Chania
The regional unit has 40 official bathing-water sites; of the 40 with a classification in the 2024 season, all were Excellent (EEA). At most of these beaches the average sea temperature is 22 °C or higher from May to September (NOAA, 1991–2020). In the largest city in the regional unit the weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing in May, June and September.
- Municipalities
- 7OpenStreetMap, 6 Oct 2026
- Official bathing-water sites
- 40YPEN register, EEA
- Excellent in 2024
- 40 of 40100% of classified sites (EEA)
- Sea at 22 °C or more
- May–Sepat most beaches, NOAA average 1991–2020
- Airports
- 1list of commercial airports
- Ferry ports
- 14ports with ferry terminals (OpenStreetMap)
- Natura 2000
- 23 sitesoverlap the area (YPEN)
- Wildfires 2016–2026
- 49 firesabout 2,218 hectares burnt (EFFIS)
- Zone prices 2021, per m²
- 500–1,900 €526 zones, a tax value and not a market price
When to go
This section is about Chania, the largest city in the regional unit; OpenStreetMap names no seat. It is not about the whole regional unit.
- Jan12°16°
- Feb12°16°
- Mar13°17°
- Apr15°19°
- May19°22°comfortable weather, warm sea
- Jun23°25°comfortable weather, warm sea
- Jul26°26°warm sea
- Aug26°25°warm sea
- Sep24°23°comfortable weather, warm sea
- Oct20°20°
- Nov17°18°
- Dec13°16°
- Top figure: air, bottom: sea
- Comfortable weather for walking
- Sea 22 °C or warmer
The weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing in May, June and September (average temperature around 22 °C, little rain).
The sea is 22 °C or warmer from May to September (up to 25.7 °C).
Monthly rain reaches 80 mm or more from November to February.
Day length is 9 h 45 min at the winter solstice (07:29 to 17:14) and 14 h 34 min at the summer solstice (06:08 to 20:42), Greek time.
- Mean temperature °C
- Rain (mm, right axis)
- Sea °C
- Sea 22 °C or warmer
| Month | Mean temp. °C | Rain mm | Sea °C | Daylight h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.5 | 98 | 15.5 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 11.5 | 89 | 15.7 | 10.9 |
| Mar | 13.0 | 51 | 16.6 | 11.9 |
| Apr | 15.3 | 27 | 18.9 | 13.1 |
| May (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 19.1 | 17 | 22.4 | 14.0 |
| Jun (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 23.2 | 5 | 24.9 | 14.5 |
| Jul (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 25.9 | 3 | 25.7 | 14.3 |
| Aug (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 26.2 | 5 | 24.7 | 13.5 |
| Sep (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 23.7 | 21 | 22.7 | 12.4 |
| Oct | 20.2 | 57 | 20.3 | 11.3 |
| Nov | 16.7 | 83 | 17.9 | 10.3 |
| Dec | 13.3 | 103 | 16.1 | 9.8 |
Temperature and rain: NASA POWER (MERRA-2), period 2001–2020, model cell about 24 km away. The temperatures are monthly averages from a regional model. Sea: NOAA OISST v2.1, period 1991–2020, nearest cell about 17 km away (0.25 degree grid). Daylight: calculated for the 15th of each month. These are regional model values and typical conditions, not a forecast.
Municipalities
The 7 municipalities of the regional unit, with the main town and the official bathing-water sites of each.
- Gavdos MunicipalityKastri
- Municipality of ApokoronasVrises, 5 beaches
- Municipality of ChaniaChania, 16 beaches
- Municipality of Kantanos-SelinonPaleochora, 4 beaches
- Municipality of KissamosKissamos, 9 beaches
- Municipality of PlataniasGerani, 4 beaches
- Municipality of SfakiaHora Sfakion, 2 beaches
Best beaches
The 6 official sites with the most seasons of Excellent water since 2011; ties are settled by the latest classification (2024 season). It is the EU's classification by season, not a reading on the day.
| Beach | Latest class | History |
|---|---|---|
| Agia Marina – Stalos | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agioi Apostoloi – Eot Anatolika | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agioi Apostoloi – Eot Dytika | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Onoufrios | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Almyrida | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Vlites | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
Towns to know
Cities, towns and villages of the regional unit that have a page of their own, larger ones first. Population only sets the order and is never shown.
Cities and towns
- Chaniacity, Chania
- Kounoupidianatown, Chania
- Plataniástown, Platanias
- Kissamostown, Kissamos
- Agía Marínatown, Chania
- Paleochoratown, Kantanos-Selinon
- Platanostown, Kissamos
- Soudatown, Chania
Villages
- Kolimbarivillage, Platanias
- Hora Sfakionvillage, Sfakia
- Anydrivillage, Kantanos-Selinon
- Kallergianavillage, Kissamos
- Kaloudianavillage, Kissamos
- Koukounaravillage, Kissamos
- Plakavillage, Apokoronas
- Rodovanivillage, Kantanos-Selinon
- Agios Pavlosvillage, Apokoronas
- Falasarnavillage, Kissamos
- Geranivillage, Platanias
- Kalyvesvillage, Apokoronas
- Kanterisvillage, Chania
- Kontomarivillage, Platanias
- Livadasvillage, Kantanos-Selinon
- Málemevillage, Platanias
- Marathivillage, Chania
- Sougiavillage, Kantanos-Selinon
- Stalosvillage, Chania
- Tavronitisvillage, Platanias
Islands
The inhabited islands of the regional unit that have a page of their own, largest first. Areas come from OpenStreetMap outlines.
Sights
A short selection from Wikidata, not a ranking of importance: only entries that have a Wikidata item, those with a page of their own on this site first, then those with an English label, then the oldest item. Up to 3 per kind. Coverage is uneven.
Castles
- Castle of PaleochoraKantanos-Selinon
- Giannakakides tower, MouzourasChania
Archaeological sites
Museums
- Nautical Museum of CreteChania
- Archaeological Museum of ChaniaChania
- Eleftherios Venizelos Museum of ChalepaChania
Monasteries
- Chrysoskalitissa MonasteryKissamos
- Gouverneto MonasteryChania
- Agia Triada MonasteryChania
Caves
- Arkoudiotissa CaveChania
- Cave of AsfendosSfakia
- Cave of KoumarospiliosChania
Canyons
- Samariá Gorge National ParkSfakia
- Imbros GorgeSfakia
- Agia Eirini GorgeKantanos-Selinon
Lighthouses
- Chania LighthouseChania
Natura 2000 protected areas
23 Natura 2000 sites with a page of their own in the regional unit. Each page says what the site protects, from the European Environment Agency's Natura 2000 database.
- Thalassia Periochi Dytikis kai Notiodytikis KritisSCI, 163,686 ha
- Lefka Ori Kai Paraktia ZoniSCI, 55,847 ha
- Chersonisos Rodopou - Paralia MalemeSCI, 16,047 ha
- Asfendou - Kallikratis Kai Paraktia ZoniSCI, 13,994 ha
- Ethnikos Drymos Samarias - Farangi Trypitis - Psilafi - KoustogerakoSPA, 13,974 ha
- Chersonisos Gramvoussas Kai Nisides Imeri Kai Agria Gramvoussa, PontikonisiSPA, 12,671 ha
- Notiodytiki Gavdos Kai GavdopoulaSPA, 9,655 ha
- Elos - Topolia - Sasalos - Agios DikaiosSCI, 7,420 ha
- Meterizia Agios Dikaios - Tsounara - Vitsilia Lefkon OreonSPA, 6,876 ha
- Nisoi Gavdos Kai GavdopoulaSCI, 6,291 ha
- Imeri Kai Agria Gramvoussa - Tigani Kai Falasarna - Pontikonisi, Ormos Livadi - VigliaSCI, 5,888 ha
- Drapano (Voreioanatolikes Aktes) - Paralia Georgioupolis - Limni KournaSCI, 4,950 ha
- Farangi Kallikratis - Argouliano Farangi - Oropedio ManikaSPA, 4,148 ha
- Ormos Sougias - Vardia - Farangi Lissou Mechri Anydrous Kai Paraktia ZoniSCI, 3,060 ha
- Chersonisos RodopouSPA, 2,864 ha
- Paralia Apo Chrysoskalitissa Mechri Akrotirio KriosSCI, 2,253 ha
- Limni Agias - Platanias - Rema Kai Ekvoli Keriti - Koilada FasaSCI, 1,270 ha
- Fre - Tzitzifes - NiposSCI, 1,193 ha
- Farangi TherissouSCI, 492 ha
- Nisos Elafonisos Kai Paraktia Thalassia ZoniSCI, 271 ha
- Limni Kourna Kai Ekvoli AlmyrouSPA, 193 ha
- Nisida Agioi TheodoroiSPA, 79 ha
- Agia lakeSPA, 68 ha
Getting there
The airports and ferry ports of the area as our sources record them. We do not copy timetables or fares, because they would go stale; where an official source exists it is linked below.
| Airport | IATA | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| Chania International Airport "Ioannis Daskalogiannis" | CHQ | Chania |
| Port, at the nearest settlement | Terminals in OSM | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| Finikas | 5 | Sfakia |
| Kavonisi | 3 | Kissamos |
| Sougia | 2 | Kantanos-Selinon |
| Agia Roumeli | 2 | Sfakia |
| Souda | 2 | Chania |
| Port unnamed in OSM | 1 | Kantanos-Selinon |
Official travel information
- KTEL Chania–Rethymno: timetables
- KTEL Chania–Rethymno: route and stop search
- KTEL Heraklion–Lasithi: timetables
Routes and connections can change by season. Confirm times and service directly with the operator before travelling.
How the numbers were counted
Each municipality belongs to the region and regional unit that OpenStreetMap records for it, and the figures on this page add up its municipalities. Beaches, airports, ports and sights belong to the municipality that contains them (up to 3 km outside the boundary for those on the shore).
Ports: a port is a group of ferry terminals mapped in OpenStreetMap within 1 km of each other (a harbour is mapped as many berths). The name is the nearest settlement. The number of terminals shows how closely the harbour is mapped, not how large it is or how many ferries call.
Fires: the count covers EFFIS burnt areas (roughly 30 hectares and above) whose reference point lies in a municipality of the area, with dates from 23 Mar 2016 to 12 Sept 2026. Natura 2000: each site is counted once, even when it overlaps several municipalities.
Zone prices: the lowest and highest value among the 2021 objective-system zones whose reference point lies in the area. They are tax values, not market prices.
See also
- Creteregion
- All regions of Greecelist
- Greece month by monthlist
- Heraklionunit of the same region
- Lasithiunit of the same region
- Rethymnounit of the same region
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, with the date each was updated.
- Designated bathing waters (locations)Ministry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current bathing season register · Date:
- Bathing water quality classificationEuropean Environment Agency: WISE Bathing Water Directive database · Latest assessed season in the EEA database; every season from 2011 is kept as a per-beach history · Date:
- Monthly climate normalsNASA POWER, MERRA-2 meteorological model · 2001–2020 climatology period returned by NASA POWER · Date:
- Sea temperature (NOAA OISST)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / Physical Sciences Laboratory · OISST v2.1 monthly long-term mean climatology, 1991-2020 period · Date:
- Burnt areasEFFIS: European Forest Fire Information System (Copernicus EMS) · Rolling archive of mapped burnt areas · Date:
- Natura 2000 protected sitesMinistry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current national Natura 2000 network · Date:
- Objective property value zonesMinistry of National Economy and Finance, via data.gov.gr · 2021 revision of the objective value system · Date:
- AirportsFraport Greece; the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (ΥΠΑ/HCAA); Wikipedia (cross-checked for IATA/ICAO codes and coordinates) · Checked 24 September 2026 · Date:
- Everyday places, tourism, transport and natureOpenStreetMap contributors, via the Overpass API · Live database at the time of the query · Date:
- Wikidata landmarks: castles, monasteries, museums, archaeological sites and natural landmarksWikidata contributors · Live SPARQL query snapshot, taken 25 September 2026 · Date:
- Region, unit and municipal boundaries, settlements, seats and ferry terminalsOpenStreetMap (Geofabrik Greece extract, 24 Sep 2026), ODbL · Date:
Page updated .