Chania Historical Walking Tour: Guided Walk Through Cultural Layers with Lunch
5.0
42 Ratings
Chania
Immerse yourself in the rich history and vibrant culture of Chania on this guided walking tour. Discover hidden corners, meet local artisans, and indulge in delicious cuisine. Book now!
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Municipal Market of Chania - Follow this laid-back walking tour of Chania and find what makes Crete’s cultural capital so marvelous. Explore with us some of the Old Town’s best sights, and visit a mix of famous spots, historic haunts, and hidden gems while discovering the lesser-known Ottoman and Jewish quarters. Get ready to experience Chania with all your senses!\n\nWe’ll begin your Chania tour at the Dimotiki Agora (Municipal Market), which denotes the boundary between the old and new town. Established in 1913, the year of Crete’s unification with Greece, the Agora hosts more than 70 family-owned businesses selling mostly local groceries and products. Sample local delicacies while exploring the market and find out why Crete is home to one of the healthiest diets in the world.
What's Included
- Local English-speaking guide
- Sampling of local beverages
- Lunch
- Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
- Additional food and drink, souvenirs & items of a personal nature, tips & gratuities for your guide
Additional Information
Embark on a fascinating small-group walking exploration of Chania, one of Greece’s most photogenic cities, to witness its distinct beauty and culture. Chania offers a bit of everything: historic remnants, age-old monuments, vibrant regional customs, and a delightful culinary scene you’ll get to try during the journey. Forget your travel guide and follow your local expert through quaint districts and hidden nooks – each location and tight alleyway is rich with a tale!
Drift through the intricate tapestry of historical epochs and cultural layers, absorbing the legends of the Old Town.
Encounter local craftsmen in their studios and put your skills to the test.
Navigate through the town’s historical market, featuring regional Cretan products and foodstuffs.
Observe the traditional making of phyllo by one of Greece’s remaining pastry virtuosos.
Saunter about the ancient Ottoman and Jewish sectors and uncover the ‘Street of the Knives’ among other secluded corners.
Enjoy regional mezedes and partake in raki at a time-honored neighborhood.
- How you help the local community by joining this tour: - On this tour, you meet a local greengrocer, cheesemonger, butcher, and fishmonger, and other family-owned businesses that sell their own Cretan-only products. - Visit one of the last remaining Chania workshops with traditional handmade Cretan knives and hear stories about this tradition by the knife maker. - During this tour, you sample locally-sourced food from Crete’s villages, farmers and stock-breeders.
- Food Allergies: Unless you suffer from multiple, combined food allergies, or unless you are a vegan, we will figure it out. Vegetarians are welcome on all tours.
- If you are happy with the services provided by your local guides a tip – though not compulsory – is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it is of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry. Please consider this when budgeting for your extra expenses on this tour.
Location
Staratigoy Tzanakaki 1
Staratigoy Tzanakaki
You will meet your guide in front of the entrance of the Kydon Hotel as the Public Market is under construction! He will be standing at the door of the hotel holding a sign.
This is the meeting point on Google Maps:
https://g.page/kydonhotel?share
35.513661, 24.020630
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(42 Ratings)
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Michele_w
Mar 29, 2024
Fun interesting Tour with great food - We had a great day with Adonis, an engaging and fun tour guide. We ate lots of fantastic cheese and learned about Chenia. It was a fun history lesson with great food and humor!! Thanks for a great day.
Review provided by Viator
Dsd1106
Mar 16, 2024
Great food and history from a local - Manos was so attentive, providing history and cultural tidbits as we went from local one food location to the next. We tried fresh cheese and olives, Greek savory pastries, local wines and liquors. We watched a master phyllo dough maker and then ate his pastries with Greek coffee. From stop to stop, Manos explained where we were going along with the history of each spot. The final stop was a sit down lunch with SO MUCH food—we got to try so many delicious Cretan specialties.
He made us all feel comfortable and made sure we all participated. He even sent a list of things to do after we were done with the tour. We now all have a friend in Chania!
I’d recommend this tour without hesitation. Great way to learn about the culture and eat delicious food!!
Review provided by Viator
David_l
Mar 6, 2024
Treated like family - Manos did a great job of connecting with everyone in our group. He was excellent at combining history, culture and food. I felt like I was visiting family in Chania. I would have skipped breakfast if I knew how much great food I was going to eat!
Review provided by Viator
Wendy_c
Mar 6, 2024
Guide was terrific and so was the food - Enjoyed the food and our tour Our guide was very informative
Would definitely recommend
Took us to very interesting places
Review provided by Viator
Bonny_g
Feb 28, 2024
The best food tour and guide! - Manos was so friendly and knowledgeable. He brought us to many interesting places and found the best food to sample. He pointed out very interesting facts and stories about Chania. He was perfect!
Review provided by Viator
Travelingmike167
Feb 28, 2024
Great tour - Super friendly tour guide (Manos). Got some excellent food and a great way to spend part of the day. He gave some good tips wheee to go after the tour as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Justin_c
Dec 8, 2023
Fulfilling Food and History Tour with a Terrific Host - Manos our guide was a delight, sharing both authentic Cretan and local Chania cuisine with us, along with historical and cultural tidbits about the Venetian and Ottoman influences throughout the day. He is a happy, knowledgeable and passionate guide regarding Cretan food and agriculture. My wife and I were lucky to have him on a private tour which made our brief two day Chania visit feeling very fulfilling!
Review provided by Viator
Linda_y
Dec 7, 2023
Great first day Chaina orientation - We very much enjoyed the private Chaina food stories tour! Our guide Manos gave us so much local background as well as introduced us to foods we had not yet tried. Learning the history blending the food, the city, and even some of his own stories was a great way to familiarize ourselves with Chaina center. The walk was easily accomplished and customized to our interests. Ask for Manos for a guide if he’s available…excellent job!
Review provided by Viator
Linda
Dec 6, 2023
Fun way to meet a new city! - Manos gave us the back story of the foods and history of old town Chaina. The selection of tasting included some we had yet to be introduced to, lots of local lore mixed in with his own personal tale. Meeting info was clear and on time. The tour itself was very comfortably walked with many interesting shops pointed out…ie custom knife and leather shops.
We definitely recommend this tour and Manos!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Randall_m
Nov 26, 2023
Outstanding walking food tour - food, history, fun - Manos was our guide on this terrific half day tour in Chania - we enjoyed every minute! We went to local, small, family owned businesses where we often met the proprietor - a very personal experience! Our first stop was for bougatza where we enjoyed sheep and goat cheese (mezeetra cheese) in phyllo dough, and had the special experience of watching the phyllo being made, wow! Olive oil is used, not butter, fascinating process to watch though the experts make it look easy! Then we went to another stop for a different sort of small cheese pie, kalaetuna. Then we went to a traditional cheese shop to sample aged gruyere among others. We toured the Old Town and even watched a knife maker crafting knives. We learned all about Chania's long history while visiting the Old Harbor and relaxing at a waterfront coffee shop, from the Minoans, Mycenians through the Venetians and Ottomans! A highlight was our mezes lunch at a very local, 'you'd never find this place on your own' restaurant in a tucked away square where we ate at a covered table outside, amazing - excellent dishes from the Cretan salad, to the fava spread (not to be confused with humus) to meatballs and on and on - two types of raki are served here (similar to grapa). A wonderful time was had by all, delicious, local, fun - cheers to Manos!
Review provided by Viator
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