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Souda Port at Chania, Crete???


wantocruisemore
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We're on the 6/19 RCI Navigator. We were hoping to explore the town for a bit, eat lunch in town or on a beach, and a drink or two on waterfront/beach before boarding by 2pm. Any suggestions? Beach vs. Chania town if we must choose? We'll be on day 14 of an 18 day trip, so while we want to experience Crete, also will welcome authentic R&R.

 

There is plenty of beaches close to the old town of Chania, just walk west along the waterfront (that is left if you are looking at the sea from the old town!) for 5-10 minutes and there are plenty of hotels with a tiny tiny strip of sand and some sun beds (right after you pass the swimming arena that is literally built out in the water you start passing sun beds) . The further you walk the better the beaches become. The best close beach to Chania is probably Chryssi Acti (sic) (Golden Sands in English). It is about at 25 minute walk, or you can take a short taxi ride (when we spent a week at a hotel there it cost us no more than €10 each way with a taxi). I wrote a bit more about that beach here as an answer to a question: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1388644

 

Unfortunately you wont find to much "authentic" in Chania (other than the century old buildings, imagine eating lunch in a old house without a roof that used to be a monastery, or eating in a building that was a Turkish bath house in the 17th century!), the whole town, and area around is tourist, tourist tourist. But it is still a really nice town and a fair bit to see and do (old buildings, museums, art galleries, the leather market, the food market, etc). The old town is not big, so I think it is a good idea to get there early before it gets to hot to walk around, grab some lunch after some hours and then head to a beach! The only problem is that a 2pm boarding might be a little bit tight to actually enjoy the beach for more than a short period. If I had to choose between a beach and seeing the old town, and it was my only visit to Crete ever, I would go with seeing the old town (a beach is a beach, a beautiful old venetian harbor I will never visit again is not, but that is just my 2 cents!)

 

Arlendius

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We want to explore the Cretan countryside rather than spend all our time in town. This fellow was recommended on a website for Crete. Has anyone had experience with him? Here is the tour:

 

Hi Marianne

Yes we can do a tour who include Akrotiri Stavros the place where Zorbas was made

and the monastery of Gouvenertou. the grave of the Beninzeos and then the old Venetian market in Chania and the Venetian port with the Turkish mask and the Venecian light house

after that we will drive to Aptera a minoan town 4000 years old the small villages of stilos Vamos, on the way we will stop for local coffee with the local people and in the end lunch in a traditional taverna to taste the local food and drinks

 

As you know my tours are private by taxi , i can hold only 4 people.

is there anything you like to visit that is not in that tour

you have to know Crete is a large island to see everything in that short visit is not possible

Lefteris

 

He charges 40 Euro per hour. The five hour tour that he describes would come to 200 E for 2 couples. But we hope to have info from someone who has toured with him before.

 

Marianne

Unsinkable49@gmail.com

 

Marianne

 

 

Marianne, if you hear anything back on this, please post. It sounds like a great tour that I'd like to do too.

 

Thank,

CathyCruises

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We were in Souda and Chania, Crete on 5/20. They outdid themselves with hospitality. We were quite impressed.

 

Literally as we walked off the ship in the morning, there is a huge tented reception area with free Greek pastries, juice, and bottled water.

 

Then, a few feet away are 3 ticket booths that sell the roundtrip public bus tickets to Chania for 6Euros per person roundtrip. The buses are continuous, and I mean another bus is waiting to load while the one in front of it is loading up. They have a coordinator both at the pier and in the center of Chania (at the "agora" park) helping passengers on and off.

 

When we returned they had a guest satisfaction survey for us to fill out, and then gave us a goodie bag as a thank you. Post cards, and orange, and a bottled drink.

 

Chania was a lovely, especially the old waterfront area with shops and restaurants. The views of the sea were beautiful. The old fort was interesting, too, and walking up there was worth the views!!!

Edited by pcur
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We were in Souda and Chania, Crete on 5/20. They outdid themselves with hospitality. We were quite impressed.

 

Literally as we walked off the ship in the morning, there is a huge tented reception area with free Greek pastries, juice, and bottled water.

 

Then, a few feet away are 3 ticket booths that sell the roundtrip public bus tickets to Chania for 6Euros per person roundtrip. The buses are continuous, and I mean another bus is waiting to load while the one in front of it is loading up. They have a coordinator both at the pier and in the center of Chania (at the "agora" park) helping passengers on and off.

 

When we returned they had a guest satisfaction survey for us to fill out, and then gave us a goodie bag as a thank you. Post cards, and orange, and a bottled drink.

 

Chania was a lovely, especially the old waterfront area with shops and restaurants. The views of the sea were beautiful. The old fort was interesting, too, and walking up there was worth the views!!!

 

Thanks for the info. I'll be there on the Navigator June 1st cruise. It sounds great.:)

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I am doing a Greek Islands cruise and leave next week from Venice on RCL. My husband and I would like to go to either Vai Beach, Matala Beach or Elafonisi Beach. Any suggestions and also, is it easy to get a taxi to any of these beaches when our ship docks?

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We were in Souda and Chania, Crete on 5/20. They outdid themselves with hospitality. We were quite impressed.

 

Literally as we walked off the ship in the morning, there is a huge tented reception area with free Greek pastries, juice, and bottled water.

 

Then, a few feet away are 3 ticket booths that sell the roundtrip public bus tickets to Chania for 6Euros per person roundtrip. The buses are continuous, and I mean another bus is waiting to load while the one in front of it is loading up. They have a coordinator both at the pier and in the center of Chania (at the "agora" park) helping passengers on and off.

 

When we returned they had a guest satisfaction survey for us to fill out, and then gave us a goodie bag as a thank you. Post cards, and orange, and a bottled drink.

 

Chania was a lovely, especially the old waterfront area with shops and restaurants. The views of the sea were beautiful. The old fort was interesting, too, and walking up there was worth the views!!!

 

Thanks for the info! It certainly does seem like they are rolling out the welcome mat for the cruise passengers. It sounds like they are excited the ships are docking there. I imagine it really helps the economy.

 

But it does sound like the bus prices have increased. Earlier posts had indicated about 3 euros round trip. But I don't mind paying the extra for the extra perks and convenience.

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We were in Souda and Chania, Crete on 5/20. They outdid themselves with hospitality. We were quite impressed.

 

Literally as we walked off the ship in the morning, there is a huge tented reception area with free Greek pastries, juice, and bottled water.

 

Then, a few feet away are 3 ticket booths that sell the roundtrip public bus tickets to Chania for 6Euros per person roundtrip. The buses are continuous, and I mean another bus is waiting to load while the one in front of it is loading up. They have a coordinator both at the pier and in the center of Chania (at the "agora" park) helping passengers on and off.

 

When we returned they had a guest satisfaction survey for us to fill out, and then gave us a goodie bag as a thank you. Post cards, and orange, and a bottled drink.

 

Chania was a lovely, especially the old waterfront area with shops and restaurants. The views of the sea were beautiful. The old fort was interesting, too, and walking up there was worth the views!!!

Thanks for the info, Peggy. I came to this post in the winter and saw that few cruises had visited Chania in the past. I'm really looking forward to it now.

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I was there the same day as Peggy but I recall the price for the bus to be 1.50 euro each way or 3 euro return.

 

There were also taxis waiting, the price to go to town was 11 Euro.

 

We wandered to the public garden which is very tiny and not worth a trip from a gardening point of view. But wanted to mention that it had free wi-fi and a little cafe to sit and have coffee. It's about a 5 min walk from the bus stop but you walk in opposite direction from the old port.

 

If anyone is a No Reservations fan, I easily found the shop where Anthony Bourdain enjoyed a breakfast treat of bougasta. It wasn't as delicious as I hoped but was glad to try it out, the pastry was amazingly flaky. Again a short walk away from the old port.

 

There is also an information desk just to the right of the bus stop in town. He was eager to help out and gave us directions on which bus to take and where to catch it to go to the beach we wanted to try out. Although we ended up taking a taxi to the beach for 7 Euros.

 

The locals do seem eager to have the tourist arriving. Our goody bag had local olives, honey , a nice colour brochure of Chania, a DVD of Chania and a fresh orange.

 

I also noticed a "train" driving along the beach which is kind of a hop on, hop off thing I think. I grabbed a brochure and the web site is http://www.funtrain dot gr

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I was there the same day as Peggy but I recall the price for the bus to be 1.50 euro each way or 3 euro return.

 

There were also taxis waiting, the price to go to town was 11 Euro.

 

You are correct: I was calculating the cost for 2 people. The taxi would be less expensive if you have more than 4 people going to town. Again, I always price for 2.

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I just got home from the 3/27 of the Mariner of the Seas and we stopped in Souda on 4/2. We were the first cruise ship to stop and they pulled out all the stops for us. There was a canopied area with samples of the local specialties: orange juice, cheese, olives, etc. The best surprise was the bus service. They brought the buses right to the dock and ran it continuously for us. It was 3 euros for a round trip into Chania and they dropped us at the market building. When we bought our bus tickets, there was an info. booth right there with very good maps of Chania. The harbor was beautiful, so make sure you walk all the way over to the port. The bus was EASIER than using a ship transport and definitely a bargain.

 

dce85, that is great information. We will be on the Navigator of the Seas this October and hope that the port will also provide the same service. Thanks again! :)

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We were in Souda and Chania, Crete on 5/20. They outdid themselves with hospitality. We were quite impressed.

 

Literally as we walked off the ship in the morning, there is a huge tented reception area with free Greek pastries, juice, and bottled water.

 

Then, a few feet away are 3 ticket booths that sell the roundtrip public bus tickets to Chania for 6Euros per person roundtrip. The buses are continuous, and I mean another bus is waiting to load while the one in front of it is loading up. They have a coordinator both at the pier and in the center of Chania (at the "agora" park) helping passengers on and off.

 

When we returned they had a guest satisfaction survey for us to fill out, and then gave us a goodie bag as a thank you. Post cards, and orange, and a bottled drink.

 

Chania was a lovely, especially the old waterfront area with shops and restaurants. The views of the sea were beautiful. The old fort was interesting, too, and walking up there was worth the views!!!

 

Thanks for the post! It looks like they'll be providing the bus service for the remainder of the year...woohoo...we plan on getting rid of some calories by walking around Chania...thanka again. :)

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hey

we are on the same cruise. Maybe we'll see you there. I have a tour booked in Ephesus but that's it so far. I was planning on going on our own at Athens but I am still looking for something in Sicily and Crete.

deb

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hey

we are on the same cruise. Maybe we'll see you there. I have a tour booked in Ephesus but that's it so far. I was planning on going on our own at Athens but I am still looking for something in Sicily and Crete.

deb

 

 

Which sailing are you on?

 

Whichever it is, join your roll call and sign up for your Meet and Mingle!!!!

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SRQMary- we are also taking the Celebrity cruise in September. And it appears we are from the same hometown. So if you want to get together onboard, or to figure out something to do in Chania (we had wanted to go to Knossos but this doesn't look practical), let us know.

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  • 1 month later...
Thanks for the info! It certainly does seem like they are rolling out the welcome mat for the cruise passengers. It sounds like they are excited the ships are docking there. I imagine it really helps the economy.

 

But it does sound like the bus prices have increased. Earlier posts had indicated about 3 euros round trip. But I don't mind paying the extra for the extra perks and convenience.

 

Thanks for the post! It looks like they'll be providing the bus service for the remainder of the year...woohoo...we plan on getting rid of some calories by walking around Chania...thanka again. :)

 

Dear All, We're going to be on the 20 Sept sailing and have recently requested/received current bus info (as of 4 July 2011) from Chania's Antonis Konstantoudakis as follows: "The bus takes you from the cruise ship to terminal at Chania Central (very close to the old harbor) so you don’t need to worry about the bus stop at Souda or the departure time. The return is also very well organized. The departure point from Chania to Souda is outside the old market which is at Chania Central. The bus fare is 1.50 € Souda – Chania Central and 3,00€ including return. You can purchase tickets outside of the cruise ship from our kiosks".

Have a great time in Chania!

Regards, Zeke

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Dear All, We're going to be on the 20 Sept sailing and have recently requested/received current bus info (as of 4 July 2011) from Chania's Antonis Konstantoudakis as follows: "The bus takes you from the cruise ship to terminal at Chania Central (very close to the old harbor) so you don’t need to worry about the bus stop at Souda or the departure time. The return is also very well organized. The departure point from Chania to Souda is outside the old market which is at Chania Central. The bus fare is 1.50 € Souda – Chania Central and 3,00€ including return. You can purchase tickets outside of the cruise ship from our kiosks".

Have a great time in Chania!

Regards, Zeke

Hi everyone, my wife and I just returned from our cruise and Chania was a real highlight of the trip.

 

I couldn't get much information before leaving so I figured it would be our day at the beach on this cruise. When we got into Chania (the shuttle buses from Souda are frequent and very inexpensive) we were blown away by its beauty.

 

Chania harbour is breathtaking. It was a crystal clear, sunny day with a stiff breeze blowing. Despite being on a cruise, the Mediterranean was as we had never seen it all week: azure blue and turquoise - gorgeous! The Venetian harbour is a pleasure to stroll through and the town is thoroughly enchanting.

 

We had lunch at the Lithos restaurant - apparently the oldest building in the harbour (600 yrs old) - because the owner charmed us into coming in. It was a very good decision. The food was rustic and delightful, the restaurant authentically Greek. We sat with that gorgeous view in front of us, the sound of a bouzouki playing somewhere ... and made a dreamy memory.

 

At the end of our meal, the owner sent two very large ouzos our way and my wife, not the biggest drinker, surprised me with an "Opa" and downed it in one fell swoop.

 

As it turned out, Chania harbour was our favourite stop and the most beautiful sight we saw in the Mediterranean, on a cruise that included Rome, Sicily, Athens and Ephesus ... Oh, and we never did get to the beach ...

 

Have fun!

Edited by havcamwiltravel
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We had lunch at the Lithos restaurant - apparently the oldest building in the harbour (600 yrs old) - because the owner charmed us into coming in. It was a very good decision. The food was rustic and delightful, the restaurant authentically Greek. We sat with that gorgeous view in front of us, the sound of a bouzouki playing somewhere ... and made a dreamy memory.

 

Made a note of this in my travel binder for Crete. Will be there in Nov.

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Anyone actually use the "funtrain" in Chania? We have a LONG day there (11 hours) and I am considering doing one of their trip. Website suggests it is not HOHO but wanted to see if anyone has actually used it and whether it was worthwhile.

 

Cheers,

Sue

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Dear All, We're going to be on the 20 Sept Mariner sailing and have recently requested/received current bus info (as of 4 July 2011) from Chania's Antonis Konstantoudakis as follows: "The bus takes you from the cruise ship to terminal at Chania Central (very close to the old harbor) so you don’t need to worry about the bus stop at Souda or the departure time. The return is also very well organized. The departure point from Chania to Souda is outside the old market which is at Chania Central. The bus fare is 1.50 € Souda – Chania Central and 3,00€ including return. You can purchase tickets outside of the cruise ship from our kiosks".

Have a great time in Chania!

Regards, Zeke

 

Bus appears to be both good and cost effective!

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Just wanted to give some recent feedback on our visit to Chania, Crete a few days ago.

 

It is extremely easy to take the bus to town. Do go ahead and purchase the round trip ticket so you will already have the return tickets. It was 1.5 euro each way (3 total) per person. I had read about Chania having a tent up with goodies like water and fruit etc. but either they have stopped that or we got off to late when we got off at 9:30am.

 

I had the initial impression that the shuttle from the port would stop in the old section of the town. It does not. It stops in a crowded bus area so it's easy to catch another, but the map we had was useless because there was no identification as to where we were dropped off. My daughter wanted to go to the beach first so we asked and were directed to Bus 21 a few blocks away. The ticket each way from town to bus was 1.2 euros. The beach was ok but we wished we had skipped it. We go to the beach and lake frequently back home so it's no big deal. After a few photos we waited and boarded the bus back to town.

 

The old town is very charming and full of shops and restaurants. We finally got to the waterfront by noon for lunch and had a nice lunch at one of the sidewalk cafes. But since we didn't have much time left and had to be on board by 2:30pm we split so I could shop more with my daughter and others could walk around. DD found a great shop with the wrap style dresses and bought a couple of outfits.

 

We walked back to the place to catch the bus (about 15 min. steady fast walking) and made the shuttle and got back on board right at 2:30pm.

 

Chania was charming and I wish we had more time there. If we go back I will definitely skip the beach unless we are there for several days.

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Wantocruisemore and I are following each other around the boards just as we followed each other around the Mediterranean.

 

Just FYI for others who are researching Chania. This was our experience.

 

We docked at 6:30 am. We planned an easy beach day taking public buses (3 Euros roundtrip) into town followed by a walk to the beach. We caught a bus at 9:00 and 20 min later were in the town square. Following the map we were given along with our bus tickets, we walked to the nearest beach called Nea Chora. This took about 20 minutes. Although we were told this beach would be crowded, we found it almost empty at 10 am. We rented 4 “sunbeds” and 2 umbrellas for a total of 10 Euros. The water was clear and calm since the reef in the distance protected it from the waves of the Aegean Sea. The kids, Eddie & Joe built quite an extensive framework of sandcastles. We were the only ones doing this. It must not be a Greek thing.

We could see the forum recommended beach (Chrissi Akti) or Golden Beach a short distance away, but we were just fine where we were. Perhaps it’s more crowded on weekends or later in the afternoon, but by 12:15 when we left, there were still plenty of sunbeds available. Some people rented paddleboats or canoes and went out to the reef and some were even climbing up on the rocks. We live on a lake and have quite a "fleet" of watercraft so we didn't do this. The kids enjoyed swimming and playing in the beautiful blue water.

We walked back to the bus stop along the shore to view the old Venetian harbor, fort and lighthouse. Joe & I bought beach towels as souvenirs. The buses were crowded with people going back to the ship. We boarded at 1:00. I’m glad we didn’t delay. “All aboard” was 2:30 and the ship sailed promptly at 3:00.

Although no one missed the boat this time, we learned that a few weeks ago 2 crew members and 1 passenger didn’t make it.

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Just returned from trip on RCCL Navigator of the Seas which included stop at Chania. Replies on Cruise Critic very helpful.

 

As noted in previous posts, buses very efficient and prices as noted with 1.5Euro one way and 3.0 Euro roundtrip. Takes you directly to center of Chania.

 

We were a group of 9 and decided to take two taxis to the beach. Beach is easy walk around 15-20 minutes(Nea Hora) which is just west of town center. Nice beach. One way to beach was 15 Euro and they quoted us 11 Euro for one-way to city center. Trip took around 20 minutes.

 

At beach, multiple areas where you can just rent a pair of beach chairs and umbrella for 5 Euro. They have porta-poties which are what they are but with the rental our vendor said we could use the bathroom at the restaurant across the street. Plenty of restaurants and shops along the beach which is about 1/3-1/2 mile long.

 

Had lunch at the bay which is very picturesque. Multiple dining and shopping options at the bay. Didn't really have much time in Chania after spending about 2 hours at the beach.

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