Planning a trip to Chania

Fast Facts

Banks in the new city have ATMs. For the tourist police, dial tel. 171. The hospital (tel. 28210/27-231) is on Venizelou in the Halepa quarter. There are now several Internet cafes: I like the Vranas Studios Cafe, behind the cathedral and at the corner of Aghion Deka, or Cafe Santé (on the second floor at the far west corner of the old harbor). The post office is at 6 Peridou (an extension of Plastira that leads directly away for the municipal market); hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm, Saturday from 8am to noon. The telephone office (OTE) is on Tzanakaki (leading diagonally away from the municipal market); it is open daily from 7:30am to 11:30pm. Foreign-language publications are available at 8 Skalidi (main street heading west, at top of Halidon).

Sustainable Travel & Ecotourism

I am pleased to tell you about a couple of new ventures on Crete that should appeal to those who are into ecotourism. One is Milia (www.milia.gr), a long-abandoned village in the mountains of western Crete that has been converted into a retreat for those willing to stay in old stone houses, do without modern hotel facilities (although there is electricity), and eat a limited but delicious natural diet. It is operated by native Cretans, and you are left pretty much on your own to enjoy the natural setting. I want to avoid guidebook superlatives, but I feel confident in predicting that if you are looking for a truly natural stay in Greece, no place beats this. The second is the Dalabelos Estates (www.dalabelos.gr), with 10 houses (new and with all amenities), and is in the countryside outside Rethymnon; here you are on a working farm and, depending on the season, can participate in such activities as grape or olive picking or even sheep shearing. Both places require a vehicle to reach even though the proprietors would pick you up at a nearby bus station. Milia is a solid 2-hour drive from Chania and requires a willingness to travel the last miles up a rather scary dirt road; once there, you would probably want to take all your meals at the simple dining room. Dalabelos Estates is about a half-hour's drive from Rethymnon but not served by public transportation; in any case you would want a car to have the freedom to move about the island. For those wavering about which to take on, note that at Milia you have no view, but you step out of your cabin into a wooded area bursting with wildlife. The Dalabelos Estates is a bit more like a resort in that it offers both handsome accommodations and a selection of diversions.

Getting There

By Plane

Olympic Airways offers at least three flights daily to and from Athens in high season. (Flight time is about 50 min.) Flights to Chania from other points in Greece go through Athens. Aegean Airlines also offers several flights daily to and from Athens. The airport is 15km (10 miles) out of town on the Akrotiri. Public buses meet all flights except the last one at night, but almost everyone takes a taxi (about 20€).

By Boat

One ship makes the 10-hour trip daily between Piraeus and Chania, usually leaving early in the evening (www.ferries.gr). During tourist season Hellenic Seaways runs a once-daily high-speed catamaran between Piraeus and Chania that cuts the trip down to about 5 hours (www.greekislands.gr). All ships arrive at and depart from Soudha, a 20-minute bus ride from the stop outside the municipal market. Many travel agents around town sell tickets. In high season, if you're traveling with a car, make reservations in advance, or check with the Paleologos Agency (www.ferries.gr).

By Bus

Buses run almost hourly from early in the morning until about 10:30pm, depending on the season, connecting Chania to Rethymnon and Iraklion. (Round-trip fare to Iraklion for example, is 25€.) There are less frequent, and often inconveniently timed, buses between destinations in western Crete. The main bus station to points all over Crete is at 25 Kidonias (tel. 28210/93-306). Get there plenty early -- it can be a madhouse in high season!

By Car

All the usual agencies can be found in the center of town, but I've always had reasonable and reliable service with Europrent, at 87 Halidon (tel. 28210/27-810; www.europrent.gr).

By Taxi

It should be noted that in July 2009, the taxi drivers of Chania agreed to observe the posting of standard fares to some of the most frequented destinations in and around the city's center (such as the airport or points on the Akrotiri, or from one edge of the city to the other). These posting are supposed to be visible at major taxi pickup points, and although the actual charge cannot always be held to the exact penny (due, say, to traffic conditions that cause long waits), these posted costs should be useful in an appeal to the Tourist Police if you feel you have been grossly overcharged. Don't forget that taxi drivers are allowed a number of surcharges -- late at night, extra luggage, and so on.