Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
From Plateia 1866 (1866 Sq), the Venetian Harbour is a short walk north up Halidon.
Zambeliou, once Hania's main thoroughfare, is lined with craft shops, small hotels and
tavernas. The slightly bohemian Splantzia quarter, running from Plateia 1821 (1821 Sq)
between Daskalogianni and Halidon, has leafy restaurants and cafes, boutique hotels and
traditional shopping. The headland near the lighthouse separates the Venetian Harbour
from the crowded town beach in the modern Nea Hora quarter.
Venetian Harbour
HISTORIC SITE
A stroll around here is a must for any visitor to Hania. The restored
Venetian lighthouse
at the harbour entrance is reached along a 1.5km walk around the sea wall. On the inner
GOOGLE MAP
(also called Mosque of Janissaries) occasionally hosts art exhibitions.
Further east, the well-restored Venetian Grand Arsenal houses the
Centre for Mediter-
Hania Archaeological Museum
MUSEUM
( 28210 90334; Halidon 21; admission €2/1, incl Byzantine & post-Byzantine Collection €3/2;
8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun)
The setting alone in the beautifully restored 16th-century Venetian
Church of San Francisco is reason to visit this fine collection of artefacts from neolithic
to Roman times. Late-Minoan sarcophagi catch the eye as much as a large glass case
with an entire herd of clay bulls (used to worship Poseidon). Other standouts include
three Roman floor mosaics, Hellenistic gold jewellery, clay tablets with Linear A and
Linear B script, and a marble sculpture of Roman emperor Hadrian.
Permanent Collection of Ancient & Traditional Shipbuilding
MUSEUM
( 28210 91875; Neorio Moro, Akti Defkaliona; admission €2; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm
Sun)
The
Minoa
, a painstaking replica of a Minoan ship that sailed from Crete to Athens
for the 2004 Olympics ceremonies, now permanently docks in a converted Venetian
shipyard
(neoria)
. Tools used in its making and photographs from the epic journey bring
to life this amazing feat.
Church of Agios Nikolaos
CHURCH
