.
Some of the most breathtaking aspects of the Old Town streets are the plants. The most typical were bright, pink, flowering shrubs that shaded the streets below and there was potted greenery of all different kinds.
The mixed architecture and old against new features were unique. This was nothing like I have ever seen before in buildings anywhere I’ve been.
I enjoyed all the little, colorful details displayed outside of these residences, on small tables placed next to doorways, or hanging on the sides of buildings or balconies.
It was a maze of delights. There seemed to be endless opportunity to discover new alleyways and corners of these streets with all the details in them!
The beautiful features of the Jewish district were found all over other parts of Old Town, too. So now I’ll take you to some of those areas…
Topanas, the Christian quarter, is located behind Firka Fortress. This area was where the cannons were kept in Chania during the Turkish period, which explains the name “Topanas” meaning cannon.
The Christian aristocrats lived in this district in Venetian mansions. We accessed the area on our day of exploring from Venetian Harbor and walked right past the Maritime Museum to get to it.
I didn’t realize we’d been here many times before until we visited this district intentionally that day. We walked down Theotokopoulou Street, known as Topanas’ high street, almost every day to get to our car!
The view down Theotokopoulou Street on a quiet morning walk to our car at Talos Square.
Below are some snapshots of the Topanas area of Old Town that I think reflect the Jewish quarter beauty.
The next area we visited was Splantzia, the Turkish district. There was not much that we explored here except to visit the main feature of the area—the Church.
We walked down a few back streets to get to the area initially.
Once we emerged from the alleyways, we could easily spot the Church of Agios Nikolaos. The church sits in what was once named Splantzia Square, now 1821 square.
Originally completed in 1320 by the Venetians as a convent, it later became a mosque under Turkish rule. Ottoman rule later made it into a barracks. Orthodox Christians in 1918 finally made it into the Christian church it is today.
In reflection of the building and city’s history, the most unusual part of this church is that it features both a steeple (left) and a minaret (right).
Outside of the church, we spotted protest signs and an anarchy symbol spray painted on the fencing. This was foreshadowing what we would come across a bit later in our wanderings.
Old Town, The Tourist Attraction
Of course, the majority of Old Town caters to its primary clientele—tourists. There are numerous restaurants lining the Venetian port. Mixed in between are various souvenir shops, many carrying similar kinds of common Mediterranean tchotchkes like Mati, the Greek evil eye.
But I did love how colorful the buildings were, specifically the ones lining the harbor!
This area was always crowded with many people shopping and eating. It was one of the more stressful areas for me, personally (especially still during a pandemic!). I always felt the magic more so back within the smaller, less crowded residential streets.
I did enjoy some of the shops. There were some very unique, locally owned shops selling handmade clothing and jewelry. For me, these were special and the kind of souvenirs I felt were worth my money.
While I didn’t buy anything for myself, I did buy something for Carolina because it was her birthday coming up. But you’ll have to wait, just as she did, to find out what I got her! My Norway posts will reveal what it was!
Instead, I’ll recommend a different shop that you can find in Old Town. There is a hand-crafted knife shop on Sifaka street called O Armenis. This store has been in the same family, passed down for four generations!
I didn’t buy a knife here because I knew it wouldn’t make it through security in my carry-on luggage. Some tourists go here to purchase even a small cutlery-style knife. I think that’s a unique souvenir that stands out from the other typical items you can buy in Old Town.
Alternatively, you can purchase sea sponges, shells, hunks of coral, and more from wooden boat shops along the harbor! I’ve particularly never seen sea sponge sold like this and thought it was pretty special!
The restaurants are what Carolina and I enjoyed the most from the touristic side of Old Town. There are so many to choose from. One we went back to twice because we loved their mussels so much!
But that is going to be a post for another day. The food of Chania will get a post all on its own!
I also enjoyed the nightlife in the area. Clubs aren’t really a thing in Chania, but the drinking culture is very laid back which I appreciated. We did manage to find one club-like experience. What was cool about this one was that we got to sit behind the arsenals outside as we drank before the club opened up and let us inside.
Going from outside behind the arsenals to inside this super chic club was such an interesting contrast!
Old, Old Town
Speaking of old and modern contrasted… the old, old parts of Old Town were some of my favorite features of the city. Seeing old exposed stone next to new paint and full-on ruins blending right in between the renovated, modern parts of the city was so cool! And it was everywhere!
Apparently, the mix of old and new was right below our feet probably when we didn’t know it. We were able to see this through glass floor displays showing old tomb ruins inside of a souvenir shop called Temple Gift Shop off of Zampeliou street.
Occupying Old Town
There is another old building and area of Old Town that I would be remiss to mention since it is often considered the “heart of Old Town.”
One way you can get there is from the harbor. There are stairs behind the breakwater buildings off of Michail Afentoulief street that lead up to a parking lot. Turn right at the top of the stairs and you will find lots of graffiti on the wall and an iron gate entrance into the area.
Looking up the stairs
Me going down the stairs
What’s interesting about this location today is that it is occupied by an anarchist group. The group has been squatting and holding events here for 16 years. During the pandemic, they were evicted, but less than a year later they retook control.
Rosa Nera is a Greek, anarchist, student movement and squatting location representing a national and local social and class struggle against the authoritarian government.
They have many events and gatherings listed on their website and posted on a billboard on the way through the gates.
The first sign that I saw about this movement was actually a large black sign on the wall of the building in the harbor. The sign speaks of one of the members of the group who has been on Hunger Strike since May 23 (at the time I took the photo, it had been about 1 month). You can’t miss this sign when walking around the harbor. It hangs above all the tourists, restaurants and shops behind the mosque.
I saw it on my first night in Chania on our walk toward the breakwaters. I immediately wanted to find my way up there to see what was going on. We finally went when we went out to explore the various Old Town neighborhoods.
The Rosa Nera spot has some of the best views of the city. You can see the entire harbor, city of Chania, and to the mountains beyond. So I’d say they did well to choose this spot for the location of their occupation!
Carolina and I enjoyed going up there at night, in particular. While we didn’t speak to any of the people from the group, I observed that the occupiers and locals seemed to mix very nicely up there, drinking and hanging out. There were no disturbances by the police or anyone else—at least on the night that we were there.
The Old Town Cats
Finally, the last highlight that captured the magic of Old Town for me was the cats!
If you didn’t already know it, I love animals and I am definitely a cat person. Although, I don’t believe in owning pets anymore especially because I wouldn’t be home enough to care for them, I still love every cat I encounter in the world.
There were so many cats in Old Town! I believe many of them were strays but I imagine some were owned, too.
Regardless, almost all of them seemed to be very well-taken-care-of. Perhaps that’s because the tourists regularly fed them and the city or the locals even created little spots where they could have a drink.
Cats sometimes visited us during dinner—especially since we mostly sat outside for dinner. I didn’t sneak them any food but I certainly snuck a few pets and some selfies!
There was one time when Carolina was trying to explain to me where she was on her way back from a walk. She texted that she just passed an orange cat sitting on the corner. When she mentioned this cat, I knew exactly where she was.
Literally, these cats are landmarks for navigating Old Town and we laughed so much about that!
In Conclusion
Old Town, Chania was definitely one of my favorite international cities. I am still debating how far up my list it climbed during my time there. There was just so much to love!
I enjoyed the incredibly old history embedded in the streets. I was enchanted every morning by the sounds of George in his restaurant. I was left in awe of the colorful maze of alleyways through the various neighborhoods. The walk to the lighthouse was enchanting in the dark and daytime alike. And Rosa Nera inspired me with its successful occupation of one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the city!
Writing this post made me realize there was so much I didn’t see while there—streets I didn’t walk down, restaurants I didn’t try, cats I didn’t pet. I hope to one day go back. I will just have to make sure I stay in the center of Old Town again because it was utter perfection.
