In this Princess Cruise Blog we visit the Mediterranean Cruise Port of Chania in Crete, Greece and share some things to do in Crete cruise port including souvenir ideas!
Day 4 of our Sun Princess Mediterranean Cruise landed us on the Greek Island of Crete.
This was, in fact, an alteration to our original itinerary. Santorini was our original port of call, but it was changed to Chania cruise port, Crete.
New Cruiser Tip: If you have never cruised before you should be made aware that ports of call are subject to change. If there is a safety issue, capacity issue, or other unforeseen circumstance a cruise line may stop at a different port or have another sea day.
Free Room Service — Princess Cruises
To start our day on Crete, we ordered the free room service breakfast on Princess. We ordered 2 danishes, 1 pizza muffin, an egg and cheese English muffin, a fruit plate, and bananas along with coffee, of course!
Starboard View of Souda Port Chania on the Greek Isle of Crete
We mused that the “Welcome to Souda Port Chania” sign must have been there since Paul’s day based on how worn and barely visible the words were.
View from Balcony 11221 Starboard, looking at Chania port toward the left, straight ahead, and to the right respectively.
Crete Cruise Port — Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chania a tender port?
It can be, but on our Mediterannean cruise we did not tender on Crete with Princess Cruise Lines. Check your cruise itinerary or contact your cruise line to confirm if you will be tendering or docking on Crete.
Where do cruise ships dock in Crete?
The majority of cruise ships will dock in Iraklion (Heraklion) port or Souda (Chania) when visiting Crete for the day.
Where does Sun Princess dock in Chania, Greece?
On our cruise, Sun Princess docked at Souda Port. Souda is the name of the port in Chania.
Also note the blue dot on the map below to indicate where Sun Princess was docked in Crete.
Important Cruise Travel Tip
Cruise Travel Tip: On Sun Princess, there were large screens along the path to exit the ship on port days which featured contact information for the Port Agent. Make sure to snap a photo of the Port Agent Contact Information. It will usually be in your printed daily schedule as well.
If you run into any trouble while in Port, including if you’re running late, (ps. please don’t run late getting back to the ship!) it will be essential to contact this number for help. It is well known that cruise ships will leave passengers who aren’t back on board in time, so always get back to your ship with plenty of time if you are doing your own excursions.
Still, ‘unexpected events overtake us all’ and if you find yourself in that situation, call the port agent right away and let them know. No guarantee the ship can wait or will wait, but you stand a better chance if you’ve communicated and they know what’s going on. =)
Our One Day in Chania Cruise Port
Shuttle Bus to Chania Town
Chania is a very walkable and cute port to visit, however you cannot quickly walk to Chania from Souda Port. It would be quite a long walk, something to the tune of 2 hours.
Needless to say, we were very happy that Princess had a complimentary shuttle bus from Souda Port which dropped us off in Chania near the Municipal Garden of Chania.
The bus displayed a sign in the front window which said “Sun Princess Shuttle”.
Helpful Greek Phrases For Travelers
You may find it helpful to learn a few polite words for your day in Chania cruise port.
How long is the Shuttle From Souda Port to Chania?
The ride was between 15 and 20 minutes and gave a good opportunity to check out some key phrases in Greek from The Turquoise Collection.
A Walk Through Chania, Crete
After getting off the shuttle I snapped a pic of this monument and area which was under construction. As it turns out this is the entrance to the Agora, the Municipal Market of Chania.
It was currently being restored .
As we walked along the perimeter of the Municipal Gardens of Chania to reach the coastal area, we met two of the loveliest elderly ladies at the cart. We learned via google translate, it was their custom every week on this day to be there. Modern day Anas to warm our hearts. Although we couldn’t speak the same language we instantly felt the special bond that is such a treasure.
Next we popped into a grocery store to take a peak around. Fully enjoyed this coffee grinder. Nothing like freshly ground coffee beans!
Walking around Chania is enjoyable. From wide shopping and dining streets like this one…
… to narrow winding alleys, you’ll enjoy exploring this Greek isle on your cruise!
Here’s a cute hotel entrance framed by a blooming bougainvillea which provides shade like an umbrella from nature for anyone sitting at that little table. =)
Unique Greece Souvenir & Gift Ideas on Crete
Leather goods make a great souvenir from Crete. This leather shop called Baba Yank Handcraft Leather Workshop sold leather belts, leather purses and backpacks.
Do you see the green and yellow leather bags in the photo? This backpack style is called Vourgiali or Vourgia.
According to their website, this style of bag is used by Cretan shepherds and farmers to store their daily meals. Vourgiali can also be found in Cyprus and the Dodecanese islands. This leather backpack would be a really cool souvenir from Crete – it’s useful, it’s unique, it supports a local artisan, and it has cultural significance and an interesting story.
If leather isn’t your thing. check out O Armenis for more unique souvenirs from Crete.
O Armenis sells traditional cutlery and you can see how unique these handmade knives certainly are.
The tall walking sticks / shepherds crooks caught my eye as well. I was curious how much they cost. These cool walking sticks were 80 euros, but I imagine they will be hard to pack in your checked luggage. lol
The store Cream Of Hippocrates also looked to have some unique items. Bags made traditionally on a handloom, homemade creams, not to mention books and toys.
Walking past the next store, something immediately caught my eye – the colorful coin pouches inside the doorway. They looked Thai, without a doubt.
This cute boutique, Wipa Silk Shop, has loads of cute dresses and accessories including many authentic Thai goods. It was a highlight of the day to chat with the owner, a kind Thai woman.
Please stop in at Wipa when you are in Chania!
Another great souvenir from Greece would be handmade leather sandals. Typically the sandals will have the family name stamped in the footbed. I much prefer this dignified way to acknowledge the maker than the overly branded items popular today, which can be tacky.
Cretan Cats of Chania
In the neighborhood were some adorable street cats and a comical, scruffy little dog.
Old Venetian Port of Chania
We had made it to the Old Venetian Port of Chania.
We found more cats hanging around waiting for a fresh catch and this one looked quite distinguished.
There are plenty of restaurants to dine at along the Old Venetian Port where you’ll have a view of the water and the Lighthouse of Chania.
What’s so special about Chania’s Lighthouse?
It’s said to be the oldest lighthouse in the world so we thought it worth the walk down the long mole (the stone pier leading to the lighthouse), but not without first taking in the views.
Before walking down the pier, take a peak around the corner of this stone wall to see glimpses of the Chanion Gulf in the Sea of Crete.
The walk to the lighthouse starts out well. The walkway is spacious and affords views of the boats docked along the shore with the Venetian shipyards in the background.
The mountains made a majestic backdrop for the Venetian Shipyards at the Chania Marina. Originally they were to build and maintain Venetian galleys (a type of boat that relied mostly on oars and was used for warfare, trade, and piracy in the European seas. source). Later when the Ottomans invaded Crete, the Shipyards actually became storehouses for food.
Sadly at this point on the journey to the lighthouse, things took a turn. I have to say the walk to the Chania lighthouse is not for the faint of heart on a blisteringly hot day.
The old sea wall going out to the lighthouse has sort of an upper level and lower level. At one point we took stairs to the upper level, which was more narrow and because I started to feel uneasy we turned back in order to continue on the lower level a la Proverbs 22:3.
Shortly thereafter my sandal proceeds to break in an irreparable way while we are on the middle of this long walk to the lighthouse in the blazing heat. We had no choice but to turn back and let me tell you it was an even longer walk back trying to hold onto my flipflop by scrunching up my toes while walking.
Tired, overheated, frustrated, and hungry we hobbled our way to a place called Tostachi.
Tostachi Restaurant Review — Chania Cruise Port Crete, Greece
Tostachi is a cute little restaurant serving bio (organic) foods made from the heart.
Tostachi Chania Menu with Prices
What We Ordered
Greek Coffee
We started off with a greek coffee which is made in a pot called a Briki and is reminiscent of the Armenian coffee we had at Ararate Restaurant in Lisbon.
Cretan Spinach Pie
We ordered the Cretan spinach pie with “handmade phyllo pastry, wild seasonal greens & large variety of herbs.”
Stelio’s Salad
While we actually ordered a Greek Salad, in the end we seemed to have received Stelios’s salad “with tomato, cucumber, onion, lettuce, rocket, herbs, coriander, avocado, olives, mizithra cheese & balsamic vinegar”.
I absolutely loved this salad. I thought it was so flavorful and exciting. So full of colors and textures that you couldn’t possibly call this a boring salad.
This kind of salad makes eating healthy fun! =)
Kalitsounia with Honey — Dessert
For dessert we decided to try the kalitsounia with honey. This is “handmade phyllo pastry with mizithra cheese with Cretan thyme honey & cinnamon”
By the way, if you’re wondering what is mizithra?! It’s a homemade traditional cheese made from goats milk.
Fruit Plate
At the end they brought us this lovely fruit plate of fresh honeydew and strawberry with their compliments!
The Best Part of Tostachi
Chef Stelios, shown in photo wearing his apron, was the absolute highlight of our visit to Tostachi. He was passionate about all of the food he made, eager to explain each menu item, happy to take a video while he made our dessert and show it to us, and he just had a warmth and kindness about him that is rare to see these days.
The kind of guy who would repair a sandal for a total stranger 🙂 and as if that wasn’t enough, even provide extra wire in case the first fix didn’t stay. What a legend!
Walking Back to the Cruise Shuttle Bus
With a newly repaired sandal, we could start the walk back to the shuttle bus pickup point, remembering to factor in the 20 minute bus ride and then walking to the actual ship so we wouldn’t miss all aboard!
Cool Buildings in Chania
For some reason this red building was so intriguing..
We walked near the water and the views of the Chanion Gulf were so beautiful.
Once I saw these steps I knew I had to run down them real quick and dip my toe into the water – it was my last chance! When would I be on Crete again?! It was soooo refreshing on such a hot day.
Wouldn’t you love to visit Crete and spend some time in these beautiful waters?!
Sailing From Crete on Sun Princess
Once we got back on Sun Princess we grabbed a little strawberry-topped donut snack and returned to our balcony for the sail-away views of Crete.
The Views…
… Were Just …
So So Sooo Good!
We Couldn’t Get Enough
of The Views Through Souda Bay
Dinner & Dancing in the Piazza
To wrap up a roller coaster of a day we grabbed a most random dinner from The Eatery on Sun Princess consisting of asian food and a dessert plate of greek sweets like baklava.
In the Piazza, the band was bringing out some smooth moves from fellow cruisers.
Day 5 of this Mediterranean Cruise on Sun Princess is a Sea Day so get ready for more cruise food picsand let us know if you think the food on Princess Cruises is good!
In this post we hope we gave you some helpful tips for visiting Chania Port Souda on a cruise and that we answered some questions you may have had such as:
- Is Chania walkable from cruise port?
- What to do in Crete from a cruise ship?
- Is Chania a tender port?
- What is the name of the port in Chania?
- What is the name of the cruise port in Crete?
- Is Chania Crete worth visiting? Definitely!
- What currency do they use in Chania?
Bring euros! The currency in Chania Crete is euro since Greece is part of the European Union. Cards are also widely accepted. Our favorite travel cards do not have foreign transaction fees either. 😉
Mediterranean Cruise Blogs
Mediterranean Cruise Port Tips
-> How we spent one day in port on a cruise in Italy, Greece, and Turkey
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