Visit Chania and find out your options of Real Estate in Chania

Chania being the second largest city of Crete offers a great variety of options regarding real estate in Chania . It lies along the north coast of the island, about 70 km (43 mi) west of Rethymno and 145 km (90 mi) west of Heraklion. Chania is the site of the Minoan settlement the Greeks called Kydonia, Greek for quince.

The population of the municipal unit is 60.000, while the whole municipality has 108,642 (2011) inhabitants. This consists of the city of Chania and several other towns and villages, including Aroni, Kounoupidiana, Horafakia, Kalathas, Kampani, Kathiana, Stavros, Sternes, Tersanas, Korakies, Ag. Onoufrios, Mournies, Souda, Nerokouros, Daratsos , Perivolia and Galatas.

All these locations have different characteristics making them unique and diverse as far as real estate in Chania concerns.

The city of Chania can be divided in two parts: the old town and the modern city which is the larger one. The old town is situated next to the old harbour and is the spot around where the whole urban area was developed. From the south, the old town is continuous with the new, and from the north the physical border is the sea. The centre of the modern city is the area extending next to the old town and especially towards the south. Despite being heavily bombed during World War II, Chania’s Old Town is considered the most beautiful urban district on Crete, especially the crumbling Venetian harbour.

It is generally very picturesque, with many narrow alleys and old charming buildings, some of which have been restored as hotels, restaurants, shops and bars. This makes it a lively and colourful place especially during the warm period (April–October). In the winter, it still remains a centre of activities (especially for nightlife) but in a more quiet and atmospheric way. Finally, a very distinctive area of the Old Town is the harbour itself and generally the seafront (“akti”). Akti Tompazi, Akti Kountouriotou and Akti Enoseos (marina) all feature several historical buildings and a thriving nightlife. The main street that combines the modern town with the old town is Halidon Str. The modern part of Chania is where most locals live and work. It is less traditional than the old town, but there are still areas of charming beauty or of some historical interest. The oldest district (early 18th century) of the modern city is Nea Hora (meaning “New Town”) which is located beyond the west end of the old town.

It is a developing area, but also a very picturesque one, with narrow old lanes leading to a small fishing harbour, creating a different atmosphere to the real estate in Chania. During the same era the district of Halepa begun to grow to the east of the city and used to be home for the local aristocracy.Today Halepa is an area that attracts buyers of the upper social class of the market in the real estate in Chania. Part of the marine area of Halepa is called Tabakaria, where a unique architectural complex of old leather processing houses is situated. Apart from the previously mentioned older districts of the modern part of the town, several new residential areas have been developed during the 20th century, like Agios Ioannis, Koumbes, Lentariana etc. Some part—but not the biggest—of the city centre is dominated by colourless medium-height block buildings, typical of the urbanization period of Greece (1950–1970). However, there are still some beautiful neoclassical houses especially at the eastern part of Chania and some of the neighbourhoods surrounding the centre are quite picturesque.

On the edge of the old town, built in 1913 the indoor market (“Agora”), a large building based on the market of Marseille, is popular with tourists and locals alike. The central largest squares in Chania, apart from the Market Square (“Agora”) are the Court House Square (“Dikastiria”) and the “1866 Square”. In the last two decades there has been a profound movement of Chania residents towards the suburbs, as well as towards areas around the city which used to be rural, mainly the Akrotiri Peninsula, the Area of Apokoronas, the area of Platanias, Kydonia and Kolymbari. These areas attract mainly the interest of the real estate in Chania.