Chania Things to Do

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We visited the market's bakery when we were passing through it, tryed the greek cheese pie or ( tyropita), otherwise the market is a great place to try fresh fish as well and buy spices and olive oil. There are many other traditional cretian handmade products, it is a must-see place.

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The little museum is in a re-purposed barrel vaulted monastery, making the building an intrinsic part of the display.

The entry in 2011 was 2 Euro. The well arranged and lit displays include richly painted Minoan sarcophagi, a restored roman floor mosaic, and delicate pottery.

A fine coin collection, busts of Roman emperors rounds out the collection, well worth an hour of your time.

The museum may be moving in future to new digs overlooking the sea.

If you want to take a drive from Chania and visit a nice beach, consider the beach at Kalives. The beach is made of sand and stretches along the village from the car park located on the eastern side of the village all the way several kilometers west. You will find many tavernas at the beach, and some that are at the car park feature free umbrellas and beach chairs if you buy a drink.
Showers are provided at the car park.

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We drove past the Holy Trinity Monastery in order to reach Gouverneto, but when we arrived we found it to be closed that day. I am posting the sign that is outside the gate so that you can make sure you will know the rules.
It is closed on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Some history of the monastery is that it is reputed to be the oldest one on Crete Island, having begun in 1537. It was a Venetian Fortress, and at the time of the Turkish invasion it was recorded to have 60 monks living there.

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One of two monesteries located near Stavros, this is the first one you find, a5 kilometers from Chania on the road past Kourmares.
It is still being used as such and is in fairly good condition considering how old it is. Originally this monestery was smaller, but was destroyed by the Turks and rebuilt thereafter.
They have a very nice library which displays old books, icons and religious materials.
You enter through a large doorway and there you must pay a small entrance fee which is used to support the monastery. I think that you can view my photos as decide if a visit will be interesting for you.
They have a nice website which describes their history, and products that they sell for income.
If you are looking for a break from the beach life, this would be a good choice, as it is a short drive out of Chania and you can go over to Stavros to see its little port, where the movie Zorba The Greek was filmed.
People who enter must be "dressed appropriately".

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At the west wall as you enter the hotel/shopping/restaurant area you can see some items the city has put on display. Most of these are in front of their Navigational/Marine Museum found along the wall.

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You drive a rough road, go up high, park and climb down--60 floors of mostly stone steps. It is a heck of a climb out, not recommended for oldsters, but once the trail has rounded a rock outcrop you see what paradise really is. Amazing. The water colors, the white sand, the beach which only has a few people. This is a NOT TO MISS beach. One of the best on Crete Island.
Plan for all day, and go early. Take water for the walk down, you can buy more at the bottom.
You will never forgive yourself if you forget the camera.
I had been told about this beach, but never thought it could be this awesome.
Showers at the bottom, a cantina for snacks, and plenty of sand. The colors of the water from turquoise to green to dark blue, and the water is pristine.
The hike out is quite a hike, plan to go slow, stop and look and enjoy.
There is a boat to the beach, but the visit is quite short and they arrive late in the day.

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About 30 minutes north of Chania the last beach to be found is Stavros Beach. There are numerous restaurants right at the beach, a nice sandy beach, a cantina and umbrellas to rent. This is a good beach to go to if the windy is blowing south because there is a large cliff of rock across the harbor that cuts the wind.

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About 45 minutes south of Chania is the village called Therisso. This is a famous village due to the fact that during history rebellions took place against foreigners. There is a nice museum here, but small, you can see it in 30 minutes. Then go across the street and eat in one of the best Greek restaurants you could ever find in a small village. See my tip on Therisso restaurants....
The military museum has a number of artillery pieces, in fairly good shape due to the weather being dry. The one in front of the museum, designed to bring down planes was made by Souis Allis a company in America.
If you are there after dark, use caution on the drive back.

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A bit over an hour's drive from Chania, but quite scenic,passing through some quaint villages, a gorge and through a tunnel. There is a large parking lot at the end, right at the beach. You won't have far to walk before you are in the water. There is a long stretch of beach... kind of an island where you can keep walking and get away from people. There can be a bit of nudity there.
The sand of Elafonisi has a bit of pink in it, and that and the water being so clear is magnificent. This beach is second to Balos in beauty.
You can buy snacks in a small cantina at the beach, also rent an umbrella or just go on and make your own place--lots of room to roam.
If you want to stop along the way, try Elos, which has 3 restaurants, and a clever artist. See Elos, Greece for my tips on this village.

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Just walking around the small streets of Chania.....
You can see and feel the flavor of the city and its people. Your camera will get lots of usage because Chania has many quaint picturesque corners, and the blend of old and older just make it better.
As you wander, even your nose gets a awakening as the smells of home cooked Greek food waft out of the windows and come from the open air restaurants.

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There are some talented musicians playing Greek Music on the street. This group of young people had a nice sound, centered around the girl who was really good. I hope they will be there when you visit, but there will be others, I am sure.

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Doctor Fish is an oasis on the center of Chania city and near to Venetian Harbor, where you can relax and revive yourself with a unique treatment that will keep your skin soft, healthy and smooth.

This popular beauty treatment uses Garra Rufa fish, a form carp, to gently remove dead skin. Their suction-cup are perfectly shaped for gently lifting dry skin away and it is completely painless as the fish have no teeth.

After a visit in Venetian Harbor and the Old Town of Chania, you can go to Doctor Fish - Fish Spa. There you can relax in a very nice furniture Fish spa with very helpful personal staff.

You must try this unique experience!!

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My guidebook said that this museum was nothing really special so I went there without much hope for anything interesting.

Anyway, we entered the building at 3:40 PM and approached cashier's desk intending to get myself a ticket. The gentleman behind the desk however let us in without a ticket as the museum was closing on 4 PM.

I found the exhibition quite interesting so I was really sorry that we only had 20 minutes or so to run through all the exhibitions.

Entrance fee EUR 2.00

The museum was organized in the Venetian Monastery of St. Francis in 1963. The building previously served different purposes.

Presently, as its official website says, Museum's collections include:

- Minoan finds from the city of Chania
- Prehistoric finds from caves
- Minoan items from various sites in the prefecture
- Finds from graves of the Geometric period
- Finds from the city of Chania, dated to historic times
- Finds from other towns of the Chania prefecture
- Coins
- Jewellery (prehistoric and historic times)
- Sculpture, inscriptions, stelae
- Mosaics

This year I didn't visit the museum but I remember that I liked it very much during my previous visits to Chania.

Ticket: EUR 2.00