Many of you may be wondering whether Chania or Heraklion is the better place to stay when you visit Crete. We did too – and having stayed in and around both have plenty of good things to say about each city.
I’ve written this article to help you decide whether Heraklion or Chania might make a better base for your holiday in Crete. The first thing you need to know about visiting Crete is that you can’t see the entire island from a single base: it’s simply too big. So if you only have a week or so, it makes sense to stay in the one area. But if you’re planning on a two-week trip, it’s worth considering a two-base holiday.
In this article, I’ll compare Chania and Heraklion with an overview of things to see and do in each city. I’ll also look at where you can visit from each city on day trips – and look at what you aren’t going to be able to see from each city as well.
Chania Or Heraklion – First Impressions
Chania is the more picturesque city – it’s the loveliest city in Crete, and one of the most beautiful cities in Greece.
Heraklion is a much bigger and busier city, with traffic much more prevalent than around Chania’s Old Town. the more popular arrival point, for both flights and ferries.
Our Choice: Chania
Chania vs Heraklion – Location
Heraklion is in the centre of Crete, with public transport connections to much of the island. Whereas Chania is in the west of Crete, so realistically you’re only going to be able to see the western half of the island from there.
Our Choice: It all depends where you want to go from there….
Heraklion vs Chania – Ancient Sites
Heraklion is better for ancient sites, with Knossos on the edge of the city. The outstanding Heraklion Archaeological Museum is the best place to discover more about Crete’s ancient past.
Chania does have some Dorian (pre-Minoan) archaeological sites and is home to a highly impressive Archaeological Museum of its own.
Our Choice: Heraklion
See Also: Visiting Knossos Palace Crete – 8 Best Things To See
Old Towns
Chania Old Town is stunning, a mixture of Venetian and Ottoman Turkish architecture in a labyrinth of ancient side streets and alleyways.
Heraklion Old Town is fascinating, with the Morosini Fountain, magnificent Agios Titos Church and superb backstreet restaurants. Sadly, much of it was destroyed during bombing raids in World War Two, so you have to seek out these pockets of beauty among the modern buildings of the centre of Heraklion.
Our Choice: Chania
Sunsets
Both cities have extraordinary sunsets, especially in summer, but Chania edges it because you can watch the sun go down behind the lighthouse from one of the harbourside bars. A much more romantic city.
Our Choice: Chania
Nightlife
Heraklion is a much bigger, busier city than Chania, but after the sun goes down they’re not dissimilar. During the season many people opt to eat at the outside tables of restaurants, on the squares or on streets. So whether you’re sitting outside at one of the bars on Splantzia in Chania or Lions Square in Heraklion, the atmosphere is fantastic, just like the food and drink.
Our Choice: A Draw
Shopping
Heraklion is a bigger city with more shops than Chania, with more in the way of worldwide fashion brand stores. Not that that is a particular reason to travel there!
Both Chania and Heraklion have a wide range of shops selling Greek produce (olive oil, feta cheeses, etc), ceramic plates, handicrafts and all kinds of souvenirs.
Chania has the covered Agora (Market) and many shops around the old and modern parts of town. Heraklion’s main market is along 1866 Street, with a good range of souvenir shops along 25th August Street near the Harbour.
Our Choice: Heraklion – but there isn’t much in it.
Eating Out
Both cities are fantastic places to eat out and enjoy Crete’s amazing food. For somewhere special, check out The Well of the Turk restaurant in Chania, and Avli tou Defkalonia restaurant in Heraklion.
Our Choice: A draw – you can eat wonderfully well in either city.
Town Beaches
Both Heraklion and Chania have a town beach. Nea Chora in Chania is smaller than Ammoudara Beach in Heraklion, but closer (walking distance – around half a mile from the Harbour) to the centre. You need to catch a bus (around 15 minutes) to Ammoudara beach, which is in the western suburbs of Heraklion.
Chania probably edges this category, as there are several more beaches a little further beyond Nea Chora. Chryssi Akti (Golden Sands) is a long wide sandy beach, while Iguana Beach, a little further to the west, is a great sheltered spot with a couple of busy cafes in season.
Our Choice: Chania
Beaches Nearby
Both cities also have plenty of superb beaches nearby.
Heraklion has resorts like Agia Pelagia and Bali to the west, and the string of beaches to the east – culminating in Potamos Beach and the other Malia beaches – make up the most popular part of Crete for tourists.
Chania also has plenty of beaches nearby, with several resort villages along the strip of coast to the west of the city. There are also some superb one-off beaches like the tiny Seitan Limania beach and cove, and the gorgeous beach at Stavros.
And further west you have three of the best beaches in Crete – Balos, Falassarna and Elafonissi.
Our Choice – Chania – but it’s a close-run thing
Cost
On balance, Heraklion is a little less expensive than Chania. You tend to pay a bit of a premium when eating out in Chania old town, whereas in Heraklion you can find more local cafes, restaurants and bars where the prices tend to drop a bit.
Accommodation in Chania is also a bit more expensive than Heraklion, particularly during the height of the summer season.
Our Choice: Heraklion – by a small margin
Better For Families With Young Kids?
We first visited Chania when our son had just turned five years old, and it was a brilliant place to take him. He loved wandering the old town, and also paddling and learning to swim at some of the more sheltered beaches along the coast, like Stavros.
We also visited Heraklion a few times on the same trip, and he enjoyed himself there too (including being invited to a local boy’s birthday party). Heraklion also has several popular family attractions a short drive or bus ride along the coast (Water City, Cretaquarium and Dinosauria Park).
Our Choice: Chania – marginally
Better For Families With Older Kids?
There’s not a lot in this one. Don’t underestimate how beautiful Chania is, and this may well make a strong impression on a teenage traveller (it would have blown me away, for sure). Those narrow lanes with centuries-old houses could well awaken a keen explorer, as opposed to someone reluctantly being dragged around by their parents! And then, of course, there are the beaches close by.
Heraklion is a different proposition. As well as the old part of the city and Venetian Harbour, there’s more in the way of street art and cafes to discover as you wander the backstreets. Heraklion also has more in the way of museums than Chania, and places like the Museum of Ancient Greek Instruments offer something a little different.
Our Choice – A draw – there’s nothing in it.
Best Tours From Chania
Balos Beach and Gramvousa Island from Chania – includes transfers and boat trips
Elafonissi Beach Day Trip From Chania
Samaria Gorge from Chania – includes drop-off at Omalos, ferry from Agia Roumeli to Sougia and return coach
Best Tours From Heraklion
Knossos Palace, Lassithi Plateau and Zeus Cave Tour – also includes visit to Panagia Kera church in Kritsa
Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island Day Trip – also includes swimmimg stops and time in Elounda
Matala Beach and Gortyn Ancient Site – the beach with the famous hippie caves and the ancient capital of Crete and Cyrenaica in a day from Heraklion
Heraklion or Chania – Which Is The Better Base?
It depends on where you want to go.
If you want to explore the beaches of western Crete – particularly Balos Beach, Falassarna Beach and the pink sands of Elafonissi Beach – then you need to base yourself in Chania or somewhere in the west of the island. The west coast of the island is remote, with slow, winding roads once you pass the port of Kissamos.
It takes 4 hours to reach any of these beaches from Heraklion, so if you want to visit them and places elsewhere on Crete, it makes sense to stay in or near Chania for a few days and somewhere else on the island for the other attractions you plan to see.
The only drawback with Chania is that you’re out on a limb. Realistically the furthest you’re going to get is Heraklion, and that makes for a very long day out.
Our Little Man at Dinosauria Park
Heraklion is a versatile base for exploring much of the island. It’s within reach of some of the best beaches on the island, with buses taking you to Matala on the south coast, and the beaches around Malia and Hersonissos are only an hour or so east along the north coast of the island.
Heraklion is also close to the popular family attractions around Hersonissos, including Water City, CretAquarium and Dinosauria Park.
It’s only a short hop from Heraklion – an hour and a half – to eastern Crete. That’s how long it takes to reach the island’s fourth-largest city, Agios Nikolaos. From Heraklion, you can reach Agios Nikolaos, and head on to the resort village of Elounda and one of the most popular day trips in Crete, the former leper island of Spinalonga.
Heraklion is also the better bet if you plan on some Greek island hopping. In summer, up to five ferries a day run between Heraklion and Santorini port. This is one of the most popular day trips from Crete.
The ferries continue from there through the Cyclades islands, including Ios, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos. Ferries from Chania – which are much less frequent (one a day in summer) – tend to pass through Heraklion anyway.
Our Choice: Chania if you only want to explore the west of the island, but you can reach considerably more places (from Rethymno in the west to Agios Nikolaos and Elounda in the east) from Heraklion
What You Can’t Reach From Heraklion In A Day
The west coast of Crete – including Balos, Falassarna and Elafonissi – is too far away from Heraklion to warrant a day trip- from Heraklion. Likewise the south-west coast of the island – including Paleochora and the surrounding beaches – is also too far away for a day trip from the capital.
The far eastern coast of Crete is also a long way from Heraklion. It’s around a 150-mile drive from Heraklion to Vai beach and its famous palm forest, in the northeastern corner of the island. Public transport won’t get you there and back, as you have to change buses at Sitia in both directions.
By car, it’s a long drive, the best part of 3 hours each way. If you plan to visit Vai, and nearby Toplou Monastery and the beaches of Xerokampos, my advice is to base yourself somewhere in the far east of Crete for a few days.
What You Can’t Reach From Chania In A Day
I’d say that anywhere east or south of Heraklion is way too much for a day trip from Chania. This would require a minimum of three hours’ driving each way.
Even Heraklion is a long day trip from Chania. If you’re spending one day in Heraklion, you would have enough time to see Knossos and the Archaeological Museum, and have an hour or two exploring the old town and Venetian Harbour area. But not a lot else.
Chania or Heraklion – Final Thoughts
Both Chania and Heraklion are brilliant cities to visit, each ideal as a base for exploring different parts of the island.
And Crete is somewhere to which you could return every year for a decade, and still want more. It’s too large to see in one visit, and the best way to see it is a region at a time, using Chania and Heraklion (or Rethymno or Malia) as a base.
I recommend visiting both Heraklion and Chania at some point during your travels. Check out my extensive guide to the best things to do in Chania, and also my guide to the best Chania beaches and day trips for further information.
Likewise, take a look at my guide to the best things to do in Heraklion for more inspiration on what to see and do in Crete’s capital. You can also dig a little deeper with my guides to visiting Heraklion Archaeological Museum and Agios Titos Church in Heraklion.