An Egyptian lighthouse, a harbour mosque, a synagogue kept by volunteers

Everything here is inside the walls or on the harbour, ten minutes' walk from Talos Square or the bus stops. With one afternoon I'd walk the breakwater, see Etz Hayyim and finish at Firkas.

1. Walk the breakwater to the lighthouse

The lighthouse gets called Venetian, but only the base is. Egyptian troops rebuilt the 26 m tower in 1864. Walk out along the breakwater late in the day and look back at the town.

2. See the harbour mosque from the water side

The Küçük Hasan Pasha Mosque dates from 1645, the year the Ottomans took the city. It's an exhibition centre now, so check what's on.

3. Sit for ten minutes at Etz Hayyim

Chania's Jews were deported in July 1944 and drowned at sea. Etz Hayyim Synagogue reopened in 1999, kept by volunteers. It's the quietest room in the old town, and I'd give it more time than any shop.

4. Start Firkas at the Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum of Crete sits at the gate of the Firkas fortress, founded in 1973. Its Minoan ship replica, 17 m long, is kept at the Moro shipyard.

5. Take the car to the new museum

The Archaeological Museum moved in 2022 out of the old town to Chalepa. It's the one sight here where driving makes sense.

6. Lose an hour in Splantzia

The old Turkish quarter of Splantzia is the least changed part of town. Come for the plane tree on 1821 Square, not the shops.

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Cheese bougatsa with sugar, snails with rosemary

1. Order bougatsa the Chania way

Here bougatsa is filled with unsweetened mizithra cheese, then dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Bougatsa Iordanis carries the pie in its name; I couldn't confirm its hours, so check before you walk over. My order is a plate and a coffee, nothing else.

2. Try snails and staka in a taverna

Chochlioi boubouristi are snails fried with rosemary and vinegar. Staka is a rich butter roux eaten with bread or eggs, and apaki is smoked pork. Dakos is the rusk salad you'll see everywhere.

3. Save gamopilafo for a wedding-sized lunch

Rice cooked in goat and rooster broth, from the island's wedding tables. Order it to share.

4. Eat fish in Nea Chora

The tavernas on the beach at Nea Chora are a ten-minute walk west of the harbour. I'd skip the harbour front row and eat there.

Oxi Day, a March parade and the May anniversary

1. Expect closures on 28 October

Wednesday 28 October 2026 is Ohi Day, a national holiday with school and military parades. Chania's route and parking bans weren't published when I checked.

2. Plan round 25 March

Thursday 25 March 2027 is Independence Day, another national holiday and parade morning. The details come out a few days before.

3. Mark 20 May for the battle

The Battle of Crete began on 20 May 1941, and the anniversary is marked every May. The 2027 programme isn't out.

Kydonia, a Venetian port and a battle from the sky

1. Know the oldest name

Linear B tablets call the place Ku-do-ni-ja; classical Greeks called it Cydonia. Today's district still carries the name.

2. Read the walls as Venetian

The Venetians took the town in 1252 and began the walls in 1538. The Ottomans took it in 1645 after a two-month siege; Crete joined Greece on 1 December 1913.

3. Remember Maleme

The Battle of Crete, 20 May to 1 June 1941, was the first mainly airborne invasion in history. The decisive ground was Maleme airfield, west of Chania.