Chania Sunset Boat Cruise to Lazaretta Island with Guide

The Venetian harbour of Chania

The old harbour of Chania was built by the Venetians in the 14th century and is still the heart of the city. Its curved waterfront is lined with pastel-coloured houses, arcaded Venetian shipyards called arsenals, and the domed Mosque of the Janissaries, the oldest Ottoman-era building on Crete. At the western end the Firkas fortress guards the harbour entrance.

Is Chania's old harbour worth visiting? It is one of the most charming waterfronts in Greece, and seeing it from the sea gives a completely different perspective. Your boat leaves from the Akti Enoseos side of the harbour, and as it pulls away the guide points out the sights and explains how the city changed under Venetian and later Ottoman rule.

The Venetian lighthouse

At the end of the long harbour breakwater stands the lighthouse of Chania, first built by the Venetians in the late 16th century and rebuilt in the 1830s in its present elegant stone form, which some compare to a minaret. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the Mediterranean and the symbol of the city.

From land you can walk out along the breakwater to its base, but from the boat you see it framed against the open sea and the old town at once. The cruise passes close by, giving one of the best photo opportunities of the evening, especially when the stone glows gold in the low sun.

Lazaretta island and the Gulf of Chania

Lazaretta is a small, rocky island a short sail from the harbour. Its name recalls the lazaretto, a quarantine station where ships' crews and travellers were once isolated before entering the city, and your guide shares its long story, which goes back beyond the Venetian period.

The boat stops in the calm water beside the island just as the sun sets behind the mountains of western Crete, painting the sky orange and pink. You can take a short swim if you wish, so bring swimwear and a towel. Then, as dusk falls, the boat turns back and the harbour lights reflect across the water, a perfect finale to this Chania sunset cruise.

Planning your evening in Chania

The cruise lasts about 75 minutes and departs in the early evening; the exact time follows the sunset and changes through the season. The best time for a sunset cruise in Chania is from May to early October, when the evenings are warm and the sea is pleasant for a swim.

After the cruise you are right in the old town, ideal for dinner by the harbour or a stroll through the narrow lanes of Splantzia and the leather street. Halal restaurants are limited in Chania, but grilled fish and vegetarian Cretan dishes are easy to find. In strong wind the cruise may be cancelled for safety, and we will help you reschedule.