Welcome to Hania
Hania (also spelled 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 transformed into atmospheric restaurants and boutique hotels.
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Hania activities
Street Stories of Chania Morning Tour with Samples of Raki and Mezedes
With a history expanding from the Neolithic period, when the first settlement of the city was founded just steps from the Venetian harbour, Chania has seen Romans, Byzantine officials, Arabs, Venetians, Ottomans, and Germans pass through her city streets. Due to its strategic geographical position, Crete has always had to struggle for independence, but this ever-changing history makes for a fascinating story! Discover what makes Crete’s cultural capital so magical on this relaxed full-day walking tour of Chania. You’ll take in the sites from the Old Town to the lesser known Ottoman and Jewish quarters, and into the chic historic neighbourhood of Halepa. Get ready to experience Chania with all your senses! We’ll start your Chania tour at the Dimotiki Agora (Municipal Market), which marks the border between the old and new town. Built between 1908 and 1913 (the year that Crete was united with Greece), the Agora hosts more than 70 shops selling mostly regional products. You’ll get to explore the market and sample local delicacies while learning about the deliciously healthy Cretan diet. With your taste buds satisfied, we will walk to the old town district. Wander through narrow laneways, hidden backstreets, and open doors to secret gardens, and Venetian and Ottoman monuments. Listen to stories of empires, sailors, traders, lovers, heroes, and artists. Learn how this city has been a crossroads between the East and West for centuries. Next on your Chania tour, you’ll have the unique opportunity to see local artisans crafting their products. Listen to their stories — and maybe even try your own skills! From there, our Crete tour will take us on a stroll through the Jewish and Ottoman neighbourhoods, where you’ll learn how life has changed over the years in this city of multicultural residents. Finally, we’ll walk along the waterfront of one of Chania’s historical neighbourhoods and sit down to an inviting table with Cretan mezedes (local dishes). Your Crete tour will end either here or we could take you back to the starting point. With so many suggestions and tips from your local guide, you’ll likely have a myriad of things you’ll want to do next!
Chania Old Town Cretan Food Tour by Foot with Tastings
After meeting your guide in central Chania, set off on your stroll around the city to learn about its culinary history while scouting out its beloved cafes, markets and delicatessens. As you walk, learn about Crete’s cuisine as well as the island’s history.Founded as a Minoan settlement, Crete went on to be ruled by the Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottoman Turks, with each set of rulers leaving their stamp on the island’s culinary history. As is the case in many Mediterranean islands, recipes are handed down from one generation to the next, leading to dishes that are cooked with beautiful local ingredients according to centuries-old methods.Amble through Patriarchou Athinagora, one of the Old Town squares, continue past Chania Cathedral, and then wander through the little-known backstreets and alleyways to find the Chania eateries favored by locals. The number of food stops varies, as does the type of samples you may try. However, every tour includes local specialties such as rusks — the delicious and crusty twice-baked Cretan bread rolls — and koulouri, donut-shaped bread encrusted with sweetened sesame seeds. Cheese, olive oil, olives and sweet pie are other examples of typical delicacies that may be included.Having enjoyed three hours exploring Chania and discovering its food gems, work your way back to the start point where your food tour finishes.
Crete Wine and Olive Oil Tour
Today we will travel through wonderful nature’ s landscapes. Up to the mountains of Kisamos region, we will learn about the wine varieties of the traditional family winery, established in 1993, with specialized knowledge on winemaking and fresh ideas for modern processes of farming and wine production. We will sit between the olive trees, smelling the blossoms, diving deep into the nature’ s miracle, tasting awarded local ‘’Vidiano’’, ‘’Muscat of Spinas’’, and some international varieties like ‘’Grenache Rouge’’, ‘’Syrah’’, ‘’Mouverde’’, that earn a special taste because of the local Terroir. An incredible taste stays on our palate while we leave the winery, heading through an extraordinary path to traditional Cretan villages. In the winter time we smell the humid lands and the air whispering the winter’s songs, but in the summer time we enjoy watching the blooming vegetation and hearing the birds singing. Then we will visit an old village and the museum of the oldest olive tree in the world, estimated at 3,5000 years old. The miracle of nature stands proud in front of us and its deep roots hold it through the ages. This is a day full of wine tasting different expressions of those noble grapes, and delicious food tasting. We continue our journey heading to a beautiful winery in Kisamos region. We will taste a special local blended white wine with ‘’Vilana’’, ‘’Vidiano’’ and ‘’Assirtiko’’ varieties and we will walk through the vineyards into an idyllic landscape. Also we will visit the olive oil factory that the family possesses and learn about the extra virgin olive oil production. The wine tasting accompanied with extra virgin olive oil and local pure products is a combination that your palate will never forget. Now we will see the Cretan way to say goodbye, drinking the awarded ‘’Tsikoudia’’.
Crete Chania to Samaria Gorge Small-Group Hiking Day Trip
The Samaria Gorge, a national park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in southwest Crete, is one of the largest limestone gorges in Europe and one of the most eye-pleasing spots on the island. See the best of the gorge on this 6-hour guided hike through the ravine. A guide leads you through the mountainous rocky landscape, traversing 10 miles (16 kilometers). Upon pickup at your Chania hotel in the morning, let the comfortable, deluxe van shuttle you to the gorge. Start hiking as the guide regales you with historical tales about the area, one of the oldest inhabited spots in Europe. Pass through tiny villages including the eponymous Samaria, which was abandoned in the 1960s to make way for the park. One of the most spectacular sections of the somewhat strenuous hike is the passage through the Gates, where the ravine is only 13 feet (4 meters) across and the cliffs on either side climb to roughly 300 feet (90 meters) high. At the base of the gorge, enjoy a refreshing swim in the sea or explore a village that is only accessible by boat or by hiking through the gorge. Sit down at a village tavern for a hearty seafood lunch (not included). Once your time in the village is done, enjoy an hour’s sail to a nearby port, and end the trip with hotel drop-off.
Samaria Gorge Tour from Chania - The Longest Gorge in Europe
There are plenty of things to see and do on Crete. Between the jaw-droppingly beautiful, sun-splashed villages and the healthy Mediterranean cuisine, Crete is a feast for the senses. But make sure to take the time for a hike in the Samaria Gorge. This guided 10-mile (16-km) walk takes you to a place of stunning natural beauty. Get picked up in Chania by a comfortable bus and then prepare to be wowed by the gorge, as high limestone cliffs and quaint villages create the background for a great hike.The challenge is a walking tour from one end of Samaria gorge to the other (18 kms). This is rough, rocky, uneven track through the gorge and not suitable for the un-fit and for the clients with heart problems, pressure or pregnancy. On route there are many stopping points where you can find toilets and drinking water. At some points the width of the gorge is only 3 m wide and you may have to climb over boulders. You will reach the end of the gorge at Agia Roumeli where we take a break and you can get a bite to eat (food not included)! We return by boat to Sougia where we are collected by the coach.
Crete from Chania Wine and Olives Full-Day Safari Tour
Safaris aren’t just for gawking at exotic animals. On Crete, a safari is much more intoxicating. After being picked up in a Land Rover at your hotel in Chania, take a full-day guided tour through a landscape decorated with olive trees and vineyards. This is a tour filled with wine, food and fun. Expect to come away with a thorough knowledge of Crete’s culinary and cultural history. Stop by an olive oil mill to learn from your guide about how olives are harvested to make extra-virgin olive oil. You’ll even see a 3,000-year-old olive tree. Moving from olives to grapes, take a tour of a vineyard and taste the wine while learning about the ancient Cretan methods of wine-making. Sit down in a small tavern and enjoy a typical Cretan meal. The cuisine of Crete is renowned for its life-giving, longevity-producing qualities. Expect fresh herbs and greens, seafood, feta cheese, and maybe even savory pies. Stop by the chapel of Agia Paraskevi, set above a huge cave. The cave, 525 feet (160 m) deep and 118 feet (36 m) wide, was a shrine to an ancient fertility goddess long before the church was built. At the conclusion of your tour, you’ll be dropped back at your hotel.