4 Facts You Should Know Before Visiting the Chania Lighthouse in Crete, Greece

You're Saying It Wrong!

Built by architects from Venice, this gorgeous lighthouse was built in the 16th century during 1596 and 1600 A.D. That’s almost 425 years ago, making this one of the oldest lighthouses in the world! For reference, the United States is almost 250 years old. Its name Chania, is pronounced like Han-ia, the C is silent. Saying it incorrectly will not only let everyone around you know you’re a tourist, every single local will correct you, so you better get it right!

The Stones Are Deceiving, Wear Some Good Shoes!

The Chania lighthouse is located on a mole in the city’s harbor and you can walk right out to it. Most of the time it is a nice and easy walk, however the route is mostly cobblestone with no railings. You can also walk on the high wall above the walking path, though be careful, there’s nowhere to hold on to if you lose your balance! It looks like a nice and easy walk, and for the most part, it is.

It took me about an hour to walk there and back, and my pace is slower because I really like to relax and take everything in, as you also should. It’s the Greek way!

Now, make sure you wear some good shoes! I wore my good walking ones and still almost broke my ankle walking up and down (thank you to those very nice French people who checked on me), as there is NO RAILINGS on those steep steps.

 I was a granny on these steps but the view was absolutely worth it, the Aegean Sea is absolutely majestic!

3. Don’t Call it By It’s Nickname! 

As beautiful as she is, Crete has had a very difficult history. Since Chania is one of the island’s main harbors, it often felt the brunt of major conflicts. Crete was occupied for thousands of years, by the Romans, the Venetians, Ottomans, Egyptians, even the Byzantine empire. Everyone wanted a piece of paradise. One of its more popular nicknames is the Egyptian Lighthouse because it fell to ruin during the Ottoman empire and was repaired by the occupying Egyptian military, who supported the Empire.

Personally, I would feel some type of way if one of the most well-known monuments (and most beautiful)  in my city was named after the enemy. So, that’s why I call it the Chania lighthouse and why I recommend the same. It’s also worth mentioning I never heard that description from locals. The people of Crete were very resilient though. One can only be under someone else’s thumb for so long before you fight back. The Cretans used that lighthouse and their fortresses to their full extent; even civilians have been known to fight off invaders.

They earned their independence with blood, sweat, and tears and finally got it, only recently in 1913, when they were finally able to officially become part of Greece.

4. You Can’t Go Inside

The lighthouse itself is closed so you can’t go tour inside, but you can walk all the way to the front doors and then across the high wall to get a better view of the sea.

The lighthouse is 70 feet tall (21 meters) and its light reaches up to 7 miles (11 kilometers). When the lighthouse was first built, it was actually called a lantern because it was just an open flame torch inside a trapezoidal (5 sides) shaped hole. Think of it like the image below, only deeper and much larger.

The monument is built on a giant rock and made completely of stone, which fun fact, most of Chania’s buildings are made out of, and was originally built for protection from invasions. On the same path to the lighthouse is a military base, Fortress Firkas, which the Cretans used in times of war to close off the entire harbor.

The lighthouse itself is closed so you can’t tour inside, but you can walk all the way to the front doors and then across the high wall to get a better view of the gorgeous sea. Remember though, no railings, so be safe! We don’t want to end up on the news!

So, you’re ready to visit the Chania Lighthouse! Add this monument to your bucket list because it definitely deserves to be known, and I’d personally put it on my list of Wonders of the World!