
Hania is one of the nicest towns in Crete, with wonderful houses, parks and squares and a well designed town-plan.
The Public Market is an impressive building, in the town center, built at the beginning of the present century (1911) and houses grocery stores, butchers' shops, a fish market and vegetable shops. The Public Gardens, next to the Market, are ideal for those in search of shade and tranquillity. Northeast of the gardens is the beautiful neighborhood of Chalepa where the residences of Prince George and Eleftherios Venizelos were.
The old city has preserved to a great extent the distinctive atmosphere and charm of the Venetian and Turkish periods. Entire Venetian, Turkish and Jewish quarters are saved, with well preserved buildings in the narrow picturesque streets. One of the most significant buildings is the large Venetian church of Aghios Frankiskos which today houses the Archaeological Museum of Hania.
The old city leads at the harbor, where many Venetian and Turkish buildings are preserved. At the entrance of the harbor, at its northerst point, is the renovated fort "Firkas", built on 1629, that today houses the Maritime Museum of Hania as well as a summer theatre, where drama performances are presented. Opposite the Firkas fort, is the magnificent Venetian lighthouse, built on the 16 century and restored by the Egyptians. The harbor is protected by a Venetian breakwater, built of huge stones. At the center of the breakwater are the ruins of a fortress.
West of Hania, at a distance of 4.5 km, is the hill of Profitis Ilias, where the memorial and tomb of Eleftherios Venizelos and his son Sophokles are located. Hania can be the starting point for a tour to the western Crete, a part of the island with magnificent natural beauty. There are lots of places worth seeing , within driving distance (two to three hours) , the most famous being the Samaria Gorge. This is a National Park of Greece that starts at the village of Omalos, at an altitude of 1227 m. and ends after a walk of approximately 18 Km to the beach of Agia Roumeli. The Gorge is open from May to the beginning of October and is definitely a must for everyone.
Aegina
Agios sostis/lithakia
Alykes
Antiparos
Argolis
Arta
Athens
Cape sounion
Cephalonia
Chios
Corfu
Corinth
Delos
Delphi
Dodona
Drama
Eleusis
Epidaurus
Epirus
Florina
Halkidiki
Hania
Hersonnissos
Hydra
Ierapetra
Ios
Iraklion
Iraklion
Ithaca
Kalamata
Kalambaka
Kardamili
Kardamili
Karpathos
Katerini
Kavala
Kefalonia
Keratsini
Kilkis
Knossos
Kos
Kozanh
Lamia
Larissa
Levkas
Lindos
Marathon
Milos
Mistra
Mycenae
Mykonos
Mytilini
Nauplia
Naxos
Olympia
Paleochora
Paros
Patmos
Patras
Paxi
Pella
Philippi
Pilion
Piraeus
Poros
Rethimno
Rhodes City
Samos
Santorini
Skala Kalloni
Skiathos
Skopelos
Skyros
Stoupa
Stoupa
Thessaloniki
Thiva
Tilos
Tinos
Tolo
Tsilivi
Xanthi
Zakynthos City