This summer’s Mediterranean vacay brought us back to Greece,this time to the stunning islands of Crete and Naxos, followed by a one-night stay in Athens. Crete and Naxos were both new islands for us, and we absolutely loved them. In this post, we’re sharing highlights from our five-day stay in Crete – though honestly, five days wasn’t nearly enough. We’re already read to go back! This post details what we did in Chania over five days and how you can recreate our trip for yourself!

DAY 1: ARRIVAL AND DINNER IN THE OLD VENETIAN PORT

Our first day in Crete was an exhausting one, as we arrived in Athens direct from JFK in the early morning and transferred a few hours later to Aegean Airlines for a 1 hour flight to Chania, Crete. While tiring, our transit and arrival was pretty seamless and we spent about two hours in Athen’s Skyserv domestic lounge (it’s just OK). We finally arrived in Chania in the late afternoon, taxied to our hotel, Domes Zeen Chania (which is GREAT!), and promptly took a nap. Luckily, Domes Zeen Chania is super nice and comfortable – separate review coming soon.

We woke up in the early evening and set off on a 45-minute walk into Chania’s Old Venetian Port, a scenic stroll that helped rid us of travel fatigue. The gorgeous flowers and warm sun didn’t hurt either. Our destination was Tamam Chania, a highly rated restaurant tucked into the narrow, historic streets of old Chania, so much so that our table was quite literally in the street. The food was excellent, rich in flavor and beautifully prepared, though we later learned the restaurant is more Turkish than traditional Greek (whoops!). Either way, it’s absolutely worth a visit. Just be sure to book ahead; we saw several people turned away without a reservation.

After dinner, we strolled over to Chania’s Old Venetian Port just in time for sunset, an experience you simply cannot miss if you’re visiting. As the sky turned shades of gold and pink over the harbor, the atmosphere felt truly magical, with the historic lighthouse and waterfront glowing in the evening light. After soaking it all in, we made the 45-minute journey back to our hotel, a perfect end to our first day in Crete.

DAY 2: RELAXING IN GREECE, GUINNESS, AND A DELICIOUS DINNER IN CHANIA’S OLD TOWN

The following morning, we woke up feeling well-rested in Chania and proceeded to breakfast at what we called our our hotel’s “breakfast buffet restaurant” (as there were two options – one with a buffet & the other a la carte). Naturally, I ordered a Cappuccino Freddo (or a cold cappuccino). No one does a Cappuccino Freddo like Greece. We spent the rest of the morning unwinding and enjoying the laid-back atmosphere of the hotel before heading out in the early afternoon in search of lunch.

As it was a Sunday afternoon, many restaurants in Chania were unfortunately closed, including those I had bookmarked (common many places honestly). We ended up at a tiny gyro spot called O’Avaμμeεva Káρfouva (sp?), which was actually excellent. We enjoyed inexpensive gyros and cold beer – just what we were looking for on our first true afternoon.

After a bit of wandering Chania, we stopped at one of Chania’s few Irish pubs, Conor Pass (and yes, I looked this up ahead of time). If you know me, you know I love Guinness and couldn’t resist one in Chania. Conor Pass seemed to be relatively authentic and served a decent Guinness. We also caught most of the sunset here.

Dinner tonight was at another Turkish restaurant – The Well of the Turk. I knew this one was Turkish when I booked it! Like Tamam, The Well of the Turk was right in the heart of Old Chania, except this time we sat in a little courtyard instead of directly on the street (which we prefer). We split numerous dishes between the two of us and drank local wine from Kiravatakis Winery, which we would visit the following day! Like Tamam, reservations are recommended at The Well of the Turk. It is very popular.

We walked back to our hotel after dinner, as we needed to be well-rested for a full day wine tour in the morning.

DAY 3: A WINE TOUR IN THE CHANIA COUNTRYSIDE

We booked a wine tour with Chania Wine Tours for our third day in Crete. In light of our tour, we got up quite early and ate breakfast Domes Zeen’s a la carte restaurant. I had the most delicious Eggs Benedict with local Broccoli and, of course, an iced coffee.

Our wine tour, Chania Wine Tours, picked us up in a branded van right on time and drove us to three wineries, as well as stopping at the oldest olive tree in the world! Specifically, we visited Kiravatakis winery, Patriotis winery, and Dourakis winery, including having a large lunch at Dourakis winery. Eaach of these wineries specialize in not Greek wine, but Cretan wine, including local Cretan varieties. I will be posting separately about our winery tour because it was so good and fun. But for now, we had a delicious lunch, tried A LOT of wine, and met some adorable vineyard doggies. We returned to Domes Zeen in the late afternoon, where we promptly took another nap.

As we were a bit tired, and tipsy, from our wine tour, we opted for dinner at Domes Zeen this evening. While Domes Zeen’s restaurant was a little pricey, especially compared to other restaurants in Chania, the food was good, especially for a hotel restaurant at a hotel somewhat geared toward Americans (as its part of the Marriott network). We also, again, caught the sunset. It did not disappoint.

DAY 4: MORE RELAXING AND DINNER AT A LOCAL CHANIA WINERY

Our fourth day in Crete began with another hotel breakfast and a morning relaxing at Domes Zeen. In contrast to some of our busier trips, we really enjoyed relaxing at the hotel on this trip.

We walked along the beach into Chania around midday for lunch at a tiny gyro spot called Mythos Café Souvlaki. Mythos is super casual. Lunch consisted of sitting on the street, eating a 4 euro gyro paired with a beer. It really reminded us of some of our old Greek travels. Ah, nostaglia!

This evening we were picked up on the early side for dinner at another winery – Manousakis Winery. Manousakis Winery is a local winery that also serves dinner, restaurant style, a few nights a week. Our dinner consisted of several courses and each was paired with a different wine. It was really special – definitely one of our favorite dinners of the trip. My favorite dinner dish was a dessert of Greek yogurt topped with a sweet carrot marmalade. Of course, a more detailed post is coming!

DAY 5: STROLLING, SHISHA ON THE WATER, DELICIOUS GYROS, AND THE BEST DINNER OF THE TRIP

We really tried our best to pack in the best of Chania on our last day on the island. We began with breakfast at Domes Zeen’s smaller, a la carte breakfast restaurant (which I think I preferred to the buffet). We shared a delicious Shakshouka and, of course, more Cappuccino Freddo.

After breakfast, we walked about an hour into Old Chania – past the Old Venetian Port – to sit by the Mediterranean and smoke Shisha. Views were stunning, and the water was crystal clear.

While it was about 90 degrees by midday when we finished the shisha, we walked to what is rumored to be one of Chania’s best gyro spots – Το Σουβλάκι Όπως Παλιά (or To Souvlaki Opos Palia). And indeed, this whole in the wall served an EXCELLENT gyro. No fries, no red spice on top, just pure Greek gyro. This was by far the best gyro we had in Chania. And of course, it was inexpensive and paired perfectly with a local beer.

We eventually made our way back on foot to Domes Zeen and checked into an upgraded room. While I often wouldn’t do this on our last night, I really wanted to see the upgraded room! The upgrade was higher up, offering sprawling sea views, and while the plunge pool was slightly smaller, it was much more private. We spent the bulk of the afternoon enjoying the pool and views. I also did a bit of packing.

For dinner, we taxied back into Chania had the absolute best dinner of our trip at Salis Wine Bar. The food i INCREDIBLE, especially the risotto and the fried zucchini blossoms. Separate post coming! If you are going to be in Chania, make a reservation now.

After dinner, we again walked by the Old Venetian Port for one last Chania sunset, which was absolutely gorgeous, and we stopped en route home for a beachside beer close to the place where the beach walk from Domes Zeen ends. This was quite fun and reminded us of our trips to Greece back in 2008 and 2010. I wish we had had a bit more time to do things like this on this trip.

DAY 6: A VERY EARLY DEPARTURE AND THE FERRY TO NAXOS

We left verrrry early on Thursday morning via taxi to Heraklion to catch a SeaJets ferry to Naxos. The drive took about 2 hours and was uneventful. We said goodbye to Crete and set off for Naxos, arriving in Naxos just under 3 hours later. Stay tuned for my post about Naxos!

STEAL OUR TRIP

Domes Zeen Chania: We stayed here for 5 nights, which hotel is currently part of the Marriott network. The website is in English.

Tamam Chania: 49 Zampeliou str Old Harbour, Chania 731 00, Greece. Open daily 12 – 00. Reservations recommended, which can be made here. English menu available.

Conor Pass: Pl. Katechaki 13, Chania 731 00, Greece. Open 18:00 – 2:00. Drinks only – limited seating. Very fun atmosphere.

The Well of the Turk: Kallinikou Sarpaki, Chania 731 00, Greece. Open daily 18:00 – 23:30. Reservations highly recommended. English menu avaiable.

Mythos Café Souvlaki (no website): Samouil Chaou 27, Chania 731 31, Greece. Open daily 10:00 – 23:00. Takeaway or street seating only.

Chania Wine Tours: We did the Wine Dinner Under the Stars and the Wine Lovers Tour. Both were excellent and worth the money. Be sure to book in advance.

To Souvlaki Opos Palia (Το Σουβλάκι Όπως Παλιά): Open Monday – Friday 10:30 – 21:30. Saturday 10:30 – 17:00. Closed Sunday. The best gyro we had in Chania.

Salis: Akti Enoseos 3, Chania 731 32, Greece. Open daily 12 – 22:30. Reservations recommended, which can be made here. English menu available.

Private Transfer Chania: We used this company to drive us to Heraklion. Prices disclosed on website. Very responsive via What’s App.