CHANIA CITY TOUR
Tuesday 6 May, 16:30 | Departure from Minoa Palace Resort
Chania stands on the site of the ancient city of Kydonia.
According to the myths, the ancient town was built by Kydon, a grandson of Minos, who was the protector of travelers: this perhaps explains the reputation of the local people for hospitality.
In our days, Chania is the second most populous city in Crete and the capital of the Prefecture of the same name. During the period of Cretan autonomy and in the first period of union with Greece was the capital of the whole island.
Unquestionably one of the most beautiful cities in Greece, Chania is untouched by the development of tourism and is still strangely reminiscent of the days when it was the administrative capital of Crete. Chania consists of the Old Town and the New Town, which blend harmoniously into an attractive, warm and friendly entity.
There are old Venetian buildings-many of them now superbly restored- to take one back to the magic and glamour of an earlier age.
The sights of Chania are concentrated mainly in the Old Town. The fine Venetian walls surround the Old Town, dating from the 15th century, a typical example of Venetian architecture.
The Old Town is centered around the pretty Venetian harbor. At the entrance is the old Venetian lighthouse, opposite the historic Firka Fortress and the Naval Museum. Other sights are the Venetian neighborhood of Topanas, the large walls of the Venetian fortress, built in 1540, Kastelli, and the neighborhood of Splantzia with the churches of Ayios Rokkos, Ayios Nikolaos and Ayioi Anargyrioi.
