Chania Tips
Top restaurants in town
If you love vegetarian food, we can’t recommend enough the Stachi Restaurant on the other side of the old town (13 minute walk). We love the hummus there, and if you go, make sure to try the fresh bread and any of the day’s dishes!
For fish, we recommend Achileas Restaurant by the sandy Nea Chora Beach. It has awesome views, and they’ll tell you what’s fresh.
If you want Greek food, avoid the port front taverns (unless you’re after the views), and check out Chrisostomos tavern instead! (this is also near Stachi restaurant)
Top taverns around Chania
If you have a car and want the ultimate Greek experience, get to Leventis restaurant 15 minutes drive west. The restaurant has received many awards and you’ll feel like you’re in a home eating with a beautiful view of the countryside.
If you want to go to the mountains, head to Therisso and Stavlos and eat at Emilia’s tavern. It’s a favorite spot for locals!
If you want Greek food in Akrotiri, Irene’s tavern is the way to go.
Top cafes in Chania
The best coffee in Chania is at the Monogram cafes. There’s no question about it.
For an awesome view, get to Koukouvaya, although you would need to drive there.
For views inside the port, Pallas is the obvious choise!
Best things to do in Chania
Of course, you will need to get up early and walk to the Egyptian light house. This way, you can grab a coffee at Monogram and enjoy the peace of the morning. There are usually other early walkers, and maybe some runners out at that time of the day, but for the most part it is so peaceful!
We also reccomend walking to the leather market, where you can get great deals on leather bags, shoes, and everything! Also there is an olive wood store there where you can get the nicest olive wood products that we love.
There are two incredible beaches walking distance from the town, one called Nea Hora beach, and the other called Koum Kapi Beach.
For a local experience, the Chania Saturday market will fill you up with fresh fruits, veggies, and homemade cheeses.
Best day trips from Chania
I’d stay out of the main popular options of Elafonisi and Balos, and I’ll tell you of some local less known day trip options.
Palea Roumata, Omalos, Zourva are some of our favorite day trips around Chania.
The main reason is that they are way less touristic and you can enjoy the nature with peace. They are also closer than Elafonisi or Balos, although those are also great choices, with boat trips that you can take to.
The best tip I can give you is that you go to any of those villages to the local Kafenio (coffee spot) and ask what you can eat today? Chances are they’ll bring you the most local and delicious dishes you’ll even imagine!
If you want to rent a car and you haven’t already, you can check prices (and book if you want) on this website we use often for car rentals around Europe: DiscoverCars