Boat & day tripsClosed Tuesdays
Ancient Aptera
Ruins of an ancient city on a hill above Souda Bay, with a theatre, Roman cisterns and a later fortress. Closed on Tuesdays.
- Ships use the port of Souda, not Chania's old harbour. Allow 20–30 minutes each way between the ship and Chania by bus or taxi.
- Chania's Municipal Market (the cross-shaped covered market) has been closed for restoration and is due to reopen in December 2026; check before planning around it.
- The Archaeological Museum of Chania and the ancient site of Aptera are closed on Tuesdays.
- Greece charges a per-passenger cruise levy each time you go ashore, usually added to your onboard account: €5 from June to September, €3 in April, May and October, and €1 from November to March at this port.
Where ships dock
Ready-made days
4hours
Venetian harbour → Old town lanes and harbour tavernas → Mosque of the Janissaries → Firkas fortress
6hoursVenetian harbour → Old town lanes and harbour tavernas → Mosque of the Janissaries → Chania lighthouse → Maritime Museum of Crete → Splantzia square and Agios Nikolaos church
8hoursSouda Bay War Cemetery → Venetian harbour → Old town lanes and harbour tavernas → Archaeological Museum of Chania → Chania lighthouse → Splantzia square and Agios Nikolaos church → Venetian shipyards
Add your ship's times above to see what fits in your time ashore.
Sights
Souda Bay War Cemetery
A Commonwealth war cemetery on the shore of Souda Bay, close to the port, mostly for those who died in the Battle of Crete in 1941.
SightsClosed Tuesdays
Archaeological Museum of Chania
A modern museum in the Chalepa district showing finds from across western Crete, from Minoan to Roman times. Closed on Tuesdays.
Sights
Splantzia square and Agios Nikolaos church
A shady square in the old Turkish quarter, overlooked by a church that has both a minaret and a bell tower.
Sights
Venetian shipyards
A row of vaulted Venetian boat sheds on the east side of the harbour, some restored for exhibitions.
Sights
Mosque of the Janissaries
A domed 17th-century Ottoman mosque on the harbour front, now used for exhibitions.
Food & drink
Old town lanes and harbour tavernas
The lanes of the Topanas quarter behind the harbour, full of craft shops, small restaurants and leafy courtyards.
Sights
Etz Hayyim Synagogue
A restored synagogue in the old Jewish quarter, now a quiet place of memory and study. Opening days are limited; check locally.
Sights
Venetian harbour
The horseshoe-shaped old harbour lined with pastel Venetian and Ottoman buildings, cafés and fishing boats.
Sights
Chania lighthouse
A slender stone lighthouse at the end of the long harbour wall; the walk out gives the classic view back over the town.
Sights
Firkas fortress
The Venetian bastion at the western mouth of the harbour, where the Greek flag was raised in 1913 to mark union with Greece.
Sights
Maritime Museum of Crete
Ship models, naval history and Crete's seafaring story, housed by the Firkas fortress. Check opening hours locally.
Practical
Tourist information point
A tourist information point near the western end of the old harbour. Check opening hours locally.
Beaches & parks
Nea Chora beach
The town beach just west of the old harbour, with fish tavernas along the sand.
Map
Your ship's times
Type your ship's arrival and departure times at the top of this page and everything here is marked for your day. Your times are on your cruise documents or in the cruise line's app.
Chania (Souda), Crete publishes its cruise calendar: see the port's schedule ↗
Sources we checked on 2026-10-21: ltnx.gr news.gtp.gr