Travel Guide

Tourism has brought more prosperity to Crete island and whilst the east of Crete has more concentrated tourism the west is drawing more and more visitors and nowadays Chania has quite a cosmopolitan air. The north coast is more developed with its airport, sea port and easy road access but the south west also has its fair share of visitors these days.
The island is divided to four prefectures: Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos (Lasithi). The capital of the island is the city of Heraklion. The population is approximately 540.000 (Chania 134.000, Rethimno 70.000, Heraklion 265.000, Agios Nikolaos 71.000).

Chania is the main town in the west of Crete, with the second largest population after Heraklion. It is divided into two parts:
The New Town which is where the day to day business of the Chania goes on, with its shops and offices, the post office and banks, the renowned indoor market and the bus station, and the Old Town, built around the Venetian harbour with numerous picturesque narrow streets and architecture showing the influence of decades of foreign domination.

How to reach Crete and Chania:
Crete has two of the most important ports of the East Mediterranean Sea, the port of Heraklion and the port of Chania (Souda). The island is connected with mainland Greece, with a large number of passenger ships (ferry-boats). Right now ANEK Lines operates daily departures from Piraeus(Athens) to Chania, Rethimno, Heraklion and v/v and Minoan Lines operates daily departure from Piraeus(Athens) to Heraklion and v/v.
There are also two international airports operating in the island, in Heraklion and in Chania. The island is connected with most of the airports in Greece, many European countries and Cyprus, with regular or charter flights. Companies that operate regularly on these airports are Olympic Airways, Aegean-Cronus Airlines and many other foreign companies connecting with charters Chania or Heraklion with many European Countries.

Food and Dining:
If you love good and tasty food, you will love Crete. There are restaurants to suit every taste, serving a huge selection of international cuisine (European, American even Asian) and of course traditional Greek and Cretan food. The variety of cuisine and dining experiences is one of the major attractions of the island.
While Greek food is renowned for its wonderful flavours and fresh ingredients, Crete is especially famous for its seafood, and, you don't have to empty your bank account to enjoy the most sumptuous of dishes.
In addition, excelent wine is available since Crete and Chania products high quality of red, rose, or white. Also, traditional Greek drinks like retsina, ouzo or tsikoudia, are available and one of the must.
Retsina goes with your food (meat or seafood) instead of wine.
Ouzo is served with ice-cubes or water and goes with your seafood (octapus, shrimps etc).
Tsikoudia is a traditional Cretan drink which is served in a small glass like spirits. Be carefull it is a strong drink. Many restaurants or taverns "by default" after your meal, when you ask for the bill they serve you a small glass of our traditional drink (tsikoudia) just to taste it (taste is enough for tsikoudia)

Nightlife:
If you're looking for action, bright lights, music and fun, head for Platanias village. Twenty years ago, Platanias was a little fishing village. Now its a rollicking holiday resort, catering to all tastes. Apart from the huge range of shops and restaurants you have a choice of cafes, bars, discotheques, and music pubs. Another place for action is Chania Venetian old harbour with many restaurant, taverns and bars. Just have a walk and decide the right place which fits you.

Business hours/Banks/Currency:
Business hours are generally from 09:00 to 14:00, weekdays and Saturday (except Sunday), plus 17:30 to 21:00 on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday afternoon. Shops and stores that are involved with tourists (souvenir shops, travel agencies etc) open all day until late evening, everyday (and Sunday).
Many banks operate in Chania offer all the services you need. Banking hours are from Monday to Friday 08:00 to 14:30. There are also many ATM's that are usually outside the banks. All credit cards (Visa, American Express, Mastercard, Diners) are welcomed and operate normal at ATM's, shops etc.
From 01/01/2002 Greek drachma belongs to the past and the official currency in Greece is Euro. Greek people support a lot this change of the country currency even though Greek drachma was the oldest known money (almost 4000 years of history) of the ancient years.

Postal Services:
At Chania town the main Post Office is at Tzanakaki str, near to city center.
Urgent or important items can be sent by EMS services. This is faster and safer but the cost is higher. Private couriers like DHL are available in Chania town.

Telecommunications/Internet:
Most hotels can provide to their customers telephone and fax services. Public phones are a good choice for making phone calls even long distance or overseas. Telephone cards are available from various places even from mini markets.
Mobile phone operates normally if the mobile company you use has roaming service in Greece. There are three mobile companies in Greece. Cosmote, Vodafone and Telestet.
Internet cafes with high speed ISDN connection are located in all the main tourist areas and offer reasonable rates. Many hotels have an Internet service, but can be expensive.

Cameras - Film and Electricity:
Most popular brands and types of film are widely available. Film processing is widely available and one-hour service is common. Throw-away one-time cameras are widely available, too.
Electricity is 220 Volts AC at 50 cycles. Several different plugs and sockets are in use, but two pin flat (US type) or round (European type) are pretty universal.

Crete | Chania | New Town | Old Town